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Duration

3.5-7 years

Tuition

$30,504

 

Sep 7-Sep 7

Commitment

Full-Time

Delivery

Online

Credential

Degree

Year Founded

1970

Scholarships

yes

Athabasca University’s Master of Counselling program is a flexible, online learning experience designed to prepare students for a fulfilling career as a counselling therapist, counselling psychologist, or psychotherapist. The program offers a specialized track in Counselling Psychology, which is approved by the College of Alberta Psychologists. Whether students opt for the course-based or thesis route, the program meets the graduate coursework requirements for licensure as a Registered Psychologist in Alberta. Please note that an additional 30 to 36 psychology credits, generally at the undergraduate level, are required to meet the College of Alberta Psychologists’ academic requirements.

The online Master of Counselling program at Athabasca University equips learners with the essential knowledge, skills, and judgment to address a wide range of emotional, cognitive, and behavioural issues, preparing graduates for adaptable roles in diverse settings. Students participate in paced learning activities that require completion of course work on a fixed schedule, and should plan to devote a minimum of 15 hours per week in each course. This program includes 2 on-site practicums that total 400 hours (200 hours of direct client contact).

Admission Requirements

  • Undergraduate (baccalaureate) degree, normally 4 years.
  • Minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 in the last 10 half course equivalents (30 credits).
  • Preference is given in the admissions process to applicants who have at minimum 1–2 years full-time paid or volunteer experiences in counselling or a related field.

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Next Cohort: Sep 7-Sep 7

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Student Reviews (19)

Write a Review

Athabasca University

Terrible

Byron

September 29, 2026

Graduated From

Bachelor of Science, Computing and Information Systems Major

Overall:

1 out of 5

Instructors:

1 stars

Curriculum:

1 stars

Job Assistance:

na

My experience with Athabasca University has been terrible.
The “flexibility” sounds good in theory, but in reality it often feels like you are paying to teach yourself while dealing with painfully slow support. Grades can take days or weeks, ...

My experience with Athabasca University has been terrible.
The “flexibility” sounds good in theory, but in reality it often feels like you are paying to teach yourself while dealing with painfully slow support. Grades can take days or weeks, help is difficult to get, and some course material feels outdated, unclear, and poorly organized.
The administrative side is even worse. You can spend hours trying to reach someone, only to get vague, inconsistent, or incomplete answers. Different departments seem disconnected, nobody takes ownership of the problem, and students are left chasing answers while important deadlines continue to pass.
What frustrates me most is the complete lack of urgency. Issues involving funding, registration, exams, and academic progress can sit unresolved for days or weeks, even when the consequences for the student are serious.
For an online university, communication should be excellent. Instead, communication and student support are some of the weakest parts of the entire experience.
Based on my experience, I would not recommend Athabasca University. The flexibility does not compensate for the outdated material in some courses, long delays, poor communication, lack of clarity, and the feeling that when something goes wrong, you are basically on your own.

Athabasca University

A very expensive and disorganized experience

Chris

August 21, 2026

Graduated From

Bachelor of Science, Computing and Information Systems Major

Overall:

1 out of 5

Instructors:

1 stars

Curriculum:

1 stars

Job Assistance:

1 stars

This is a tremendously terrible school. The content is outdated by many years and rarely gets updated. It is extraordinarily expensive for next to no support. I felt that the staff, from administrators to tutors were extremely inconsistent, unreliable ...

This is a tremendously terrible school. The content is outdated by many years and rarely gets updated. It is extraordinarily expensive for next to no support. I felt that the staff, from administrators to tutors were extremely inconsistent, unreliable and appeared to mostly rely on canned email responses rather than listening to your queries. Ultimately, going to this school cost me an extra 2 years in finishing my degree and I lost my relationship and ended up with $30,000 in OSAP debt from them incorrectly reporting my academic progress. It was impossible to reach anyone at the school on time, and tutors would take months to mark your assignments. I gave up and moved to another school. It is so far the biggest regret of my life. I lost everything. Dealing with the bureaucracy is a full-time job on its own.

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