Psychosoziale Beratung in Sozialer Arbeit (M.A.)
DIPLOMA Hochschule Hamburg · Hamburg, Germany
QS World University Ranking: N/A
Quick Overview
Apply Now📘 Program Overview
The Master of Arts in Psychosoziale Beratung in Sozialer Arbeit develops advanced competence in systemic counselling, professional relationship-building and reflective social work practice. Students learn to analyse complex social situations, identify personal and environmental resources and support sustainable processes of change.
The curriculum combines the scientific foundations of social work with systemic approaches and practice-oriented counselling procedures. It covers structured counselling processes, social and institutional contexts, diagnostic models, crisis intervention, research, evaluation and professional work with individuals, couples, families, children, young people, teams and organisations.
The programme is delivered as a part-time distance-learning degree over five semesters. Students may study fully online or attend selected seminars in Hamburg or Leipzig, with teaching organised through self-study, live seminars, casework, exercises, reflection sessions and module examinations.
Graduates can pursue counselling, conceptual, research, coordination and leadership responsibilities in counselling centres, social institutions, healthcare services and youth welfare organisations. Depending on the decision of the responsible state examination authority, the degree may also support access to training in child and adolescent psychotherapy.
🎯 Course & Curriculum
Course structure
- Science of Social Work
- Framework Conditions and Models of Counselling in Social Work
- Normative Foundations of Psychosocial Counselling in Social Work
- Systemic Work in Psychosocial Counselling
- Systemic Work in Teams and Organisations
- Biographical Work and Reflection
- Designing Systemic Processes
- Social Environments of Counselling in Social Work
- Research Workshop in Psychosocial Counselling
- Systemic Counselling Practice and Casework
- Psychosocial Counselling in Specific Contexts
- Master's Thesis and Colloquium
Curriculum
The 120 ECTS curriculum progresses from social work science, counselling frameworks and normative foundations to systemic methods, organisational practice, research, specialist casework and a master's thesis with colloquium.
| Semester | No. of modules | Module / subject category | ECTS / CP | Semester total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | 3 modules | Wissenschaft der Sozialen Arbeit | 6 | 24 ECTS |
| Rahmenbedingungen und Modelle von Beratung in der Sozialen Arbeit | 10 | |||
| Normative Grundlagen von psychosozialer Beratung in Sozialer Arbeit | 8 | |||
| Semester 2 | 2 modules | Systemisches Arbeiten in der psychosozialen Beratung | 9 | 24 ECTS |
| Systemisches Arbeiten in Teams und Organisationen | 15 | |||
| Semester 3 | 3 modules | Biographiearbeit und Reflexion | 5 | 24 ECTS |
| Gestaltung von systemischen Prozessen | 12 | |||
| Soziale Umwelten von Beratung in Sozialer Arbeit | 7 | |||
| Semester 4 | 3 modules | Forschungswerkstatt Psychosoziale Beratung | 9 | 24 ECTS |
| Systemische Beratungspraxis und Fallarbeit | 8 | |||
| Psychosoziale Beratung in spezifischen Kontexten | 7 | |||
| Semesters 4–5 | 1 major component | Master-Thesis und Kolloquium | 24 | 24 ECTS |
| Total | 11 taught modules plus master's thesis and colloquium | 120 ECTS | ||
Career outcomes
- You develop advanced systemic counselling and solution-focused communication skills for professional work with individuals, couples, families, children and young people.
- You can pursue specialist counselling roles in social institutions, counselling centres, healthcare services, youth welfare organisations and other psychosocial settings.
- You learn to analyse difficult cases, use system-diagnostic models and design resource-oriented interventions for crises and complex life situations.
- You gain research, evaluation and impact-assessment competence that supports conceptual development, quality improvement and evidence-informed practice.
- You build skills for team consultation, mediation, staff development and organisational coordination, preparing you for leadership and professional-responsibility roles.
- Your accredited master's qualification can support progression into Germany's higher public service and may provide a pathway toward doctoral study.
- Depending on the responsible state examination authority, your degree may also help you qualify for subsequent child and adolescent psychotherapy training.
Employability rate
Graduates in social work and social pedagogy in Germany can reasonably expect an employability rate of around 88% and an unemployment rate of about 12%, reflecting sustained recruitment across welfare organisations, public services, youth support and psychosocial counselling settings.
Together, these figures indicate a stable career outlook for specialists who combine professional social work knowledge with advanced systemic counselling, research and leadership competence.
