Psychology
DC208

Psychology

Course Details

CAO Code:
DC208
Course Type:
Undergraduate
NFQ Level:
8 - Please see www.qqi.ie for further information
Placement:
Yes
Delivery Modes
Full-Time
Minimum Points
534
Duration
Four Years
Phone:
+353 (0) 1
700 8545

Are you fascinated by the human mind and human behaviour? Would you like to understand how we think, act, react and interact, and use your knowledge and skills to help people?

Overview

Overview Icon

A career in psychology could be perfect for you. This Psychological Society of Ireland-accredited course was the first psychology programme in Ireland to offer a work placement opportunity. In third year, you’ll do an INTRA placement in a clinical, corporate or other environment.

While psychologists differ in their interests and the type of work they do, they all approach the study of behaviour in a scientific way. During the course, you’ll gain knowledge, skills and experience in all core areas in psychology. With a maximum of 40 students in each year group, you’ll benefit from access to academic staff and support as you need it.  

Build a toolkit of valuable skills

You’ll also develop visual, written, and communication skills, transferable to many areas of professional work and engagement. These include skills in problem solving, numeracy and statistics, critical, creative and innovative thinking, decision making, communication and leadership, health literacy, organisation, team working and IT.

As a graduate, you may go on to further study in a specialism, such as research psychology, clinical psychology, counselling, education, organisational or occupational psychology, sports psychology or biopsychology. Psychology graduates are among the most sought after in general, so you could also pursue any of a broad and diverse range of roles in the public or private sector.

DCU People

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Dean O’Reilly
Alumni

At 17, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do at college, or even where I’d like to go. I wanted to do something academically challenging. Beyond that, I didn't have much direction.


Read more about Dean O’Reilly

Careers & Further Options

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Careers

Most students study psychology because they aim to pursue a career as a psychologist. 

However, others choose to study psychology because it offers a broad training in a behavioural science, it develops a wide range of valued transferable skills and it can be used as a stepping stone into several other careers. 

Studying with us at the School of Psychology opens up a wide range of postgraduate training and career opportunities. 

With further professional education and training, one can work as a psychologist in professional settings such as clinical, counselling, organisational, health, educational, sport, forensic or academic settings.

 

  • Assistant psychologist positions
  • Marketing
  • Management
  • Research
  • Data analysis
  • Human resources
  • Health promotion
  • Community development
Management
Researcher
Statistical Analysis

DCU graduates are highly sought after by employers. Our Graduates work in environments ranging from large multinationals to SMEs, family businesses and start-ups across every sector.

DCU Careers Service has a number of learning and development initiatives in place for our students, giving them the skills they need for a successful career path.

Go to our Careers site to find out more about career planning, our mentorship programme, skills development and online resources for students when working on CVs and making applications.

 

Entry Requirements

Entry Requirements Icon

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.

Course Structure

Course Structure Icon
  • Introduction to Psychology
  • Positive Psychology 
  • Child Development
  • Cognition 
  • Critical thinking, Collaboration and Enterprise Skills
  • Social Psychology
  • Comparative Evolutionary Psychology
  • Philosophy of Psychology
  • Personality Psychology 
  • Psychology Research Skills 1 and 2

 

Year 1 options

  • Introduction to Anthropology
  • Introduction to Marketing 
  • Perception 
  •  Education Psychology 
  •  Sport Psychology 
  •  Biological Psychology 1 and 2 
  •  Psychological Measurement and Assessment 
  •  Health Psychology 
  •  Experimental Analysis of Behaviour
  •  Psychology Research Skills 1 and 2

 

Year 2 Options

  • Sociology, Health and Illness 
  •  Introduction to Human Resource Management 
  •  Science Communication and Public Engagement 
  •  Sexual Health 
  •  Organisational Psychology
  •  Freedom and Health 
  • Working in Psychology 
  •  Cognition across the Lifespan 
  •  Life-Span Development: Adulthood 
  •  Psychology Research Skills 3 
  •  Computer Applications in Psychology Research 
  •  INTRA 

 

Year 3 Options

  • ABA Across the Lifespan 
  •  Psychopharmacology 
  •  Psychology, Illness and Disability 
  • Psychological Health, Difficulties and Disorders 
  •  Social Psychology and Contemporary Issues 
  •  Theoretical Issues and Approaches in Psychology 
  •  Neuropsychology 
  •  Psychology Research Project

 

Year 4 Options

  • Applied Psychology and Work 
  • Behavioural Neuroscience Methods 
  •  Psychoanalysis 
  •  Law and Neuroscience 
  •  Crime and Psychology 
  •  Psychology of Adolescence 
  •  Psychology of Self-Control 
  •  Counselling and Psychology 
  •  Uaneen Award: DCU’s Leadership and Engagement

For more information on the course structure click here

Fees and Funding

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Fees

Student Contribution
€3,043 per annum
EU Status Fee
€7,295 per annum
Non EU Fee
€16,000 per annum

How To Apply

How To Apply Icon

Apply through the Central Applications Office (CAO) by 1st February or 1st May

To apply for this programme:
Candidates should apply directly here. Here's a quick step by step guide if you need help with your application.

Please provide 

  • Academic Transcripts for each and every year of study with English translation, if applicable.
  • If applicable, provide evidence of competence in the English language as per DCU entry requirements.  Please see link http://www.dcu.ie/registry/english.shtml

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis up to 1st July. All Non-EU candidates are advised to apply early, as places are limited.

All mature applicants apply through the CAO by 1st February. For further information and for special application procedures for mature students, please click here

Candidates required to apply through the CAO can apply online at www.cao.ie
 

Life On Campus

Life on Campus
DCU Campus Glasnevin

DCU Glasnevin Campus

FAQs

FAQ Icon

How many hours of contact time do you have on the undergrad psychology course?

Typically you would have 5 modules per semester with 24 hours of contact for each module.

 

What can I do after studying psychology?

There are a variety of career options for psychologists and they work in a variety of settings. However, after you finish your degree you will need to pick an area to work in and do further training to practice as a psychologist. Once this training is done, you can work in areas such as clinical, counselling, organisational (work place), educational, research or consulting. Just to note, given Psychology gives you such a broad based of transferable skills (e.g., analytical, communication based etc) our graduates are highly sought after in a variety of areas and on many graduate programmes to large employers