Education

Master of Education (Educational Guidance and Counselling)

The Master of Education in Educational Guidance and Counselling is a postgraduate programme that trains educators and professionals in guidance, counselling, psychological assessment, and student support. The programme prepares graduates for roles as school counsellors, educational psychologists, and student support specialists.

Core areas include counselling theory, personality theories, developmental psychology, psychological assessment, vocational counselling, group counselling, abnormal psychology, and research methods. Students engage with both psychological theory and practical counselling skills.

The programme is offered by Kenyatta University, Maseno University, and Moi University. KU charges KES 246,000/year for MEd Guidance and Counselling. Maseno offers the programme through its School of Education with detailed curriculum.

Students develop competencies in counselling practice, psychological assessment, career guidance, group facilitation, crisis intervention, and research. The programme includes coursework, counselling practicum, examinations, research project or thesis, and oral defence.

KU charges KES 246,000/year for the programme. Maseno and Moi fees are estimated at KES 120,000-140,000/year. Entry requires a Bachelor's degree in Education with at least Second Class Honours Upper Division, or Lower Division with two years teaching experience.

Graduates pursue careers as school counsellors, educational psychologists, career guidance officers, student affairs officers, and counselling consultants in schools, colleges, universities, and educational institutions.

Skills Required

Counselling Theory and Practice
Psychological Assessment and Testing
Developmental Psychology
Vocational and Career Guidance
Group Counselling and Facilitation
Crisis Intervention and Management
Abnormal Psychology and Mental Health
Educational Research Methods
Personality Theories and Assessment
Intentional Interviewing in Counselling

Key Subjects

Counselling Theory and Practice
Personality Theories
Developmental Psychology
Psychological Assessment
Vocational and Occupational Counselling
Group Dynamics and Group Counselling
Abnormal Psychology
Research Methods in Education
Educational Statistics
Intentional Interviewing in Counselling

Certifications

KCPA Counselling Certification
TSC Teacher Registration

Specializations

School Counselling

Focuses on school counselling, student support, academic guidance, behavioural intervention, and providing counselling services in educational settings.

Career Guidance

Examines career guidance, vocational counselling, career development, occupational assessment, and supporting students in career decision-making.

Mental Health Counselling

Covers mental health counselling, abnormal psychology, crisis intervention, referral, and supporting student mental health and well-being.

Group Counselling

Focuses on group counselling, group dynamics, group facilitation, peer support, and conducting group counselling in educational settings.

Special Needs Counselling

Examines counselling for special groups, special needs, disability, inclusive support, and providing counselling for students with special needs.

Family and Marriage Counselling

Covers family and marriage counselling, family systems, parenting, relationships, and supporting families and couples in educational contexts.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 246,000
Private, up to: Ksh 191,050
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 20 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Counselling Theory and Practice
Personality Theories
Developmental Psychology
Psychological Assessment
Vocational and Occupational Counselling
Group Dynamics and Group Counselling
Abnormal Psychology
Research Methods in Education
Educational Statistics
Intentional Interviewing in Counselling

Modules

12 in the programme

Research Methods in Education
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines educational research methods, design, data collection, analysis, and conducting research in education, preparing students for their thesis.
Personality and Personality Theories
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers personality theories, traits, assessment, psychoanalytic, humanistic, behavioural, and understanding personality through theory.
Educational Statistics
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines educational statistics, data analysis, SPSS, descriptive and inferential statistics, and analysing educational data.
Psychological Assessment
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers psychological assessment, testing, intelligence, personality, aptitude, and conducting psychological assessments in educational settings.
Developmental Psychology
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines developmental psychology, child and adolescent development, lifespan development, and understanding developmental stages and processes.
Practice of Educational Guidance
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers educational guidance practice, guidance programmes, school guidance, and implementing guidance in educational settings.
Vocational and Occupational Counselling
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines vocational counselling, career guidance, occupational assessment, career development, and supporting career decision-making.
Theory and Practice of Counselling in Education
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers counselling theory and practice, approaches, techniques, ethics, and applying counselling theory in educational settings.
Group Dynamics and Group Counselling
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines group dynamics, group counselling, group facilitation, peer support, and conducting group counselling in educational settings.
Abnormal Psychology
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers abnormal psychology, mental health, disorders, diagnosis, referral, and understanding mental health in educational contexts.
Intentional Interviewing in Counselling
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines intentional interviewing, counselling skills, active listening, techniques, and developing counselling competencies.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 26 creditsCore
Original research thesis on a guidance and counselling topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

School Counselling
Focuses on school counselling, student support, academic guidance, behavioural intervention, and providing counselling services in educational settings.
Career Guidance
Examines career guidance, vocational counselling, career development, occupational assessment, and supporting students in career decision-making.
Mental Health Counselling
Covers mental health counselling, abnormal psychology, crisis intervention, referral, and supporting student mental health and well-being.
Group Counselling
Focuses on group counselling, group dynamics, group facilitation, peer support, and conducting group counselling in educational settings.
Special Needs Counselling
Examines counselling for special groups, special needs, disability, inclusive support, and providing counselling for students with special needs.
Family and Marriage Counselling
Covers family and marriage counselling, family systems, parenting, relationships, and supporting families and couples in educational contexts.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MEd Guidance and Counselling programme begins with morning lectures on counselling theory, personality theories, or developmental psychology. Students engage with both psychological theory and practical counselling skills. Counselling theory sessions cover theory and practice of counselling, approaches, techniques, and understanding counselling theory. Personality sessions examine personality theories, assessment, traits, and understanding personality. Developmental psychology sessions cover child and adolescent development, lifespan development, and understanding developmental stages. Psychological assessment sessions examine assessment, testing, intelligence, personality assessment, and conducting psychological assessments. Vocational counselling sessions cover career guidance, occupational assessment, career development, and supporting career decision-making. Group counselling sessions examine group dynamics, group facilitation, peer support, and conducting group counselling. Abnormal psychology sessions cover mental health, disorders, diagnosis, referral, and understanding mental health. Intentional interviewing sessions cover counselling skills, interviewing techniques, active listening, and developing counselling competencies. Research methods sessions prepare students for their thesis. Counselling practicum provides hands-on experience with clients in educational settings. Guest lectures from experienced counsellors, psychologists, and international scholars provide real-world insights. The programme culminates in a research thesis.

