Enrolment Info

Admission/Entry Requirements

Mission & Ministry | Theology | Education | Counselling

Mission & Ministry | Theology

General Admission

New Zealand Citizens and Permanent Residents (with English as their first language):

The recommended minimum age for application is 17 years for the School of Mission & Ministry and 19 years for the School of Theology; there is no upper limit.

There are no formal educational or professional prerequisites for the Diploma in Ministry Internship. However, an adequate level of personal and spiritual maturity, biblical understanding and openness to learning is essential, and this will be assessed at an interview.

Every candidate for the Diploma of Biblical Studies, Bachelor of Ministries, and Bachelor of Theology programmes must fulfil the requirements for entrance into a New Zealand University. These are as follows:

• NCEA: a minimum of 42 credits at Level 3 or higher on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). NQF credits can be gained either from unit standards or from achievement standards. The required number of credits must include a minimum of 14 credits at Level 3 or higher in each of two subjects from the approved subject list, with a further 14 credits at Level 3 or higher taken from no more than two additional approved subjects or domains on the NQF.

• In addition a minimum of 14 credits at Level 1 or higher in Mathematics on the NQF and a minimum of 4 credits in Reading and 4 credits in Writing at Level 2 or higher in English or Te Reo Maori are required. The Reading and Writing credits need to be selected from a schedule of approved achievement and unit standards.

Special Admission

If the General Admission requirements are not met students in the following categories can apply for Special Admission:

• Students who do not hold a university entrance qualification but are New Zealand citizens or permanent residents and are aged 20+ years on or before the first day of semester in which a proposed programme of study is offered are eligible.

• Students who completed high school overseas must hold qualifications deemed by the Laidlaw Admissions Committee to be equivalent to those detailed in the General Admission section above.

• Students who are recent schoolleavers, and students without a record of tertiary level academic success, may be required to first successfully complete a one-week Laidlaw Study Skills summer school programme before being granted admission.

English Language Requirements

Students who do not have English as their first language:

In addition to the requirements above, students in this category must fulfil the following English language requirements of an overall IELTS (academic) score of 6.5, with a minimum of 6 in writing and reading).

A waiver for the IELTS may be granted by the International Student Co-ordinator:

• if the applicant has already received a degree with an appropriate grade from an appropriately accredited English speaking institution. If that institution is located outside New Zealand, Australia, the USA, the UK or Ireland, proof may be required that English was the medium of instruction.

• if the applicant is a long-term resident in New Zealand, or another English-speaking
  country, and is able to demonstrate English language competency appropriate to the desired level of study.

Applicants who are unable to obtain this level may wish to consider applying for the Certificate in Preparatory Studies.

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Education

General Admission

New Zealand Citizens and Permanent Residents (with English as their first language):
The recommended minimum age for application is 17 years; there is no upper limit.

Every candidate for the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) and Worldview Studies degree must fulfil the requirements for entrance into a New Zealand University. These are as follows:

• NCEA: a minimum of 42 credits at Level 3 or higher in the National Qualifications
  Framework (NQF). NQF credits can be gained either from unit standards or from achievement standards. The required number of credits must include a minimum of 14 credits at Level 3 or higher in each of two subjects from the approved subject list, with a further 14 credits at Level 3 or higher taken from no more than two additional approved subjects or domains on the NQF.
  

• In addition a minimum of 14 credits at Level 1 or higher in Mathematics on the NQF and a minimum of 4 credits in Reading and 4 credits in Writing at Level 2 or higher in English or Te Reo Maori are required. The Reading and Writing credits need to be selected from a schedule of approved achievement and unit standards.
  

Special Admission

If the General Admission requirements are not met students in the following catagories can apply for Special Admission:

• Students who do not hold a university entrance qualification but are New Zealand citizens or permanent residents and are aged 20+ years on or before the first day of semester in which a proposed programme of study is offered are eligible.

• Students who completed high school overseas must hold qualifications deemed by the Laidlaw Admissions Committee to be equivalent to those detailed in the General Admission section above.

English Language Requirements

Students who do not have English as their first language:

In addition to the requirements above, students in this category must fulfil the following English language requirements of an IELTS (academic) score of 7.0, across all of the four areas (listening, speaking, writing and reading).

A waiver for the IELTS may be granted by the International Student Co-ordinator:

• if the applicant has already received a degree with an appropriate grade from an appropriately accredited English speaking institution. If that institution is located outside New Zealand, Australia, the USA, the UK or Ireland, proof may be required that English was the medium of instruction.

