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Bachelor of Human Services (Counselling) (BHSC) - BachHumServCouns

QTAC code (Australian and New Zealand applicants): Toowoomba campus: 909321; External: 909325; Ipswich campus: 939321

CRICOS code (International applicants): 070616K

You are currently viewing the 2023 Handbook. For study in 2024, please refer to the .

 On-campusExternal
Start:Trimester 1 (January)
Trimester 2 (May)
Trimester 1 (January)
Trimester 2 (May)
Campus:Ipswich, Toowoomba -
Fees:Commonwealth supported place
Domestic full fee paying place
International full fee paying place
Commonwealth supported place
Domestic full fee paying place
International full fee paying place
Residential school:Mandatory, Highly Recommended and Recommended 
Standard duration:3 years full-time, 7 years part-time  

Notes

In 2023 the programs follows the Semester calendar. The Academic Calendar and Important Dates webpage will allow you to view and download a copy of the important dates for the Semester calendar.

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Contact us

Future Australian and New Zealand students  Future International students  Current students 

Freecall (within Australia): 1800 269 500
Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 5315
Email: study@usq.edu.au  

Phone: +61 7 4631 5543
Email: international@usq.edu.au 

Freecall (within Australia): 1800 007 252
Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 2285
Email usq.support@usq.edu.au 

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Professional accreditation

The Bachelor of Human Services (Counselling) is accredited with the (ACWA).

Students who successfully complete this program, including mandatory professional placement (fieldwork), will be eligible to apply for ACWA membership.

The is the professional body for qualified community workers in Australia.

Attendance requirements: Students must attend the three-day residential school included in HSW2120 Human Services Case Management. This is an (ACWA) accreditation requirement.

Attendance recommendations: Students aiming to become professional counsellors and/or join professional counselling associations after further postgraduate studies in accredited counselling programs, are strongly recommended to attend residential schools for all of the following courses:


Students who attend residential schools will receive certification of attendance.

Due to the number residential schools across the courses in the Counselling Major, enrolled students are strongly encouraged to follow the recommended enrolment patterns; to avoid overlapping residential school schedules.

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Program aims

This program aims to provide an enhanced understanding of the basic issues, principles and human services paradigms in the social and community sector together with skills and theoretical frameworks for people interested in becoming human services professionals in the community and non-government sector. Particular major and minor studies will focus on competencies required for employment in these roles. The program affords the opportunity to engage in specialised study of marginalised groups.

Program Rules

  • Satisfactorily complete all courses within a maximum period of 9 years (standard duration is 3 years full-time, 7 years part-time)

  • Maintain satisfactory academic achievement throughout the duration of the program consistent with the UniSQ Student Academic Progress Procedure

  • Meet all mandatory course requirements including mandatory residential school and professional experience placement requirements where this is present in the courses

  • Ensure that they are aware of the need to meet the Requirements for professional experience placements for the Bachelor Human Services (Counselling)


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Program objectives

On completion of this program students should be able to:

  • apply knowledge and professional skills in human services surrounding the key issues appropriate to working in the community and government sectors

  • comprehend broad and coherent knowledge of professional and contextual issues in human services and counselling

  • communicate in a variety of different forms including written, oral and digital contexts to a diverse audience

  • function as a team member and work autonomously according to practice requirements

  • examine theoretical knowledge of human services based on social justice and human rights in the Australian and global context

  • evaluate theoretical knowledge of environmental, economic and social contexts including knowledge of issues of indigeneity, diversity management, equity and justice.


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Australian Qualifications Framework

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a single national, comprehensive system of qualifications offered by higher education institutions (including universities), vocational education and training institutions and secondary schools. Each AQF qualification has a set of descriptors which define the type and complexity of knowledge, skills and application of knowledge and skills that a graduate who has been awarded that qualification has attained, and the typical volume of learning associated with that qualification type.

This program is at AQF Qualification Level 07. Graduates at this level will have broad and coherent knowledge and skills for professional work and/or further learning.

The full set of levels criteria and qualification type descriptors can be found by visiting .

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Program Information Set

View UniSQ’s admission criteria, student profiles and a summary of all offers made under via the QTAC website.

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Admission requirements

To be eligible for admission, applicants must satisfy the following requirements:

  • The specified minimum entry requirement as determined by Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), or equivalent qualification.^
  • English Language Proficiency requirements for Category 2.


Applicants are advised to also address the following:

  • expectations: English.


All students are required to satisfy the applicable .

