Master’s FAQ

It is an MSc programme because it is grounded in contemporary scientific empirical approaches and research methodologies, as well as embracing embodied approaches.

The literature across the programme draws on scientific approaches to the topics studied.

In addition, the research dissertation in your final year requires you to collect data using an appropriate methodology; your research cannot be purely abstract or theoretical – i.e. non-empirical – as it would be in the case of an MA.

The MSc is a part-time programme normally studied over three years, and you can plan to spend at least 13-18 hours on your studies each week.

We are on a semester system so there is a:

• Three-week winter break in Dec/Jan
• Two-week spring break in March/April
• Summer break from mid-June to late September

At the time of writing, student loans are available to eligible students through Student Finance England and Wales. Details about your eligibility for a student loan can be found on the Student Finance website.

Regarding funding, this is a conversation to have with your employer.

We have had students in the past, coming from private and public sector organisations in the UK like the NHS and the police, whose managers have agreed to cover fees, since the programme was viewed as appropriate staff development.

• A high-speed internet connection
• Access to a computer with relevant programmes such as PDF reader, Office software, or similar
• Headset with a microphone for live webinar participation

In addition, you will need to be proficient in using modern IT systems.

Learning activities on the CSTP programme include

• Live teaching webinars
• Sessions involving spiritual or other embodied practices
• Reflective group meetings
• Forums
• Peer work
• Student presentations
• 1-1 supervision
• Personal practice and projects
• Study of course materials

Our students enjoy a rich and interactive learning experience.

The programme requires participation at pre-announced times throughout the year.

Course assessments are mainly written essays and reports. A number of modules include asynchronous forum participation. Some modules require live presentations and attendance at presentations by peers.

Your schedule will require some flexibility to accommodate these in all three years of the programme.

In the final year, you conduct your own research under supervision. Assessment of this final-year module involves a research dissertation, online presentation, and a blog-style post.

Assignments are generally 3,000-4,500 words, and the final dissertation is 10,000 words.

Yes, as a collaborative LJMU student you have access to LJMU’s electronic library resources.

This includes an extensive selection of relevant books and journals, as well as academic learning resources oriented towards the ongoing development of skills such as scholarly writing.

Whilst the CSTP programme is not primarily vocational, there is growing recognition in a broad range of careers that the topics we teach, as well as the kinds of embodied and spiritual practices to which you are introduced, have considerable relevance and applicability.

It is for this reason, for example, that many of our students in careers such as health, the police, and human resources have been sponsored by their employers.

The majority of our students are already on career paths, and we encourage you to explore how your learning, and the opportunities our programme offers, can impact on your work.

Thus, for example, the range of practices you select for the Learning Through Integrative Practice module could reflect the niche you occupy in your work.

In the module Applied Transformative Psychology where you plan a potential case study you can consider how to apply your learning directly in your field of work.

Lastly, the Research Dissertation module offers you the opportunity to research an area of your choice, and many students choose a facet of their working environment to be the focus.

In these ways, you can enhance your status, knowledge, and opportunities in your career.

For those not yet embarked on a career, or perhaps looking to change their direction, you can similarly make choices during the programme to emphasise the relevant skills you will bring to your unfolding career orientation.

In our experience, it is crucial that you take the initiative. We will always support you during the time that you study with us in maximising the applicability of your learning. But it is very much down to you to demonstrate – e.g. on applications, in interviews – the value of this qualification in CSTP in the given situation.

Employers are increasingly looking for those who bring holistic skills and knowledge of the leading edge of cultural change.

These are very much aspects to the fore in this programme; but you must be confident in demonstrating them and the ways in which they will impact positively in the given career situation.

The MSc in CSTP has not been designed as a vocational programme, but rather fills an increasingly recognised need of focusing on the research that informs the leading edge of the topics in the curriculum.

Students choose our MSc because they have specific academic and professional interests in the topics on which we specialise.

Those already registered as counsellors or psychotherapists have found their learning on this programme to have greatly enriched their professional practice.

Those not yet trained in these areas have found their learning with us has helped them in formulating their paths into counselling and psychotherapy.