• if the applicant is a long-term resident in New Zealand, or another English-speaking
  country, and is able to demonstrate English language competency appropriate to the desired level of study.

Applicants who are unable to obtain this level may wish to consider applying for the Certificate in Preparatory Studies.

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Counselling

Programme Requirements

Every candidate for the Bachelor of Counselling must fulfil the requirements for entrance into a New Zealand University. These are as follows:

• NCEA: a minimum of 42 credits at Level 3 or higher on the National Qualifications
  Framework (NQF) NQF credits can be gained either from unit standards or from achievement standards. The required number of credits must include a minimum of 14 credits at Level 3 or higher in each of two subjects from the approved subject list, with a further two additional approved subjects or domains on the NQF.

• In addition a minimum of 14 credits at Level 1 or higher in Mathematics on the NQF and a minimum of 4 credits in Reading and 4 credits in Writing at Level 2 or higher in English or Te Reo Maori are required. The Reading and Writing credits need to be selected from a schedule of approved achievement and unit standards.

All candidates must be aged 20+ years on or before the first day of semester in which the proposed programme of study is offered.

Special Admission

If the General Admission requirements are not met students in the following catagories can apply for Special Admission:

• Students who do not hold a university entrance qualification but are New Zealand citizens or permanent residents and are aged 20+ years on or before the first day of semester in which a proposed programme of study is offered are eligible.

• Students who completed high school overseas must hold qualifications deemed by the Laidlaw Admissions Committee to be equivalent to those detailed in the General Admission section above.

Students who are recent schoolleavers, and students without a record of tertiary level academic success, may be required to first successfully complete a one-week Laidlaw Study Skills summer school programme before being granted admission.

English Language Requirements

Students who do not have English as their first language:

In addition to the requirements above, students in this category must fulfil English
language requirements of an overall IELTS (academic) score of 6.5, with a minimum of 6 in all bands.

A waiver for the IELTS may be granted by the International Student Co-ordinator:

• if the applicant has already received a degree with an appropriate grade from an appropriately accredited English speaking institution. If that institution is located outside New Zealand, Australia, the USA, the UK or Ireland, proof may be required that English was the medium of instruction.

• if the applicant is a long-term resident in New Zealand, or another English-speaking
  country, and is able to demonstrate English language competency appropriate to the desired level of study.
  

Applicants who are unable to obtain this level may wish to consider applying for the Certificate in Preparatory Studies.

Application and Selection Procedures

Year One

Candidates should request an application form for entry into the BCouns and have submitted this no later than November 15 for the Auckland Campus for entry into the programme in the following year. As part of the application process, candidates will be required to arrange for three referees to complete confidential Referee Forms. These forms must accompany the completed application.

All candidates who have successfully completed the first stage of the application process will be expected to attend a group interview, and, if required, a further interview by a panel of two selectors. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by December 20.

During this interview the candidate will be assessed on their ability to successfully complete academic studies at this level and any relevant training or experience in communication skills. Candidates must demonstrate a willingness to learn and receive personal feedback in a non-defensive way, and a personal maturity appropriate for someone involved in a people-helping role. They must demonstrate a level of self-awareness and critical
self-reflection appropriate for someone beginning a counselling training programme. They must also demonstrate relational maturity and a commitment to wrestling with more issues of the Christian faith. Year one candidates will not need access to a client base.

A background knowledge and understanding of the “story” of Scripture is required.  A satisfactory completion of a Laidlaw College certificate, diploma or degree, or an equivalent, would be an advantage (see Recognition of Prior Learning Information in General Information and Regulations section).

Students must commit to undertaking 10 hours of personal counselling, with a practitioner of their choice, in their first year of study, and to demonstrate that they have completed these before they transition into Year Two. They must undertake a further 10 hours of
personal counselling throughout Years Two and Three. The cost of personal counselling is the responsibility of the student.

Year Two

In order to complete Year One and successfully transition into Year Two of the programme, a student will be required to satisfactorily fulfil the following criteria:

• Completion of all Year One requirements, including 10 hours of personal counselling. It is compulsory to complete at least 75 credits of counselling theory and practice courses (which must include Foundations of Relational Practice A & B), and 45 credits of theology (which must include God’s Triunity and Human Relationality).

• Assessment in an interview by a selection panel of two, as being capable of successfully completing all components of the programme.

• Current or potential access to clients. Practicum placement forms an integral part of the Year Two and Year Three programme. Students will be required to complete a minimum of 280 hours of supervised counselling.
  

