Enrolment in 1st year

The following individuals may enrol into the 1^st year of the study programme Psychosocial Counselling (MA):

• Anyone who has completed a first-cycle study programme in the relevant professional field and obtained a minimum of 180 credits – ECTS in accordance with the first indent of Article 38a of the Higher Education Act (Bologna System). Field 0313 according to the KLASIUS-P-16 * classification is considered as an appropriate professional field, whereby the undergraduate diploma can be obtained at home or abroad.

• Anyone who has completed a study programme for obtaining a higher professional education in the relevant professional field, adopted before 11.06. 2004 (prior to the Bologna system). Field 0313 according to the KLASIUS-P-16 * classification is considered as an appropriate professional field, whereby the undergraduate  diploma can be obtained at home or abroad.
• Anyone who has completed the equivalent study programmes mentioned in the previous indents from other professional fields, if he/she completes additional study obligations in accordance with indent 2 of Article 38a of the Higher Education Act according to the following rules:

*  Field of 0313 Psychology as per KLASIUS-P-16 classification encompasses course-specific contents that refer to the study of the human mind and behaviour, conduct as a result of differences between individuals, their experience, and the environment. This field encompasses activities and outcomes of education and training with the main course-specific content: Cognitive science, Psychoanalysis, Psychology, and Psychotherapy.

Enrolment in 2nd year

The following individuals can be enroled directly in the 2nd year of the Postgraduate Master’s study programme Psychosocial Counselling (MA):

• Candidates who have completed a study programme to obtain a university degree prior to the Bologna system in relevant professional fields. In accordance with Article 49 of the Act Amending the Higher Education Act (Official Gazette 63/04), 60 ECTS are generally recognized.
• Anyone who has completed a second-cycle study programme (according to the Bologna system) in relevant professional fields.
• Candidates from other master’s study programmes from relevant professional fields who (due to the transition) enrol on the basis of recognized examinations previously passed in other (Bologna) study programmes of the same level.

Individuals who have completed equivalent education abroad also meet the conditions for enrolment.

Candidates who enrol directly in the second year, must also pass the following first year study obligations:

Fundamentals of Psychosocial Counselling (9 ECTS ), Trening of Psychosocial Counseling (8 ECTS), Structure and Procedures of the Counseling Process (8 ECTS) and Theoretical Foundations of the Cognitive Behavioral Approach (6 ECTS) in a total of 31 ECTS.

* These are differential exams which are in line with the new curriculum, which will come into effect with the 2020/21 academic year.

Appropriate professional field  Field of 0313 Psychology as per KLASIUS-P-16 classification encompasses course specific contents that refer to the study of the human mind and behaviour, conduct as a result of differences between individuals, their experience and the environment. This field encompasses activities and outcomes of education and training with the main course specific content: Cognitive science, Psychoanalysis, Psychology and Psychotherapy.

Differential exams are additionally payable. The price of a single differential exam is 150 EUR, and should be paid before the registration for the exam.

Price: EUR 3.200,00 per year.

Terms of payment: Tuition fee can be paid as a single payment or in instalments (from 1 to 5 instalments) with the following due dates: at the time of enrolment; at the latest on 30.11.; at the latest on 31.1.; at the latest on 31.3.; at the latest on 31.5. of the current academic year.

**Payment in installments is possible for citizens from Slovenia and other EU Member States and EEA members. Foreigners from non-EU and non-EEA countries must pay the whole tuition fee by the time of the enrollment. In case of payment of tuition fee in installments, the administrative costs of processing the installment payment in the amount of EUR 30.00 will be charged for each installment.

Master of Arts programme in Psychosocial Counselling is implemented as part-time study. 

In part-time study, the organization and timing of lectures, seminars and exercises are adjusted accordingly. For the implementation of contact hours, the faculty also applies a variety of modern forms of information and communication technology (online classroom, etc.).

A study year is generally implemented in one academic year, and it is divided into two semesters. During the semesters, students attend lectures, seminars and other forms of organized activities. Exams are generally implemented during (three) examination periods – the winter, summer and autumn examination period – with the possibility of additional pre-dates for exam.

The schedule: In Ljubljana, the lectures and seminars are generally organized in the afternoon hours during weekdays. In Nova Gorica lectures and seminars are generally held on Friday afternoons and on Saturdays throughout the whole day. Access to the schedule and materials is available via Web office (spletni referat) or online classroom (Moodle) after the candidate is enroled.

First Year

Second Year

Third Year

Elective Courses

** Each academic year, SASS offers 3-4 elective courses from the entire set of courses or the offered number of courses depends on the number of students enrolled.

Knowledge assessment is part of the study process of teaching and learning, and it takes place during the course of the study process (after the first semester) and after the completion of the individual courses of the study programme (after the second semester). At the same time, students are expected to pass ongoing activities. The intention and objective of knowledge assessment is to acquire regular and quality information about how students are achieving the planned general and course-specific competences, and obtain information on the achievement of the goals of the study programme.

