MA CDCS Selection Guidance

11 wooden puzzle pieces that read "application"

Before making an application to our MA in Career Development and Coaching Studies programme, see what we are looking for from our applicants in Selection Guidance, and try out our Suggested Activities to make sure that you are familiar with the Career Coaching sector.

Selection guidance

Selection guidance: personal statement and interview

This course is designed for those who intend to put Career Coaching at the centre of their future professional lives. We accept applications from a wide range of people with different combinations of qualifications, experience, nationalities and backgrounds and welcome diversity.

Applications are reviewed with the following questions in mind.

We also expect your personal statement not just to tell us these things, but to also demonstrate them through how you have conveyed them in your tone, persuasiveness and the evidence you have provided. This advice is also true for the interview stage that we require for all full-time CDCS Masters applicants.

For personal statements we look for 1 and no more than 2 sides of A4 to succinctly convey these points. So, try to answer all of these in your personal statement to give yourself the best chance of progressing to interview:

What is my reason for applying to this course? Which area of career coaching do I want to work in in the future or am I working in now? What am I expecting to gain from the course?
What do I know already about coaching studies and the career coaching profession in general or in my preferred country? What evidence and sources have I used to research this?
What work or volunteering experience do I have and how does it relate to the course, whether directly or indirectly?
What qualifications do I have that make me suitable for this course?
What do I know about the course ethos, structure and teaching methods?
What relevant study skills can I bring to the course and what forms of teaching and assessment do I have experience of?
What personal qualities do I have that mean I am likely to make a success of the course and what support might I need?

And, if English is not your first language:

8. How have I used English in the past (speaking, listening, reading, writing), how long for and in what environments? How confident am I about my use of the English Language?

Explore the video below where Dr Tania Lyden provides a deeper insight into the course and what is expected.

This video is filmed in October 2022.

Suggested activities

To learn more about career practice, try the following activities:

Explore the resources provided by professional organisations

These organisations are a great source of information. Explore the professional bodies in your region and read about their professional standards and other information on offer.

In the UK you can browse the Career Development Institute (CDI)Link opens in a new window and the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS)Link opens in a new window and also the National Institute for Career Education and Counselling (NICEC).Link opens in a new window

There are similar organisations in other regions such as the Asia Pacific Career Development AssociationLink opens in a new window, the USA led National Career Development Association (NCDA)Link opens in a new window and there are international organisations such as the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance IAEVGLink opens in a new window.

Review the state of the career sector in your region

How does career work function in your preferred country? This may be where you intend to work eventually, or where you are based now. The document: “International Practices of Careers Services, Credentials and Training.Link opens in a new window” Ed. Hyung Joon Yoon, Oct 2018 covers a range of countries and is a useful resource and is shared on the NCDA webpages.

Get closer to the work of a career practitioner

Finally, we would recommend that you either seek to gain career coaching or take part in a career development workshop yourself so you can reflect on the experience and observe what a career coach does. Alternatively, or in addition, you could observe a career coach or career development practitioner at work and ask them questions about it.