If students do not meet the English language requirements they may apply to study a ¾«¶«´«Ã½app-approved . On successful completion of the English language program, students may be admitted to an award program.

^

These are determined by the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app for specific programs each Semester. The 2023 ATAR and tertiary entrance ranks are based on agreed QTAC schedules which assess formal study at Year 12 or , tertiary, preparatory, professional or vocational qualifications or work experience, as detailed in the QTAC Assessment of Qualifications Manual and QTAC Assessor Guidelines.

Adjustment factors may help you get into the program of your choice by increasing your entrance rank. The additional points don't apply to all applicants or all programs. Please read the information about UniSQ's carefully to find out what you may be eligible for.

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Requirements for professional experience placements

Students are required to complete a minimum of 400 hours of professional placement in the Bachelor of Human Services (Counselling). This is an Australian Community Workers Association (ACWA) accreditation requirement. Students are offered 210 hours per placement (a total of 420 hours) in order to provide a buffer against unexpected variations in attendance. To be eligible to apply for ACWA accreditation, students are required to successfully complete HSW2299 Professional Placement A (210 hours) and HSW3399 Professional Placement B (210 hours).

Applicants must be willing to undertake and submit the requirements of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app of Southern Queensland for practical placement. Please refer to the relevant for Bachelor of Human Services (Counselling) Students.

Students may be required to demonstrate immunisation status depending upon the nature of service delivery and the conditions assigned by the host human services agency.

Mandatory Documents required prior to commencing ANY clinical placements in the program:

  • Blue Card or Working with Children Check

  • Australian Police Certificate

  • Resume

  • UniSQ Student Declaration

  • UniSQ Placement Request Form


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Program fees

Commonwealth supported place

A Commonwealth supported place is where the Australian Government makes a contribution towards the cost of a students' higher education and students pay a , which varies depending on the courses undertaken. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

Commonwealth Supported students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called .

Domestic full fee paying place

Domestic full fee paying places are funded entirely through the full fees paid by the student. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the

Domestic full fee paying students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called provided they meet the residency and citizenship requirements.

Australian citizens, Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders, Permanent Resident visa holders and New Zealand citizens who will be resident outside Australia for the duration of their program pay full tuition fees and are not eligible for .

International full fee paying place

International students pay full fees. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken and whether they are studied on-campus, external or online. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

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Program completion requirements

Students will be eligible to graduate from the Bachelor of Human Services (Counselling) following satisfactory completion of all theoretical and fieldwork components (if required). Some courses have compulsory attendance requirements and to satisfy the placement courses students must participate in the required hours of placement offered at off-campus venues and satisfactorily demonstrate the learning objectives of the course.

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Program structure

The program comprises 24 units including 8 core courses/units, 8 courses/units specific to the Bachelor of Human Services (Counselling) and one of the following combinations:


*Alternatively, the second 8-unit major can be chosen from any approved 8-unit major in the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app.
†Students should ensure that they complete the appropriate courses in their second major in order to graduate with a double major in the Bachelor of Human Services. Where two majors are chosen which have some compulsory courses in common, the overlap will be made up by taking extra electives.

At least four courses in the program must be at Level 3. Please refer to the Recommended Enrolment Patterns below for your type of enrolment (full-time/part-time) to assist you with your enrolment choices.

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Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 9 years to complete this program.

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Core courses

Course  Semester(s) offered  Mode 
HSW1500 Collective Action and Community Development £  1,3  ONC, ONL (Semester 3 ONL only) 
CDS2000 Ethical Issues and Human Rights in the Human Services  ONC, ONL 
HSW1000 Foundations of the Human Services Disciplines  ONC, ONL 
HSW1110 Mental Health and Psychosocial Disability   ONC, ONL  
FNA1001 First Nations Philosophy and Perspectives  1,2 (S2 ONC at Ipswich only)  ONC, ONL 
HSW2299 Professional Placement A  1,2  EXT 
HSW2120 Human Services Case Management *  EXT 
HSW3399 Professional Placement B   1,2  EXT 

Footnotes
£In Semester 3, 2023 this course will be delivered as a Transition (9 week) semester, commencing on 13 November 2023 and concluding on 12 January 2024
*Mandatory three-day residential school