The method of knowledge assessment and grading is determined for each individual course and specified in its syllabus. They are adjusted to verify the achieved objectives at individual courses, anticipated achievements of the study, and development of general and subject-specific competencies. Methods of knowledge assessment and grading vary because of different teaching methods, which ensure criteria of validity, reliability and objectivity, but also take into account the quality of the structure and organization of knowledge.

To progress from the first to the second year, the student must acquire at least 45 ECTS from the first year.

SASS  can enable the student to progress to the next year, even if the required conditions are not met, in the event of the following circumstances: maternity, prolonged  illness, exceptional family or social circumstances, participation in top cultural, sports or professional events.

General Competences:

• Ability to put knowledge into practice and original, creative problem solving in new or unusual contexts;
• The ability to conduct in-depth critical analysis, synthesis and anticipation of solutions and consequences;
• Mastering research methods, procedures and processes, deepening critical and self-critical judgment;
• Autonomy in professional work;
• Development of communication skills and abilities, mastery (cooperation, coordination, leadership, co-creation) of communication in the international environment, including with experts in other fields;
• Ethical reflection and commitment to professional ethics, taking  personal and social responsibility related to the use of acquired knowledge;
• Cooperativeness, teamwork (in the international environment);
• Ability to use sources and cite them properly;  The ability to connect knowledge and manage the complexities encountered in professional work;
• The ability to clearly communicate findings and knowledge to the professional and general  public

Course-specific competences:

Within the Master’s programme of Psychosocial Counseling (MA) students will acquire the following course-specific competences: 

• An in-depth and detailed level of understanding of the theoretical and clinical principles of the selected counselling approach and their relation to the general counselling principles;
• An in-depth general level of understanding of other major counselling approaches;
• Ability to understand and evaluate and independently use research methods relevant for all counselling approaches and critical attitude towards ‘objective’ research within humanistic models;
• The ability to formulate and apply a psychosocial assistance model in accordance with the selected counselling approach;
• Develop hypotheses and generative, creative responses to clinical situations and analyze psychosocial interventions;
• The ability to work successfully with the group and/or as co-advisers, to reflect on the effectiveness of the group work and to improve it based on the results of reflection;
• In-depth ability to use critical reflection and continuous supervision to evaluate and enhance the performance of your own work with clients and work of others;
• The ability to take an in-depth critical stance to the selected counselling approach and to evaluate its boundaries and to compare it with other alternative approaches;
• Ability to build on the constructed critical evaluation of the implications of the problems of culture, race, gender, sexual orientation;
• The ability to explore, reflect and control their personal involvement in the psychosocial assistance processes they co-create and manage;
• The ability to use learning resources autonomously by demonstrating information management and integration skills;
• The ability to document and  critically present their counselling work to both professional and general public for discussion and mutual learning;
• Ability to document and analyze outcomes of supervision and use them in further psychosocial work;
• Ability to co-create solutions to psychosocial problems, creatively handle complex, unpredictable and special situations;
• Ability to successfully anticipate and manage the consequences of the solutions created;
• The ability to learn also in terms of self-directed professional  training;
• The ability to synthesize one’s own integration of theory, counselling practice and experience of the personal growth process;
• The ability to collaborate with both client systems and professionals (including experts from other disciplines);
• The capacity for autonomy in professional practice;
• Being aware of and demonstrating ethical and professional responsibility to be a counselor for psychosocial assistance, managing the implications of ethical issues and dilemmas, also related to specific counselling approaches;
• Ability to grasp existential issues and crises of meaning;
• Knowledge of the field of marketing and understanding of media phenomena and their connection with the structure and development of  societies;
• The ability to reflect and take into account the context of the psychotherapy situation and its boundaries (including appropriate legislation), to demonstrate the flexibility and adaptability of the psychotherapy approach;
• The ability to co-create  a counselling relationship, perform appropriate counselling intervention and master the proper completion of the counselling process;
• Use of critical reflection and supervision to evaluate both their learning based on participatory observation of counselling work with clients and the work of other experts involved in the problem-solving process.

Conditions for completing the studies are to have completed all study obligations prescribed by the curriculum, to the extent of 120 ECTS credits.

The student who fulfills the above-mentioned SASS transition criteria to enter directly into the second year of the Master’s programme in Psychosocial Counselling, must carry out all prescribed differential exams, prescribed subjects from the first year to the extent of 31 credits, and regular academic requirements of the second year to the extent of at least 60 credits.

The studies are completed by the preparation and an oral defence of master’s thesis.

Potential employment opportunities are present in the social and health care (e.g. social work centers), work with youth (counselling centers for children, adolescents and parents, crisis centers for youth, group homes for adolescents, preventive programmes with a systematic approach to prevent violence in schools, at learning communication skills, understanding gender relations, etc.), work with addicts, in the field of rehabilitation, programmes of psychosocial counselling, palliative care, psychosocial counselling, especially in the fast-growing service sector, in public and private non-profit organizations, international institutions (e.g. charity organizations).

Masters of Psychosocial Counselling may find employment also in work organizations, particularly in emergency situations, where there is a high level of strain and stress, and where they could provide psychosocial support to prevent developing mental or psychosomatic disorders. Finally, the area of employability also includes positive psychology, stimulating personal growth, and not only treatment.