This four-year honours degree in Psychology provides a broad introduction to the discipline, followed by coverage of the core areas of study required for accreditation by the Psychological Society of Ireland, as well as allowing you to specialise in advanced areas in your final year of study. You will cover areas such as social, developmental, biological and cognitive psychology as well as personality and individual differences and research methods and statistics. You will also have an opportunity to undertake study abroad as well as work in an area relevant to psychology during your degree.
Learning how to design and conduct research is a central part of this programme. You will actively engage in laboratory classes and group research exercises throughout the course to develop research methods skills, culminating in your own final year research project. Our aim is to instil in our students a curiosity and appreciation of the many different aspects of the discipline and provide you with the critical thinking and practical research skills to study the world from a psychological perspective.
Electives information for incoming students
Module Electives - what are they?
Electives give you the opportunity to choose modules that you want to study.
Each Semester you will be given a choice of a number of modules and you will be asked to select a certain amount to study. This can range from 1 module to 4 modules, based on the course.
For example, you may be given a list of 4 modules, and will be asked to choose 2 to study for the upcoming semester.
Electives in Bachelor of Psychology
This honours degree in Psychology provides a broad introduction to the discipline, followed by coverage of the core areas of study required for accreditation by the Psychological Society of Ireland, as well as allowing you to specialise in advanced areas in your final year of study. In the first year of study, students are required to complete other non Psychology modules from the list of electives below.
Students must choose two electives from the following list and register for these modules in the first week of Semester 1:
SO4001 – Introduction to Sociology
This module aims to introduce students to the subject matter of contemporary sociology. It will familiarise students with the key concepts used within sociological analysis and demonstrate, using illustrative materials, the uses and importance of sociological analysis in the modern and post-modern world.
CU4121 – Introduction to New Media and Cultural Studies
The rationale and Purpose of the Module is to introduce students to the fields of cultural studies and new media and to the basic concepts underlying their study of these disciplines over the course of their programme. It will also give students the theoretical tools to analyse cultural processes and to investigate new media as cultural institutions, particularly in comparative contexts.
PA4021 – Ideas and Concepts in Public Administration
This course aims to introduce students to the ideas and concepts used in the study of Public Administration. This module provides an overview of the different principles and theoretical perspectives applied to the study of public administration and underlying recent changes in the scope and management of the public sector.
PO4011 – Introduction to Government and Politics
This module provides an introductory guide to important themes and issues related to the study of politics, such as the state, regime types, and political change and behaviour. It is intended as a practical guide to some of the main concepts and vocabulary of political science.
MA4601 – Science Mathematics 1
The purpose of the Module is to introduce students to the fundamental concepts of calculus and linear algebra. It also aims to develop and integrate the basic mathematical skills relevant to science.
BY4001 – Biology 1
- Rationale and Purpose of the Module:
- To introduce fundamental concepts of biological structure and function.
- To provide an introductory course in cellular energetics and respiration, photosynthesis, animal physiology, and microbiology.
PO4018 – International Relations
Provides an overview of some of the theoretical debates and issues that have underpinned the study of International Relations (IR). Theoretical perspectives such as Realism, Liberalism and Structuralism will be introduced and this will allow students to apply these to the arena of world politics and to processes such as the interactions of states, the workings of International Organisation and the global economy
PM4035 – The Psychology of Work
The module aims to enable students develop knowledge and skills in psychology (both as a discipline and as a professional field) applied to work and organisations. It aims to develop knowledge and skills of understanding individuals in context, considering cognitive, emotional, motivational and behavioural responses to varying working environments and contexts. It aims to develop theoretical and applied knowledge about key psychological concepts and theories concerning, work, the workplace, and working life.
LA4068 – Crime and Criminal Justice
The Crime and Criminal Justice module aims to critically evaluate the institutions and operation of the criminal Irish justice system in comparative perspective. The module aims to introduce students to the main approaches and theories in the field of crime and criminal justice studies, and the mechanisms by which the criminal justice system responds to the incidence of crime. The module also examines the influence of the media influence on public attitudes towards crime, criminal justice processes and sentencing, criminal justice policy making, reform and anti-crime initiatives.
GE4211 – German for Beginners 1
This module is set at A1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). This module provides students with an introduction to the German-speaking countries as physical, cultural and political entities. This module will also provide communicative skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) at a basic level in German through the introduction and practice of simple grammatical structures, functions and vocabulary.
SP4131 – Spanish for Beginners 1
This module is set at A1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The beginners course aims to provide the student with a strong basic knowledge of Spanish and of contemporary Spain and Latin America. The course is designed to enable the student to understand and use basic structures of Spanish grammar. This module will also develop listening and speaking skills in Spanish and equip the student with basic writing skills.
Year 1
Semester 1
- Psychology and Everyday Life
- Psychology Theory & Method I
- Practical Psychology I
Two other non psychology modules
from the following list in Semester 1
- Introduction to Sociology
- Introduction to New Media and
- Cultural'Studies
- Administration
- Ideas & Concepts in Public
- Introduction to Politics
- Science Mathematics
- Biology 1
- International Relations
- The Psychology of Work
- Crime and Criminal Justice
- Early Modern Ireland
- German for Beginners 1
- Spanish for Beginners 1
Semester 2
- Psychology and Social issues
- Psychology Theory and Method II
- Practical Psychology II
Two other non psychology modules
from the following list in Semester 2
- Introduction to Sociology 2
- Language and Culture
- Civil and Public Service
- Thought
- Modern European Political
- Science Mathematics 2
- Biology 2
- Principles of Organizational Behaviour
- Criminal Procedure
- Sources for History
- German for Beginners 2
- Spanish for Beginners 2
Year 2
Semester 3
- Sociology of Media
- Biological basis of behaviour
- Psychology of Personality
- Social Psychology
- Empirical Psychology I
Semester 4
- Cognition
- Human Development and life span
- Research Methods
- Social Psychology II
- Empirical Psychology II
Year 3
Semester 5
- Cooperative Placement
- Cooperative Placement 2
Semester 6
Year 4
Semester 7
- Final Year Project I
- Applied Psychology
- Advanced Research Methods
Two from the following list in Semester 1
- Political Psychology
- Developmental Psychopathology
- Approaches to Social Identity
- Psychology and Gender
- Health Psychology
- Abnormal and Clinical Psychology
- Economic Psychology
Semester 8
Three from the following list in Semester 2
- Political Psychology
- Developmental Psychopathology
- Approaches to Social Identity
- Psychology and Gender
- Health Psychology
- Abnormal and Clinical Psychology
- Economic Psychology