• Current or potential access to a supervisor who meets the requirements as outlined in the Practice Manual.

Students must be able to demonstrate during their assessment interview that they have been developing in areas of personal growth, including the following:

• Communication skills

• Willingness to learn and receive personal feedback in a non-defensive manner

• Attitudes of empathy, positive regard and genuineness

• Integrated personal maturity appropriate for someone involved with clients

• Ability to challenge clients within the context of a caring and respectful relationship

• Respect for individual gender, socio-economic and ethnic differences.

Year Three

Entry into Year Three is based on successful completion of learning requirements for Year Two. This includes ongoing personal counselling. Students must also meet the following criteria:

• Completion of Relational Theories and Practice (A & B) and Professional Practice (A & B),
  

• plus a further 30 credits of counselling theory and practice courses and completion of 15 credits of theology.

Application and Selection Procedures for Graduates Bridging from the DipCouns to the BCouns

In order to enrol in the bridging programme from the DipCouns to the BCouns candidates
are required to satisfactorily demonstrate the following:

• A high level of competency in the core skills.
• Applicants must submit a video recording of a live counselling session to demonstrate their skill level.
• Applicants must demonstrate competent professional practice commensurate with the learning outcomes of Professional Practice B.
  
• A current placement for Practicum (B) that meets the requirements as outlined in the Practicum Manual.

Foundation Studies

Summer School

Laidlaw College is committed to the success of our students. Summer School is a free, week long programme that runs before lectures commence at the beginning of the year. This programme exists to prepare a number of different groups of people for a successful tertiary study experience. These groups include those:

• coming straight from high school (i.e., bridging the gap between NZQA Levels 3 and 5)
• returning to study after a long period
• coming into study as adults without a previous successful study record
• who have studied predominantly maths and science subjects at school and university.

Summer School provides incoming students the study skills they will need along with an academic orientation to biblical and theological study. Students completing this programme will be prepared for the challenges of their chosen programme and better able to achieve their academic goals.

Preparatory Programme

The Preparatory Programme (NZQA, Level 4) prepares people for diploma and degree (NZQA, Level 5) study. This programme can be studied for either one semester (Stream 1), or one year (Stream 2).

The Stream 1 programme is geared towards three main groups of people:

• students who have come through the New Zealand school system without achieving adequately at NZQA Level 3
• students who have studied at high school level overseas and have lived for an extended period of time in New Zealand; therefore, English speaking and listening skills are quite highly developed, but academic reading and writing skills need further development
• international students with an IELTS band of 5.5 or 6.0.

The Stream 2 programme is designed for those who require a longer period of preparation for tertiary level study. These include:

• international students with an IELTS of 5.0
• those who have lived for a long period of time in New Zealand but whose current academic level requires a longer period of preparation for Level 5.

The Preparatory Programme provides an intensive preparation in the areas of English and Study Skills, New Testament, Old Testament and Christian Belief. In this way, a student is able to begin studying the biblical and theological subject matter at Level 4 while at the same time raising the level of their study skills and written English to a level that will assist success at Level 5.

How to Apply and Enrol

1. Complete and return your Application Form (and Internship Supplement if necessary) including a $50 Application Fee to Laidlaw College by the dates shown below. Applications received after the early deadline will incur a late Application Fee of $100. Please ensure all sections are completed to prevent any delays.

2. Forward the Reference Forms to your nominated referees. If you did not receive the forms with your enquiry pack you can download them from www.laidlaw.ac.nz
or request them from a Laidlaw campus.

3. On receipt of your Application Form and Reference Forms you will be invited to the college for an interview. This interview may be waived in some circumstances, or conducted by phone. The Admissions Committee will then consider your application.

4. You will be sent a letter indicating the outcome of your application. If your application is accepted, you will be sent the Academic Handbook and other enrolment information.

Please Note: If you have any questions please contact the campus where you are applying.

Campus Tours

Laidlaw College invites potential students to tour one of their campuses. These tours provide students the opportunity to view the campus, sit in on one of our lectures, and meet students and lecturers.

Cross-Credit

With approval from the Academic Director, credits may be transferred from suitable previous studies where the level, content, and ethos fit with Laidlaw College's programmes. Specific information on cross accreditation can be obtained from the Academic Director.

Financial Assistance

All of Laidlaw College's programmes are NZQA approved and accredited. This qualifies students for StudyLink loans and allowances. More information can be found at www.studylink.govt.nz