DC347

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

Course Details

CAO Code:
DC347
Course Type:
Undergraduate
NFQ Level:
- Please see www.qqi.ie for further information
Delivery Modes
Online Distance Learning
Minimum Points:
Duration:
yr
Phone:
+353 (0) 1
7006448

Are you curious about the human mind, human behaviour? Then the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology programme is for you. The Bachelor of Arts in Psychology programme offers you the attractive opportunity to obtain a DCU undergraduate degree through online learning, which is more open and flexible than if you registered for a full-time, or part-time, campus-based programme.

Overview

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This programme offers you the attractive opportunity to obtain a DCU undergraduate degree through online learning, which is more open and flexible than if you registered for a full-time, or part-time, campus-based programme.

 

DCU People

Careers & Further Options

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Careers

The Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree programme facilitates those interested in pursuing any kind of work that requires critical thinking skills, high quality written expression, and transferable skills such as organisation and time-management, with these skills and abilities being highly valued by employers. The knowledge and skills you will develop are useful and valuable to have no matter what path you take once you successfully complete your DCU degree programme. The knowledge, skills and competencies relating to Psychological research methods that graduates have achieved in their studies on this programme allow them to work in junior researcher positions. Graduates who intend to qualify as professional Psychologists will need to pursue further training in Psychology at masters or doctoral level. Graduates will be able to go on to postgraduate study, and careers, in a number of Psychology's sub-disciplines and related fields. Graduates may proceed to either a taught masters or doctoral programmes in a specific sub-discipline of Psychology, or a Psychology masters or doctorate by research, where they conduct a research project, under supervision, in their area of interest. As Psychology is such a broad field there are many different routes that graduates may take depending on their areas of interest. As the majority of online distance learning students are already working, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology may facilitate advancement in their existing career or it may enable them to change careers. Existing graduates have gone on to careers such as: Human Resource Manager; Psychological Researcher; Higher Education Academic; Behavioural Therapist; Cognitive Behavioural Therapist; Clinical Psychology assistant/researcher; Special Needs Assistant; and Clinical Coordinator for a regional counselling service.

Entry Requirements

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Applicants aged over 23 years on January 1st in the year of entry are eligible for admission to the programme and are automatically granted a place subject to submission of an application form and deposit.

Applicants under 23 years on January 1st in the year of entry must satisfy the normal minimum degree entry requirements of Dublin City University which are detailed: https://www.dcu.ie/registry/entry.shtml.

For further information on Non EU qualifications and requirements please visit here.

In addition, applicants who are non-native speakers of the English language must satisfy the university requirements for competency in the English language.

 


Study Visas are not required for this online course/programme.

Course Structure

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The DCU Bachelor of Arts in Psychology is a Level 8 honours degree programme, which provides students with a focused, tailored programme of education in Psychology. Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and mental processes, and as such is concerned with why we do what we do, feel what we feel, and think what we think. Psychologists use rigorous scientific methods to further our understanding in a wide range of topics, as Psychology is a broad discipline. Psychological knowledge has many applications in a variety of settings such as industry, education, the law, as well as medical and forensic settings. This programme offers students great flexibility in that they can vary the number of modules they register for in a given year to match the other responsibilities in their life. Given that registering for a module means committing to the workload associated with that module this flexibility allows a student to only take on the work they can accommodate in a given year. When deciding how much work to take on students should consider the time needed to: study learning materials; actively participate in online classes; and the time they need to set aside to interact with tutors and other students in the online discussion forums. Students on this programme also have a good degree of flexibility in terms of time, place, and pace of studying as they do not have to attend campus-based classes on a regular basis. 

On this programme you will study modules that cover the core areas of Psychology: Social and Organisational Psychology; Developmental and Educational Psychology; Cognitive Psychology; Biopsychology; Individual Differences and, very importantly; Psychological Methods for Conducting Scientific Research. As part of this programme, you will also have the opportunity to complete, under supervision, an independent research project in Psychology. 

 

To complete the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology a student needs to successfully complete twelve modules.

 

Foundation modules

  • What is Psychology?
  • Exploring Psychological Research
  • Competencies and Skills in Psychology

Post-foundation modules

  • Social and Organisational Psychology
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Qualitative Research in Psychology
  • Quantitative Research in Psychology
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Biopsychology
  • Individual Differences
  • Psychological Perspectives on Mental Health
  • Final Year Project in Psychology 

Students may elect to exit with a Diploma in Psychology on successful completion of eight modules if they do not wish to progress to the full degree qualification. It should be noted that this diploma is not a route to graduate membership of a psychological society, and therefore is not a route into the field of psychology in and of itself.

Please note that the programme is under constant review and there may be changes to the structure, content and presentation of the programme in future years.

Each module is awarded 15 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credit points. These points are accumulated towards your award of degree. 180 ECTS credit points are required for the BA in Humanities (Psychology Major) and 120 ECTS credit points are required for the Diploma in Humanities (Psychology Major).

How Long does it take to Complete the Course?

It is possible to complete the degree in a minimum of four years, however, this would be a 'full-time' studying commitment. The Diploma in Psychology can be completed in a minimum of three years with a similar commitment. The greater the number of modules successfully completed each year, the quicker you obtain your degree. In the first year of study a student can only select a maximum of three modules. After the foundation modules have been completed a student can select from one to four modules per year. The number of modules you undertake each year will depend on your individual circumstances. The Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Major must be completed within a maximum eight year registration period.

Module Selection:

While this programme's modular structure provides you with the flexibility to choose how many modules you commit to studying in any one academic year, there are rules relating to module registration that you must be familiar with in order that you can make a fully informed decision about which modules you wish to take. For example, some modules must be completed before others can be selected.

Mathematics Recommendation:

Please note that the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology  programme involves a number of modules that focus on Psychology research methods, which require a competence in mathematics roughly equivalent to pass Leaving Certificate level. While a Leaving Certificate mathematics qualification is not mandatory, students without recent exposure to mathematics should consider updating their skills by enrolling in a Leaving Certificate mathematics course or by studying Leaving Certificate mathematics textbooks.

Because of the way the programme is structured, you do not have to defer commencement of the programme while you develop your competence in mathematics. You could update your skills in parallel with other modules not requiring competence in this area, specifically PSY1080 What is Psychology and PY1111 Skills and Competencies in Psychology.

Technology and Online Skills Requirements:

Your learning experience as an online student is enhanced through the use of learning technology and rich digital media. We understand that students will have varying degrees of technical experience and ability when they begin their studies. Due to the key role technology will play in your studies you should be ready to engage with relevant technologies to a minimum level when you begin your studies. That is, you should be familiar with using email, browsing the Internet, downloading files, and using the word processing package Microsoft Word. When you begin your studies you will then further develop your skills with using technology in your studies. Becoming more confident in the use of technology, as you study, will then help you succeed as an online learner.

Fees and Funding

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Fees

EU Status Fee Part-time
€990 Per Module
Non EU Fee Part time
€1,600 Per Module
EU Status Fee - Modular
€990
Non EU Fee,
€1,415

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DCU Campus Glasnevin

DCU Glasnevin Campus

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