Counselling

Course  Semester(s) offered  Mod 
CDS1001 Human Relations and Communications ^  EXT 
CDS1002 Counselling Skills*  EXT 
CDS3002 Counselling Theory and Practice ^  EXT 
CDS3004 Counselling Theory and Practice 2#  EXT 
Four courses from 
CDS3001 Assessment and Report Writing in Counselling ^  EXT 
PSY3050 Counselling Psychology  ONC, ONL 
EDU3325 Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect for Helping Professionals£%  1, 3  ONL 
EDU3335 Managing Emotional and Behavioural Problems of Young People in the Helping Professions£%  1,3  ONL 
HSW2220 Health and Wellbeing Across the Lifespan  ONC, ONL 

Footnotes
^Recommended residential school.
*Highly Recommended residential school.
#Mandatory residential school.
£In Semester 3, 2023 this course will be delivered as a Transition (9 week) semester, commencing on 13 November 2023 and concluding on 12 January 2024
%All students who are required to complete EDU3325 and EDU3335 are asked to enrol as early as possible in the required year of study as places are limited.

Specific major

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Approved courses

Course  Semester(s) offered  Mode 
ANT2002 Culture, Illness and Health #  ONC, ONL 
HSW2100 Advocacy, Allies and Peer Support  ONL 
HSW3220 Integrative Community Based Approaches  ONL 
SWK2100 Challenging Ableism: Diversity, Difference and Disability**  ONL  
HSW2220 Health and Wellbeing Across the Lifespan  ONC, ONL 
HAC1000 The Skilful Communicator£  2,3  ONC, ONL 
MGT3002 Managing Change  ONC,ONL 
SOC2022 Theories of Power  ONL 
SOC3000 Collaborative Community Problem Solving  ONL 
SOC2003 Distributive Justice and Moral Politics  ONL 
CDS3001 Assessment and Report Writing in Counselling^  EXT 

Footnotes
#This course is offered in even years only.
**Students enrolling in SWK2100 Challenging Ableism: Diversity, Difference and Disability in Semester 2, 2023 are exempt from meeting the pre-requisite course requirements SWK1100 Decolonising Social Work: Multicultural Australia.
£In Semester 3, 2023 this course will be delivered as a Transition (9 week) semester, commencing on 13 November 2023 and concluding on 12 January 2024
^Recommended residential school

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Minor Studies

Minor studies are designed to enable students to widen their knowledge and perspectives, or to complement their choice of major. Courses must be taken over two levels and should be in the same discipline or recognised multi-disciplinary area. Enrolment requirements must be satisfied for any course selected.

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IT requirements

For information technology requirements please refer to the

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Residential schools

The attendance requirement of residential schools within this degree is indicated by the following letters: R = Recommended; HR = Highly Recommended; M = Mandatory. To find out more about , visit the to view specific dates for your degree, or visit the .

Core courses include a mandatory residential school in HSW2120 Human Services Case Management.

Mandatory residential school for:


Highly Recommended residential school for:


Recommended *residential schools for:


*Recommended residential school: not linked to an assessment item, attendance is required to achieve optional Professional Accreditation requirements.

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Articulation

The Diploma of Human Services and Development will articulate into the Bachelor of Human Services (Counselling) program provided students have completed the following eight courses: HSW1500 Collective Action and Community Development, HSW1110 Mental Health and Psychosocial Disability, HSW2120 Human Services Case Management, five courses selected from the Bachelor of Human Services core or any major and one elective.

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Exit points

Students who have successfully completed HSW1500 Collective Action and Community Development, HSW1110 Mental Health and Psychosocial Disability, HSW2120 Human Services Case Management, plus five courses selected from the Bachelor of Human Services core or any major may exit with the Diploma of Human Services and Development.

Students who have successfully completed the first 16 units of the Bachelor of Human Services (Counselling) in accordance with the recommended enrolment pattern (completed 6 specified core units, at least 4 courses from within one BHSC major and 6 courses allowed within the BHSC structure) may exit with the .

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Credit

Exemptions/credit will be assessed based on the .

Recommended enrolment patterns

In this section:

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Recommended enrolment pattern - Bachelor of Human Services (Counselling) - commencing in Semester 1


CourseYear of program and semester in which course is normally studiedResidential schoolEnrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
External
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem

Year 1

HSW1500 Collective Action and Community Development£1111,3Enrolment is not permitted in HSW1500 if CDS1000 has been previously completed.
CDS1001 Human Relations and Communications11R
HSW2120 Human Services Case Management11M
FNA1001 First Nations Philosophy and Perspectives1111
HSW1110 Mental Health and Psychosocial Disability1212
CDS1002 Counselling Skills12HR
HSW1000 Foundations of the Human Services Disciplines1212
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective1212

Year 2

CDS2000 Ethical Issues and Human Rights in the Human Services##^2121
CDS3002 Counselling Theory and Practice21RPre-requisite: CDS1002 or (PSY1010 and PSY1020)
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective2121
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective2121
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective2222
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective2222
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective2222
HSW2299 Professional Placement A21,2Pre-requisite or Co-requisite: CDS2000 and HSW2120. Students must have completed at least 4 courses before undertaking placement.

