BA (Hons) Psychology

BA (Hons) Psychology

Psychology is one of the most exciting and interesting subjects available in third level education. It is the study of human behaviour in all its forms normal and abnormal, natural and learned, productive and destructive. It is a modern and progressive area of study, which despite having a 150-year history, is currently experiencing unprecedented growth and development in Ireland and internationally.

Professional psychologists work in almost every sphere of contemporary life. They contribute to the design of our classrooms and what takes place in them. They teach industry the best ways to select and motivate employees. They provide crucial insight into the background of social problems such as suicide, addiction and child abuse. They help coaches to train athletes, help the police to investigate crime, help managers to reduce stress in the workplace and help the health services to design effective health promotion campaigns (for example, anti-smoking and safe driving campaigns).

The BA (Hons) Psychology programme in DBS School of Arts was the first non-University degree to be accredited by the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI). PSI is the professional body for psychology in Ireland. As such, it seeks to promote the science and profession of psychology in Ireland and beyond. The psychology degree represents the necessary first step to becoming a professional psychologist. Across the programme, all the key areas of psychology are studied, including laboratory and project work. Upon successful completion of the degree, depending upon the final grade, graduates will be eligible to apply to enter postgraduate training programmes in their chosen specialisation and ultimately gain employment in their area of expertise.

Traditionally, many graduates in psychology pursue training in one of the following areas of professional practice:

Clinical Psychology
Clinical psychologists work in health settings, engaging in diagnostic and therapeutic work with people with conditions such as schizophrenia and major depression. They often work in teams alongside other health professionals, including social workers, psychiatrists and doctors, in order to tailor treatment that best serves the needs of the patients.

Counselling Psychology
Counselling psychologists work with people who have emotional and psychological difficulties in their daily lives, seeking to guide, support and advise people through their problems. They can work in health settings and in other institutions (such as schools) or they can work in private practice seeing members of the general public.

Educational Psychology
Educational psychologists often work with schools under government of local authority supervision, assisting students with learning, emotional, behavioural or other difficulties. Some educational psychologist work at the highest levels of the education system, designing and reforming the national curriculum to make it more effective, fairer and more useful to students and students and society. Others specialise in related areas such as special needs or adult education.

Forensic Psychology
Forensic psychologists often work in the Prison Service. However, forensic psychologists may also work in the health service (including rehabilitation units and secure hospitals), the social service (including An Garda Siochana and young offender units) and in university departments or in private consultancy. Forensic psychologists also act as expert witnesses and give evidence in court.

Organisational Psychology
Organisational psychologists work primarily in industry, but also in institutions such as hospitals, prisons, universities and public service agencies. Their expertise lies in the study of people in organisations, personnel practices, human engineering, the assessment of stress, efficiency, motivation and productivity. Some organisational psychologists specialise in the behaviour of consumers and so work with marketing departments, identifying key factors that are crucial in the management of industrial production, market research and advertising campaigns.

Health Psychology
Health psychologists work in healthcare and related industries and are experts in the psychology of physical health and illness. Their duties span the whole of the healthcare system from health promotion, public health and health education to pain management, rehabilitation and patient maintenance. They also assist in the training of health professionals, including medical and nursing training and conduct research to isolate the connection between psychological causes and physical disease.

Neuropsychology
Neuropsychologists work in areas where an expertise in the biological basis of psychology is needed. Such knowledge is paramount when dealing with people who have suffered brain damage as a result of an accident, a drug overdose or a stroke. Neuropsychologists help to diagnose the precise nature of people’s symptoms and to recommend suitable rehabilitation techniques. They have expertise in areas such as amnesia, dementia, intellectual disability, epilepsy and the effects of drugs on the brain. They also conduct the most technologically modern research in psychology, into the very functioning of the human brain itself.

In addition, graduates of psychology often enter research-based careers in colleges and universities or work in a huge range of related areas, including forensic psychology, sport psychology, community development, social work, childcare, the media and the arts. Psychology is clearly wide-ranging and this variety is fully represented in the degree programme. Students take modules in theoretical and applied aspects of psychology, as well as modules in the history of psychology, current trends in psychology and research skills. The programme is delivered by members of the DBS School of Arts Psychology Department, one of five such departments in third level education in the Republic of Ireland. The Department is well known and respected in its field, with an experienced and varied team of full-time lecturers who are active in research and professional practice.

Sport (and Exercise) Psychology
Sport psychologists work with sports participants and are interested in two main areas: (a) helping athletes use psychological principals to achieve optimal mental health and to improve performance (performance enhancement), and (b) understanding how participation in sport, exercise, and physical activity affects an individual’s psychological development, health and well-being throughout their life span.

A postgraduate qualification is normally required if graduates are to find work as professional psychologists. Such courses are normally at the level of Master’s degree or Higher Diploma, and usually are of 1-2 years duration. The full range of specialist areas described above can be studied. Graduates are also eligible to undertake many postgraduate courses and/or research in related areas such as social and cultural studies or health sciences.