Psychology & Computing
The BA Psychology and Computing is a degree in which psychological research, theory, and knowledge is applied to a context of increasing importance to the modern world – the design, development, evaluation, and critical engagement with the technology and systems that increasingly surround us.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | National University of Ireland |
| NFQ Level | Level 8 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) | Major | National University of Ireland | Level 8 NFQ |
Duration
3 years or 4 Years with a placement.
Specific Subjects or course requirements
Leaving Certificate entry requirements
At Least six subjects must be presented. Minimum grade H5 in two subjects and minimum grade O6/H7 in four other subjects. English and Irish are requirements for all programmes unless the applicant is exempt from Irish. Applicants will need to meet the following minimum entry requirements:
English O6/H7
Irish O6/H7
Maths O2/H6
Other Language O6/H7
Leaving Certificate Vocational Progamme LCVP
UCC awards the following points to the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme Link Modules:
Distinction 66 points
Merit 46 points
Pass 28 points
While Link Modules are counted for point scoring purposes they may not be counted as one of the six subjects to satisfy minimum entry requirements.
QQI FET Applicants General Information
Careers / Further progression
Skills and Careers Information
Graduates of this programme will offer employers a unique combination of technical software related skills, research skills, and psychological training. As a graduate of this degree, you will demonstrate:
· Excellent research methods and statistics training
· Ability to plan and run valid user studies
· Knowledge of core topics in psychology; developmental, social, behavioural, cognitive, and biological
· Expertise in ergonomics and human factors
· Software development and Programming skills
· Software engineering practices
· Ability to design, develop and evaluate prototypes
· Good understanding of data structures and algorithms
· Ability to design, implement, and administer databases
· Understanding of how software can best support and transform essential infrastructure such as health, education and finance
Graduates of this programme have clear pathways to further study and employment in three distinct areas.
1. Graduates who wish to pursue a career in the psychology professions can do so via further study in professionally accredited Masters programmes. Since the BA Psychology and Computing is accredited by the Psychological Society of Ireland as a psychology degree, graduates achieving a 2.1 or higher will be eligible to enter MA programmes on clinical psychology, educational psychology, forensic psychology, work and organisational psychology, applied psychology, or any of the other psychology-related professions.
2. Graduates who wish to pursue a career in Software Development, IT, Software Engineering, Web Development, or any of the computing professions will be well placed to do so, through further study or direct routes to employment.
3. Graduates will be particularly well placed to pursue a career in Human-centered software design and evaluation; in areas that are in great demand such as, User Experience design (UX), User Interface (UI) design and testing, Usability testing, Human-computer interaction, Game design, Social media, service design, and research aimed at developing the next generation of systems and services.
Further information
Approximate Available Places 3
Find out about the mature entry requirements at https://www.ucc.ie/en/study/undergrad/entryreqs/matureapplicants/
Approximate Available Places Overall 30
Entry 2024
Early online application (discounted): Fee €30 Closing Date: 20 January 2024 at 5pm
Normal online application: Fee €45 Closing Date: 1 February 2024 at 5pm
Late online application - restrictions apply (see page 3 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee: €60 Closing Date: 1 May 2024 at 5pm
Change of Mind - restrictions apply (see page 3 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee: Nil Closing Date: 1 July 2024 at 5pm
Exceptional online late application (see page 34 of the 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee €60 Closing Date: 22 July 2024 at 5pm
Be sure to complete any action well in advance of closing dates. You should avoid making an application close to a closing date. No extensions to closing dates will be allowed and all application fees are non-refundable.
LATE APPLICATIONS
Late Applications are those which are received after 5pm on 1 February 2024. The closing date for late applications is 5pm on 1 May 2024, subject to the restrictions listed on page 3 of the 2024 CAO Handbook. The online facility for late applications opens on the 5 March 2024 at 12:00 noon - a fee of €60 applies.
Exceptional Late Applications (Exception to the timetable)
The exceptional closing date of 22 July at 5pm applies only to applicants who are registered as an undergraduate student on 1 May 2024 in any year in any one of the participating HEIs (subject to the exclusions listed below). In order to avail of the Exceptional Late Application facility you must have entered the HEI through the CAO system. This is an exceptional late closing date and all steps must be completed by 5pm on 22 July. No changes may be made after this date.
If you did not enter your current course through the CAO system, you must first contact the Admissions Office of the HEI to which you wish to apply and they will inform you if you may submit an application direct to the institution.
Exclusions:
You may submit a late application only for entry to courses other than your existing course. If you wish to repeat the year in the same course you must arrange this within your HEI.
Mary Immaculate College Limerick, Marino Institute of Education, Trinity College Dublin, University of Limerick and Maynooth University have special procedures in place in the case of current or previous students who wish to apply for entry to another course in the same HEI. Such applicants must contact their Admissions Office to determine the application procedure. However, if you are a student in another HEI and you wish to apply to any of these five HEIs, you should apply through CAO.
