DCU guidance counselling programme heading to Cork for the first time
Dublin City University’s Institute of Education is delighted to announce it is bringing its Graduate Diploma in Guidance Counselling to Cork for the first time.
The programme, supported by the Department of Education and Youth, is designed to support post-primary teachers wishing to engage in initial education and training as guidance counsellors. It will primarily be delivered on-site in Cork at the Cork Education and Training Board’s College of FET Bishopstown Campus with some elements delivered online.
Applications are now open and those interested are encouraged to apply before the deadline of 28th October 2025 ahead of the course commencing in January 2026.
The course will be delivered by Dublin City University’s Institute of Education over three semesters and will accommodate up to 50 teachers, which will go a long way to addressing the shortage of guidance counsellors identified by the Department of Education and Youth earlier this year. The first intake of 25 participants will begin in January with a second intake of 25 participants in September 2026.
Chair of the Programme Aisling Murray Fleming said, ‘‘Guidance counsellors play an important role in school communities supporting students and parents and offering trusted advice in navigating the journey through second-level education and beyond.’
‘There is a significant need for additional guidance counsellors in schools across the country and particularly in the Munster region, and so we are delighted to be bringing our experience and expertise at DCU to help address this, and to support teachers in the Munster region who wish to specialise in guidance counselling.’
The Graduate Diploma in Guidance Counselling has previously been delivered in Sligo and Kilkenny and the new Cork intake in January 2026 marks the first time it will be delivered in the Munster region. The course will also be open again for applicants for September 2026 and applications for that intake will open later next year.
Further information and course details can be found here.