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The Bachelor of Counselling is a comprehensive, biblically grounded and practically driven counselling course. It equips students to bring significant and tangible change to the individual lives of those entrusted into their care. By integrating biblical theology, psychology and counselling theory and practice, students will gain confidence in their ability to effectively facilitate transformation, enabling clients to work through challenging life issues in a relationally-centred way.
Through understanding the various complexities that impact a diverse range of people, students will be professionally equipped to counsel clients holistically by engaging social, emotional, mental, spiritual and cultural needs in light of the gospel. Students will graduate with the theoretical and practical skills that are undergirded by a Christian ethos and worldview.
Upon course completion, graduates can become registered counsellors with the Australian Counselling Association (ACA). This could lead to a career in professional or pastoral counselling.
Perth Bible College (PBC) is a member institution of Sydney College Divinity (SCD) and offers its Bachelor of Counselling as of January 2024. SCD is a TEQSA-accredited Australian university college.
Course details
Study Load
Full-time or part-time
Flexible Study Mode
Face-to-face
Livestream
Online
Future Pathways
Graduate Diploma of Ministry
Master of Arts
Master of Divinity
Master of Counselling
Duration
Full-time: 3 years
Part-time: 8 years
General Admission Requirements
All applicants who endeavour to submit an application must meet the general admission requirements.
Admission to the Bachelor of Counselling requires:
- An Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of 65, or its equivalent (eg. OP ≤ 16); OR
- Satisfactory completion an AQF 5 Diploma of Counselling (or equivalent) from an institution recognised by the Academic Board; OR
- Mature Age and Special Entry Admissions for those who have reached the age of 20; AND
- Satisfactory completion of a pre-enrolment interview with a relevant course advisor
English Proficiency: Applicants whose entry qualifications were obtained in an institution where English is not the language of instruction normally require a minimum IELTS (or equivalent) score of 6.5 in all bands of the test. A student can be admitted provisionally into the BCouns when they have an IELTS result of 6.0 with no score less than 6.0 in all bands of the test.
All domestic candidates must be Christian and 18 years old or older.
Applicants must confess their faith in Christ under the PBC Statement of Faith, be involved regularly in a local church, demonstrate a desire to be involved in church ministry, demonstrate the physical and psychological capacity for studying in a tertiary institution, agree to abide by PBC policies and procedures and agree to abide by the Student Code of Conduct.
Before applying, please ensure you have:
- A Unique Student Identifier number (USI). If you don’t have one, you can apply here. To find your number, click here.
- A colour PDF of your birth certificate, passport, and permanent resident visa (or a certified copy)
- A digital passport-style image
- A colour PDF of previous academic transcripts and certificates of completion(or a certified copy)
- A page or two detailing your testimony, including how you became a Christian and why you believe the Lord would have you train for Christian life and service at PBC
- Contact information for two chosen referees
- Contact information for your Pastor/Leader.
When you have all the required supporting information for your application, please apply online here.
Overseas Admission Requirements
This course is not available for Overseas Students.
Structure
The Bachelor of Counselling requires the completion of 216 credit points (24 units) which will include:
- a major (54 credit points) in the sub-discipline of Counselling consisting of three units of counselling practicum and three units of counselling theory
- an additional sub-major (36 credit points) in the sub-discipline of Counselling
- a sub-major (36 credit points) in Pastoral Theology
- a sub-major (36 credit points) in either Biblical Studies or Theology or Christian Life and Ministry
- additional units as required to complete the award from the suite of available SCD units
A major in the sub-discipline of Counselling requires 54 credit points from the sub- discipline, with not more than 18 credit points from 7100 series units.
A sub-major in a discipline or sub-discipline requires 36 credit points from units assigned to that discipline or sub-discipline, including no more than 18 credit points from 7100 series units.
All course units will be taken from Sydney College of Divinity Schedule of units of study coded within the 7100 series and above.
Units
FAQS
Enrolment
Enrolment process
Before the beginning of each trimester, each student shall apply for enrolment via the PBC Online Enrollment system or by completing and lodging an Enrolment Form, obtainable from the Admin Office.
The Dean of Students and the Dean of Counselling will arrange enrolment appointment days for enrolling new and returning students. These meetings will allow students to receive advice on which units to enrol in, ensuring they will meet the requirements of their course.
Enrolment forms must be completed before attending lectures for that trimester. All enrolments must be finalised by the census date. Students cannot add new units or transfer between units after the census date.
Students may apply to change their course enrolment at the beginning of a new trimester up until the census date.
Students must complete an Application for Change of Course form to make such an application. Students must meet the requirements outlined in the Course Articulation and Change of Course Policy to qualify to change course enrolment.
Deferment
PBC may permit the deferral of a course enrolment of a student in some circumstances as outlined in the Enrolment – Domestic Students Policy and Enrolment – Overseas Students Policy.
Fees and charges
PBC’s most current fee structure can be found on the Course Fees page.
Academic requirements
Please carefully read the academic requirements as listed on the award that you are interested in pursuing.
English Language Proficiency
The Australian Government requires incoming overseas students to demonstrate their proficiency in English before a student visa will be granted. You are required to complete an IELTS (International English Language Testing System) assessment unless you can provide evidence of studying in English from one of the following options:
- At least five years of study in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States, or
- Successful completion in Australia of a foundation course, Senior Secondary Certificate of Education or a substantial part of a Certificate IV or higher-level qualification from the Australian Qualifications Framework, within two years of your application date.
The applicant should ask the IELTS testing authority to mail the test results directly to The Dean of Students, PBC. The following standards are the English language requirements for PBC courses:
Course |
IELTS Band Score |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate Diploma | 6.0 overall and in the reading and writing subsets. |
| Associate Degree | 6.0 overall and in the reading and writing subsets. |
| Bachelor Degree | 6.5 overall with a minimum of 6.0 in each subset. |
| Graduate Diploma | 7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.5 in each subset. |
| Master Degree | 7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.5 in each subset. |
*Please note that SCD awards may have different English Proficiency requirements. Find out more information on the general admission requirement on each course page.
Student and Campus Services
Student support is an important aspect at PBC.
We take our students’ success in their studies seriously and understand that good student support requires a holistic approach. As a result of our commitment to our students, we have consistently been ranked above 90% for the student support aspect in the national Student Experience Survey facilitated by the QILT team.
Read more about Student and Campus Services.
Additional information
Access and equity
PBC does not discriminate in the admission and access to its programs and activities based on disability, age, sex, race, colour, or national or ethnic origin.
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“The thing I loved most about PBC was the environment. We have a Christian community on campus, support from the lecturer, lovely students and fellowship. It has encouraged me to feel part of the community.”
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Karrinyup, WA 6018