The Master of Arts CNPS program allows students to focus on one of the three areas for which we have accreditation from the Council for Accreditation of Counsellor Education Programs (Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association).
The two areas of focus are: Community & Agency Counselling and School Counselling. To be admitted to the school counselling focus, applicants must have a teaching certificate at the time of application from a Canadian province or territory.
Standard Master of Arts Program Prerequisites
Applicants need to have satisfactorily completed the following prerequisite courses (or equivalent courses listed on the ECPS website equivalency table) Basic interviewing/Helping skills (e.g., UBC CNPS 362), Career Counselling (e.g., UBC CNPS 363), Theories of Counselling/psychotherapy (e.g., CNPS 365), Learning Theory/Cognitive Psychology, Abnormal Psychology/Behaviour disorders, and Statistics before December 31st.
Please note: For MA and MEd applicants, applicants have to complete all the prerequisite courses by December.
Please see the equivalency table for some equivalent courses offered from other universities. We are NO LONGER doing pre-application adjudication for the pre-requisite courses.
= On Campus = Online
| CNPS 362 (3 credits) | Basic Interviewing Skills/Helping Skills |
| CNPS 363 (3 credits) (Available on campus or online) |
Career Counselling |
| CNPS 365 (3 credits) (Available on campus or online) |
Introduction to Theories of Counselling/Psychotherapy |
| EPSE 482 (3 credits) | Introduction to Statistics for Research in Education |
| 3 credit course in Abnormal Psychology or Behaviour Disorders | Equivalency Table |
| 3 credit course in Learning/Cognitive Psychology | Equivalency Table |
Work Experience
There is no required minimum amount of relevant experience. However, relevant experience is considered when applications are adjudicated.
Research Experience
Applicants to the M.A. Program should have prior research experience, as evidenced by, for example, volunteer research assistant experience, an undergraduate honours degree research project, conference presentations, or journal publications. Compatibility between faculty and applicant research interests is an important consideration for admission.
Criminal Record Checks
Students admitted to our Master’s and Doctoral programs are required to provide a criminal record clearance prior to taking CNPS 588 – Supervised Clinical Experience in Counselling. The The CRC application instruction will be sent out to students later on in the program.
Learn more information about Criminal Record Checks.