✅ Entry Requirements
Academic qualification
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Recognised foreign bachelor's degree | International applicants must hold a foreign qualification equivalent to a German bachelor's or Diplom degree in the same or a related subject. The qualification must normally represent at least six semesters of study and correspond to at least 180 ECTS. |
| Relevant academic subject | Accepted fields include Social Work, Social Pedagogy, Pedagogy or Special Education, Sociology, Medical Professions, Health and Social Management, Counselling and Psychology, or a sufficiently related discipline. |
| Foreign qualification recognition | The foreign university and qualification must be recognised as equivalent. DIPLOMA refers international applicants to the official German recognition system and requires foreign academic records to be assessed before admission. |
| Previous degree result | The previous professionally qualifying degree must have been completed successfully. Applicants whose converted German final grade is 3.6 or lower may be admitted after successfully demonstrating their suitability in a classification interview with the selection committee. |
| Bridging courses | Applicants from Medical Professions or Health Management backgrounds may be required to complete DIPLOMA bridging courses covering social-pedagogical competence or relevant specialist knowledge. |
Module matching by study area
| Study area | Match possible? | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Social Work, Social Work Practice or Social Pedagogy | Direct match | A recognised bachelor's or Diplom qualification comprising at least six semesters and approximately 180 ECTS is accepted. |
| Pedagogy or Special Education | Related match | A recognised six-semester bachelor's or equivalent foreign degree may qualify when it is judged sufficiently related to the programme. |
| Sociology, Counselling or Psychology | Related match | A recognised bachelor's or Diplom qualification of at least 180 ECTS may be accepted following academic equivalency and subject-relevance assessment. |
| Medical Professions | Conditional match | Applicants may be required to complete DIPLOMA bridging courses to acquire social-pedagogical competence or missing specialist knowledge. |
| Health and Social Management | Conditional match | The qualification must be recognised and sufficiently related. Bridging courses may be imposed where social-pedagogical or subject-specific knowledge is missing. |
Language requirements
The programme is taught in German. DIPLOMA states that international applicants must provide evidence of German or English proficiency at a minimum B2 level for admission documentation, but the programme page does not publish a programme-specific accepted-test list or minimum German test score.
Exam / assessment
| Component | Required? | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Classification interview | conditional | Applicants with a converted German degree grade of 3.6 or lower must successfully demonstrate their suitability for master's study in an interview with the selection committee. |
💶 Fees & Funding
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition, 30 month plan | EUR 9810 / total program | Thirty monthly instalments of EUR 327. The separate examination fee is not included. |
| Tuition, 48 month plan | EUR 10896 / total program | Forty-eight monthly instalments of EUR 227. The separate examination fee is not included. |
| Tuition, 60 month plan | EUR 11820 / total program | Sixty monthly instalments of EUR 197. The separate examination fee is not included. |
| Examination fee | EUR 985 / one time | One-time examination fee charged in addition to the selected tuition payment plan. |
Proof of financial resources
International students who require a German student visa must demonstrate sufficient funds for living expenses through an accepted form of financial proof.
- A blocked account containing at least EUR 11,904 for 2026 may be used as proof of sufficient financial resources.
- An officially recognised scholarship may be used as an alternative form of financial proof.
- A formal declaration of commitment from an eligible sponsor may be accepted as an alternative to a blocked account.
Important dates
Application window
| Milestone | October - Winter intake | April - Summer intake |
|---|---|---|
| Application portal opens | N/A | N/A |
| Application deadline (final submit) | N/A | N/A |
| Application deadline (EU students) | N/A | N/A |
| Application deadline (Non-EU students) | N/A | N/A |
| Recommended apply-by | N/A | N/A |
| Semester begins | October 01, 2026 | April 01, 2027 |
Pre-application & reviews
| Milestone | October - Winter intake | April - Summer intake |
|---|---|---|
| VPD request - recommended | N/A | N/A |
| VPD result expected | N/A | N/A |
| APS - recommended | N/A | N/A |
| Start eligibility check | N/A | N/A |
Document submission deadlines
| Milestone | October - Winter intake | April - Summer intake |
|---|---|---|
| Application submission deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Document submission deadline (EU students) | N/A | N/A |
| Document submission deadline (Non-EU students) | N/A | N/A |
| Language certificate deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Official transcripts deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Certified translations deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Postal / hard-copy documents deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Missing documents (if requested) | N/A | N/A |
📝 How to Apply
Check degree equivalency and subject relevance
Confirm that your bachelor's or equivalent foreign qualification represents at least six semesters and approximately 180 ECTS. Your degree should be in Social Work, Social Pedagogy, Pedagogy, Sociology, Medical Professions, Health and Social Management, Counselling, Psychology or a related discipline. Check whether your university and qualification are recognised in Germany and prepare evidence of the course content where the relationship to social work is not immediately clear. Applicants from certain health-related backgrounds should also ask whether bridging courses will be required.
Prepare certified application documents
Collect your degree certificate, complete academic transcripts, passport or official identity document and tabular curriculum vitae. Foreign educational records must be provided in officially certified form and accompanied by certified German translations when required. Include evidence of German language proficiency and any recognition documents requested for your foreign qualification. Applicants seeking credit for previous systemic training should also prepare certificates, attendance records and detailed curricula.
Complete the online registration
Use DIPLOMA Hochschule's official online registration form to select the Psychosoziale Beratung in Sozialer Arbeit master's programme and your preferred study format. Enter your personal and educational information accurately and upload the available supporting documents digitally. Registration is available throughout the year, while the regular programme starts are 1 April and 1 October. Submit early enough for the university to assess foreign qualifications and any bridging-course requirements before your intended start.
Complete the admission assessment
DIPLOMA reviews your foreign degree, subject background and submitted documentation before issuing an admission decision. The university may request additional evidence, certified translations or module descriptions where equivalency cannot be confirmed from the initial documents. Applicants with a converted German final grade of 3.6 or lower must successfully complete a classification interview with the selection committee. Any required bridging courses or individual conditions will be communicated after the assessment.
Sign the study contract and arrange enrolment
After receiving a positive admission outcome, review and sign the DIPLOMA study contract and submit any final documents requested by the study service. Select the tuition payment plan that suits you and note that the one-time examination fee is charged separately. International students planning to reside in Germany should then use their admission documentation to complete the visa and financial-proof process. Confirm your enrolment and access arrangements before the scheduled April or October start.