Psychology and Disruptive Technologies
We are living through an era that has seen accelerated technological innovation and advancement with global reach and transformative impacts on every aspect of daily living. This is an exciting age of disruption reshaping how we think, behave and also engage with our environment.
Psychology and Disruptive Technologies offers the unique opportunity to study psychology and understand human behaviour in combination with disruptive technologies that are fundamentally transforming lives and driving behavioural and societal change, sometimes raising challenges. It does so by providing an accredited pre-professional route to further training in Psychology and applied progression routes in Disruptive Technologies, coupled with employment opportunities in careers where high-level digital innovation, transformative values and problem-solving skills are prized, advanced interpretation of data and human behaviour is critical, an awareness of how to address challenges posed by disruptive technologies is key, and where graduates have the collaborative and transferable skills required to move forward in a society filled with digital and technological innovation.
This programme will provide the skills, expertise and values for you to be able to work in a rapidly changing and diverse technological environment in behaviour change, mental wellbeing, health, enhancement and rehabilitation, and innovation.
You can also apply to train professionally as a psychologist after successfully completing this degree (pending Psychological Society of Ireland accreditation.
The BSc in Psychology and Disruptive Technologies is run by the DCU School of Psychology in collaboration with the DCU School of Computing. The 4-year programme is structured to cover introductory to advanced levels of psychology across the five core pillars of undergraduate training: developmental and lifespan psychology; biological psychology; social psychology; cognitive psychology and the psychology of individual difference. A core focus running throughout the programme is research literacy supported by a combination of practical and virtual laboratory activities and digital innovation based on cutting edge technologies that positively disrupt the status quo and underpin societal change.
The course will cover a dynamic range of applied areas and cutting edge options from the Psychology of Innovation and Disruption across diverse education, health, business and industry settings. Throughout the programme, you will also develop a detailed understanding of the theories and innovations of disruptive technologies that significantly reshape the world that we live in, and also examine mechanisms for building trust in digital interactions.
In Year 3 of the programme, you will complete an internship in various fields including digital technology and learning, digital therapeutics, and other applied areas within education, health and wellbeing, industry and community sectors.
In Year 4 of the programme, you will have an exciting opportunity to complete a final year project bringing together your advanced and unique training in Psychology and Disruptive Technologies.
The BSc in Psychology and Disruptive Technologies has been developed in line with pre-professional Psychological Society of Ireland accreditation principles and is currently pending accreditation.
We have a unique and vibrant culture on our modern campus close to Dublin city centre. We provide state-of-the-art study facilities for all our courses and everything else you need for a healthy, fun and active student life.
We have three academic campuses close to Dublin City centre - they are located in Glasnevin and Drumcondra, and can be reached by public transport (Dublin Bus).
Each campus has libraries, study spaces, restaurants, and on-campus residencies. Sports facilities are located on two of the academic campuses. We also have a dedicated sports campus in the form of St Claire’s.
Exceptional facilities
DCU students have access to exceptional teaching and learning facilities across our three academic campuses.
These include modern learning theatres, research centres, new media and TV studio, radio/podcast studios, classrooms, computer suites and advanced labs in the areas of languages, engineering, physics, chemistry and biotechnology, as well as a sports performance centre and training hospital ward. In 2021, we opened our first virtual reality ‘Leadership Lab’, which is located in our Business School.
Construction on our FutureTech building on the Glasnevin campus will get underway in 2022. Once completed, this facility will advance DCU’s international reputation for excellence in science and health, computing and engineering disciplines. It will have the capacity to accommodate an additional 3,000 STEM students on the university’s Glasnevin campus.
Campus life
DCU student facilities boast a fully equipped sports complex with a 25-metre pool, three libraries and The Helix, our renowned performing arts centre.
Our purpose built, state-of-the-art new student centre known as 'The U' serves the needs of a rapidly growing student body of 18,500. It is home to the Student Leadership and Lifeskills Centre, performing arts and cultural spaces for students and the wider community, and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Hub.
There are more than 140 clubs and societies for students in DCU, with ‘Clubs & Socs’ days taking place on both the Glasnevin and Drumcondra campuses at the start of the academic year.
Student Supports
We have a number of academic, professional and social supports for students.
Student Advice Centre: Offers a wide range of supports and services to students and advice
The Writing Centre - drop-in writing workshops for students through the academic year
Maths Learning Centre - provides maths support for students of all ability levels with maths modules
Student Learning: facilitate the transition from passive to active learning for students at DCU, by teaching study skills, nurturing critical thinking and building student confidence.
Careers work with students to help them on their professional journey into graduate employment.
Our student support team offers a comprehensive support programme, helping students make that all important transition into university life and focusing on building confidence and skills which are key to success at third level.
This programme will provide the skills, expertise and values for you to be able to work in a rapidly changing and diverse technological environment in behaviour change, mental wellbeing, health, enhancement and rehabilitation, and innovation.
You can also apply to train professionally as a psychologist after successfully completing this degree (pending Psychological Society of Ireland accreditation)
Future Careers
- Data Management
- Data Visualisation
- Further Study - Teacher
- Further Study - Professional Psychologist
- Researcher/Behavioural Scientist in Industry/Academia/NGOs/Other
In These Areas
- Telehealth and Diagnostics
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Cognitive Science and Cognitive Technologies (Artificial Intelligence)
- Social Robotics
- Mixed Reality
- Human Technology Interaction (HTI)
- Education
Requirements
General entry requirements and Programme Entry Requirements
In addition to the general entry requirements for admission to the university the following entry requirements apply
Minimum of O4 or H6 in Mathematics
In addition to the general entry requirements for admission to the university the following entry requirements apply
GCE A Level D or GCE AS Level C or GCSE C Mathematics
No Entry Path
No Entry Path
International candidates are expected to have educational qualifications of a standard equivalent to those outlined above. In addition, where such candidates are non-native speakers of the English language they must satisfy the university of their competency in the English language. For further information on international applications click here.