The University of Strathclyde has suspended its highly regarded postgraduate counselling courses.

The Glasgow-based institution had offered students the opportunity to study for a certificate, a diploma and a masters in person-centred counselling.

From next year, students will instead be offered a joint honours degree in Psychology and Counselling, with a new postgraduate course still in the planning.

It is understood around 90 current students and their lecturers were told of the changes in an unexpected email from faculty Manager Lorna Dougall.

Some students are angry that may not get the chance to progress from a certificate or diploma to a masters in counselling.

The University of Strathclyde’s postgraduate counselling courses are accredited by the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapist's (BACP).

Hundreds of professional counsellors and psychotherapists have graduated from the university since these courses began in 1992.

Ms Dougall’s email to students and their tutors, seen by the Evening Times, said: “In response to the UK’s growing demand for improved support for mental health and wellbeing, the university is currently developing a new joint honours degree in psychology and counselling for 2017, with a new MSc planned thereafter.

“In order to plan for the future and expand the scope of our academic delivery of counselling, the faculty plans to suspend entry to Counselling Unit courses, including PG Certificate, PG Diploma, and MSc, from 2016/17.”

Current students have been told that they will not be affected and can expect “the same high-quality provision”.

However, one student, who asked not to be named, said many are upset about the decision.

“A lot of us would have moved on to the diploma or the masters and we will not now be doing that,” said the student.

“This decision also has far-reaching consequences for mental health provision in Scotland. Aside from the fact that no more person-centred counselling practitioners will qualify after the current courses are completed, there are significant implications for local organisations.

“For the last 20 years Strathclyde students have been embedded in training placements where a minimum of 100 client-contact hours per student per year are provided free of charge as part of our training.

“Many organisations can only provide a counselling service by using Strathclyde’s trainee students.

“Given recent government announcements regarding the realisation of the importance of mental health and talking therapy availability I think this decision by the university is at best hypocritical and at worst demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the value of these established, quality counselling training course in Scotland.”

A spokeswoman for the University of Strathclyde said: “A new counselling programme is being developed at the university in response to demand for improved support for mental health and wellbeing.

“The new joint degrees in psychology and counselling are being designed to widen access to counselling education and will give students greater access to leading experts in core areas including psychological sciences and health.”