The trade offs

In its favour

Kenya's student mental health, career guidance needs, CBC reforms, and behavioural challenges create high demand for qualified school counsellors.
KU offers the programme across multiple campuses with established teacher education infrastructure.
Career opportunities in schools, colleges, universities, educational institutions, and private counselling practice.
Programme provides professional counselling skills applicable across education, mental health, and community settings.

Against it

KU tuition of KES 246,000/year is relatively high for an education master's.
Maseno and Moi fee structures for this exact programme not independently verified.
Counselling can be emotionally demanding, requiring self-awareness, resilience, and supervision.
Counselling practicum requires significant time commitment and access to supervised practice settings.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 243 education courses

Public120k to 246k

120k at Maseno University246k at Kenyatta University

Private165k to 191k

165k at Kabarak University191k at Africa International University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

KU 246,000/yr. Maseno ~118,350/yr. Kabarak 82,600/sem, AIU 95,525/sem (official)

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. TSC supports teacher professional development. KCPA supports counselling professional development. The programme's guidance and counselling focus attracts TSC, KCPA, and mental health funding.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
TSC Teacher Development Funding
KCPA Professional Development

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate guidance and counselling studies at recognised universities.
TSC Teacher Development Funding
GrantKsh 200,000Kenyan
TSC supports teacher professional development, providing funding for postgraduate study in guidance and counselling.
KCPA Professional Development
FellowshipKsh 200,000Kenyan
KCPA supports counselling professional development in Kenya, providing fellowships for postgraduate study in counselling.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: The programme accepts graduates from education, psychology, counselling, and related fields. KU offers full-time mode across multiple campuses. Moi offers full-time and part-time modes. Two-year programme with counselling practicum and research thesis.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework40% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, case studies, counselling analysis papers, role plays, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination30% of the mark
Written examinations covering counselling theory, psychology, assessment, and research methods, conducted at end of each semester.
Counselling Practicum Assessment
Practical30% of the mark
Assessment of counselling practicum, including supervised practice, case management, client sessions, and counselling skills demonstration.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original research thesis on a guidance and counselling topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Kenyatta University offers MEd in Guidance and Counselling. Maseno University offers MEd in Guidance and Counselling. Moi University offers MEd in Guidance and Counselling. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate guidance and counselling training. KCPA provides professional standards for counselling in Kenya.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. KU offers MEd in Guidance and Counselling. Maseno offers MEd in Guidance and Counselling. Moi offers MEd in Guidance and Counselling. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate guidance and counselling training.
Kenya Counselling and Psychological Association (KCPA)
Professional accreditation
KCPA provides professional standards for counselling in Kenya. Graduates may benefit from KCPA registration and professional development.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

School Counsellor
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Provides counselling services in schools, overseeing student support, guidance, intervention, and supporting student well-being and development.
Educational Psychologist
Moderate demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 500,000
Provides psychological services in educational settings, overseeing assessment, intervention, and supporting student learning and development.
Career Guidance Officer
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Provides career guidance in schools and institutions, overseeing career counselling, assessment, and supporting career decision-making.
Student Affairs Officer
Moderate demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 450,000
Manages student affairs in universities and colleges, overseeing student support, welfare, counselling, and supporting student well-being.
Counselling Consultant
Moderate demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 550,000
Provides counselling consultancy to schools and organisations, overseeing programmes, training, and supporting counselling service quality.
University Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 500,000
Teaches guidance and counselling in universities, conducting research and training future counsellors and educators.

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers as school counsellors, educational psychologists, career guidance officers, and student support specialists in schools and educational institutions.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

SPSS
SoftwarePrimary
Statistical software for educational research, survey analysis, assessment data, and research data analysis.
NVivo
Software
Qualitative data analysis software for counselling research, interviews, case studies, and qualitative data analysis.
KoboToolbox
Software
Data collection platform for field research, student surveys, needs assessment, and collecting counselling research data.
Google Scholar
Platform
Academic search platform for counselling research, finding scholarly articles, and accessing counselling literature.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Guidance and counselling is just about giving advice.
Counselling involves rigorous theory, assessment, skills, ethics, and evidence-based practice, far beyond giving advice.
Anyone can be a counsellor without training.
Effective counselling requires professional training, theory, skills, ethics, and supervised practice.
School counselling is not important in Kenya.
Kenya's student mental health, career guidance needs, and behavioural challenges create high demand for qualified school counsellors.
A master's in counselling is redundant after a BEd.
The master's provides advanced counselling skills, psychological knowledge, research capability, and professional recognition for counselling practice.
Counselling is only for students with problems.
Counselling supports all students including academic guidance, career development, personal growth, and preventive mental health.
Counselling is the same as psychology.
Counselling and psychology overlap but differ; counselling focuses on guidance, support, and intervention, while psychology includes broader assessment and diagnosis.