Year 3

HSW3399 Professional Placement B31,2Pre-requisite: HSW2299
CDS3004 Counselling Theory and Practice 231MPre-requisite: CDS1002 Pre-requisite or Co-requisite: CDS3002
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective3131
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective3131
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective3232
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective3232
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective3232
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective3232

Approved courses: choose Four courses from:

     PSY3050 Counselling Psychology22Pre-requisite: PSY1010 or CDS3002
     EDU3325 Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect for Helping Professionals£1, 3Enrolment is not permitted in EDU3325 if EDU5325 has been previously completed.
     CDS3001 Assessment and Report Writing in Counselling2RPre-requisite: Students must have successfully completed 8 units prior to enrolling
     EDU3335 Managing Emotional and Behavioural Problems of Young People in the Helping Professions£1,3Enrolment is not permitted in EDU3335 if EDU5335 has been previously completed.
     HSW2220 Health and Wellbeing Across the Lifespan11

Footnotes
£In Semester 3, 2023 this course will be delivered as a Transition (9 week) semester, commencing on 13 November 2023 and concluding on 12 January 2024
##CDS2000 is not available ONC Ipswich in S1 2023
^Students cannot study both CDS2000 Ethical Issues and Human Rights in the Human Services and HMT2000 Ethical Issues and Human Rights within the one degree.

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Recommended enrolment pattern - Bachelor of Human Services (Counselling) - commencing in Semester 2


CourseYear of program and semester in which course is normally studiedResidential schoolEnrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
External
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem

Year 1 - Semester 2

CDS1002 Counselling Skills12HR
HSW1000 Foundations of the Human Services Disciplines1212
FNA1001 First Nations Philosophy and Perspectives1212
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective1212

Year 2 - Semester 1

HSW1500 Collective Action and Community Development£2121,3Enrolment is not permitted in HSW1500 if CDS1000 has been previously completed.
CDS1001 Human Relations and Communications21R
CDS2000 Ethical Issues and Human Rights in the Human Services##^2121
HSW2120 Human Services Case Management21M

Year 2 - Semester 2

HSW1110 Mental Health and Psychosocial Disability2222
HSW2299 Professional Placement A21,2Pre-requisite or Co-requisite: CDS2000 and HSW2120. Students must have completed at least 4 courses before undertaking placement.
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective2222
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective2222

Year 3 - Semester 1

CDS3002 Counselling Theory and Practice31RPre-requisite: CDS1002 or (PSY1010 and PSY1020)
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective3131
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective3131
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective3131

Year 3 - Semester 2

HSW3399 Professional Placement B31,2Pre-requisite: HSW2299
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective3232
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective3232
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective3232

Year 4 - Semester 1

CDS3004 Counselling Theory and Practice 241MPre-requisite: CDS1002 Pre-requisite or Co-requisite: CDS3002
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective4141
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective4141
2nd Major/Minor/Approved course/Elective4141

Approved courses: choose Four courses from:

     PSY3050 Counselling Psychology22Pre-requisite: PSY1010 or CDS3002
     EDU3325 Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect for Helping Professionals£1, 3Enrolment is not permitted in EDU3325 if EDU5325 has been previously completed.
     CDS3001 Assessment and Report Writing in Counselling2RPre-requisite: Students must have successfully completed 8 units prior to enrolling
     EDU3335 Managing Emotional and Behavioural Problems of Young People in the Helping Professions£1,3Enrolment is not permitted in EDU3335 if EDU5335 has been previously completed.
     HSW2220 Health and Wellbeing Across the Lifespan11

Footnotes
£In Semester 3, 2023 this course will be delivered as a Transition (9 week) semester, commencing on 13 November 2023 and concluding on 12 January 2024
##CDS2000 is not available ONC Ipswich in S1 2023
^Students cannot study both CDS2000 and HMT2000 within the one degree.