Psychology

BSc (Hons) (NFQ Level 8)

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Curricular information is subject to change.

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Why is this course for me?

If you have a questioning attitude and good reasoning skills, you will really enjoy the world opened up by Psychology. Psychology has links to the natural sciences, the social sciences and the arts, so it is likely to appeal to a wide variety of people. The course has core modules that will introduce you to major theories and research methods, and you will also have a chance to choose option modules in specialist areas of psychology (e.g. counselling, clinical psychology and forensic psychology).

Course Pathways
What Will I Study

First Year

  • Social Psychology
  • Brain & Behaviour
  • Psychology: Key skills & concepts
  • Introduction to Psychology
  • Introductory Research Methods
  • Perception & Cognition
  • Introduction to Applied Psychology
  • Elective module
  • Plus added optional modules

Second & Third Year

  • Behavioural Neuroscience
  • Child & Adolescent Development
  • Visual Cognition
  • Psychology Labs
  • Personality & Human Intelligence
  • Independent Research Project
  • Option modules within Psychology
  • Elective modules.

Students spend up to 20 hours per week attending lectures and tutorials. In second year, you will conduct a series of laboratory practicals, while in third year, you will carry out an independent research project under the direction of one of the academic staff.

A combination of end-of-trimester written examinations and continuous assessment is used to evaluate performance.

For detailed information on subject content click here.

You may be interested in the following Blog posts: Third year student experience of studying Psychology at UCD.

International Study Opportunities

The School of Psychology has exchange agreements with:

  • Université Catholique de l’Ouest, France
  • Universidad Pontificia Comillas de Madrid, Spain
  • Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany
  • Georgetown University, Washington, USA
  • University of Groningen, the Netherlands
Career & Graduate Study Opportunities

The degree is recognised by the Psychological Society of Ireland and, as such, provides the foundation for further graduate training in any field of psychology, as well as for a wide variety of careers, including:

  • Clinical psychology
  • Educational psychology
  • Organisational psychology
  • Forensic psychology
  • Counselling psychology
  • Health psychology.

There are also career opportunities in research alongside other social scientists, such as economists and sociologists.

Other Entry Routes
Testimonial

“I chose psychology at UCD as I have always been interested in the mechanisms and motivations behind people’s behaviours, emotions and mental processes. I am also passionate about helping others. Studying psychology at UCD has given me a great foundation to a future career in counselling psychology and has opened my eyes to the wide range of possibilities with a degree in BSc Psychology. I also enjoyed studying other subjects such as geology and Spanish through electives throughout the degree. I would recommend this course to anyone who enjoys learning about the human mind, is inquisitive and would like to develop their analytical and reasoning skills.”

Iwona Kowalczuk, Student

Contact Information

Undergraduate Office
UCD School of Psychology
Newman
Belfield, Dublin 4

Email: psychology@ucd.ie

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