Refer to page 34 of the 2024 CAO Handbook on how to make an Exceptional Late Application.
Restrictions
As a CAO applicant you may experience one or more of the following restrictions based on your course choices, your category of application, or restrictions imposed by the HEIs that you wish to apply to. Please read the section on 'Restrictions' on page 3 of the 2024 CAO Handbook carefully. This section includes information on:
General Restrictions
1. Making a late application
2. Making changes to your course choices
Restricted Courses
3. Applying for a restricted course
Mature Applicants
4. Mature applicants
Supplementary Admissions Routes
5. Applying for DARE and/or HEAR
The BA Psychology and Computing is a degree in which psychological research, theory, and knowledge is applied to a context of increasing importance to the modern world – the design, development, evaluation, and critical engagement with the technology and systems that increasingly surround us. It is a degree that...
provides high level technical skills training that will be of benefit to psychologists of the future, who will find themselves working with data science, AI, physiological sensing, online behaviour, neuroscience and experimental psychophysics;
will enable students to develop a skill set that will be attractive to employers in information technology companies, increasingly bringing psychology research, values, and methods to the forefront in professions of user experience design, user interface design, ergonomics, data science and user research;
provides an advanced understanding of how the quality of peoples interaction with technology affects how we access, understand and make use of modern systems and services, such as healthcare, financial services, civic participation, and education;
provides an advanced understanding of online social behaviour – its impact on health, wellbeing, discourse and decision making;
encourages critical reflection on digitally-mediated experience, a common aspect of everyday lived experience in many parts of the world;
and develops understanding and sensibilities to create evidence- and skills-based routes in this world for themselves and others.
The programme draws on core computing and psychology modules and contains a strand of shared modules that explore the intersection between these disciplines and its application to improving lives socially, culturally, and economically. The combination of core Psychology and Computing modules, along with several design-related modules, makes for a unique undergraduate experience. Students are exposed to an interdisciplinary way of thinking and working from day 1 of the degree programme.
The course has recently gained accreditation by the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI). Accreditation means that graduates from this programme will now able to join the PSI as a graduate member, as long as they achieve a second class honours or above in their final degree classification. Graduates of CK121 will be eligible for entry to any Psychology MA programmes across Ireland that stipulate “graduate membership of PSI” as a requirement, without the need for taking any graduate conversion programme first. Essentially, the course facilitates a similar education and career path for graduates as a standard Psychology or Applied Psychology degree. Accreditation also ensures improved recognition of the qualification internationally.
Modules
All modules 5 credits unless otherwise stated.
Year 1
CS1023 Introduction to Human-Centred Computing
AP1107 User Experience (UX) Design
AP1035 Introduction to Neuroscience, Perception and Attention
AP1022 Social Psychology
AP1039 Research Methods in Psychology I
AP1040 Research Design and Statistical Analyses I
CS1111 Systems Organisation
CS1021 Relational Databases
CS1022 Introduction to Programming & Problem-Solving (15 credits)
Year 2
AP2044 Applied Cognition
AP1036 Learning and Behaviour
AP2114 Research Methods in Psychology 2
AP2116 Social Computing
AP2045 Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence
AP2046 Experimental Design and Statistical Applications 2
CS2011 Intermediate Programming and Problem-Solving 1
CS2012 Web Development
CS2013 Intermediate Programming and Problem Solving II
CS2014 Design for Human-Centred Computing
CS2512 Authoring
Work placement – Year 3 (optional)
Student can choose to undertake a twelve-month work placement in year 3 or continue directly into final year.
Final year modules (year 3 or 4)
AP1033 Individual Differences
AP2049 The Psychology of Aging
AP3126 Health Psychology: Models and Applications
AP3134 Team Project (20 credits).
CS3031 Interaction Design
CS3032 Mobile Multimedia
CS3033 Data Mining
CS3062 Computing in Society
CS3500 Software Engineering
The Team Project will involve technology prototype design and evaluation, will be people-focused, and will be led by staff from both Applied Psychology and Computer Science.
Academic Programme Catalogue
See the Academic Programme Catalogue for the complete and up-to-date content for this course. Note that the modules for all courses are subject to change from year-to-year. For complete descriptions of individual modules, see the Book of Modules.
Academic Programme Catalogue
See the Academic Programme Catalogue (https://ucc-ie-public.courseleaf.com/programmes/) for the complete and up-to-date content for this course. Note that the modules for all courses are subject to change from year-to-year. For complete descriptions of individual modules, see the Book of Modules (https://ucc-ie-public.courseleaf.com/modules/)
Contact Details For This Course
Sophie French
SFrench@ucc.ie
+353 (0)21 490 4551
http://www.ucc.ie/en/apsych