Psychology - Applied Psychology
As a student on the BA Applied Psychology, you get a chance to engage with a wide breadth of topics. The degree follows a rich, varied and challenging curriculum, from history to neuroscience, culture to biology, from children to the elderly, from professional skills to statistical and laboratory skills.
| 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 full-time.
Specific Subjects or course requirements
Leaving Cert 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
Other Language O6/H7
Leaving Certificate Vocational Progamme LCVP
Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme LCVP
Distinction 66 points
Merit 46 points
Pass 28 points
QQI FET Applicants General Information
Careers / Further progression
Skills and Careers Information
Internationally, psychology graduates enjoy better job prospects than almost any other discipline. Over the past five years 94% of graduates were working or taking further training. As a graduate of Applied Psychology, you will have the required foundation to follow a career in psychology including clinical practice and research. You will also use your knowledge of psychology in a wide range of careers including:
Clinical Psychologist
Human Resource Management
Advertising & Marketing
Social and health services
Criminal justice system
Industry
Research
Further information
September 2026
Approximate Available Places 5
Find out about the mature entry requirements at https://www.ucc.ie/en/study/undergrad/entryreqs/matureapplicants/
Approximate Available Places Overall 58
Entry 2026
Early online application (discounted): Fee €35 Closing Date: 20 January 2026 at 5pm
Normal online application: Fee €50 Closing Date: 1 February 2026 at 5pm
Late online application - restrictions apply (see page 3 2026 CAO Handbook): Fee: €65 Closing Date: 1 May 2026 at 5pm
Change of Mind - restrictions apply (see page 3 2026 CAO Handbook): Fee: Nil Closing Date: 1 July 2026 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 2026. The closing date for late applications is 5pm on 1 May 2026, subject to the restrictions listed on page 3 of the 2026 CAO Handbook. The online facility for late applications opens on the 5 March 2026 at 12:00 noon - a fee of €65 applies.
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 2026 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
As a student on the BA Applied Psychology, you get a chance to engage with a wide breadth of topics. The degree follows a rich, varied and challenging curriculum, from history to neuroscience, culture to biology, from children to the elderly, from professional skills to statistical and laboratory skills. The scope of psychology can be seen in the variety of areas that staff in Applied Psychology in UCC research, which includes examining:
- how children learn and develop
- sensorimotor processes such as those involved in falling
- the interpersonal processes involved in caring which may lead to healthier, experientially richer ageing
- people’s engagement with social media and games and how technology could be designed to give people a chance for a richer life
- adolescent health and wellbeing and how it can be improved
We aim to provide you with an education in Psychology which meets the highest world standards, while recognising our established and on-going commitment to the application and use of that knowledge.
The BA Applied Psychology is accredited by the Psychological Society of Ireland, and graduates are eligible for graduate membership of the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) with a Second Class Honours or above, or completion of a PSI accredited Psychology Conversion Course with an overall pass mark of 50 percent. This entitles you to apply for postgraduate training in psychology in the specific area in which you choose to specialise.
Modules
The BA in Applied Psychology offers a rich and diverse curriculum. You will complete courses that examine psychology from a philosophical and cultural perspective, enhance your critical thinking and scientific communication skills and help you to develop a strong understanding of the main modern fields of psychology.
All modules have 5 credits unless otherwise stated.
Year 1
AP1026 Professional and Critical Skills for Psychologists (10 credits)
AP1031 Biological Psychology
AP1032 Lifespan Development
AP1033 Individual Differences
AP1035 Introduction to Neuroscience, Perception and Attention
AP1036 Learning and Behaviour
AP1037 Social Psychology
AP1038 Digital Literacy for Psychologists
AP1039 Research Methods in Psychology (10 credits)
AP1040 Research Design and Statistical Analyses I
Year 2
AP2051 Research Methods & Data Analysis
AP2045 Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence
AP2044 Applied Cognition
AP2047 Social and Organisational Psychology
AP2041 Critical Skills for Applied Psychologists
AP2048 Psychology and Everyday Life
AP2049 Psychology of Aging
AP2043 Biological Psychology
AP2042 Introduction to Clinical Psychology
AP2112 Conceptual and Historical Issues
Year 3
AP3117 Research Project
AP3116 Applied Psychology Seminars
AP3119 Psychological Therapies
AP3120 Personal and Career Development
AP3118 Psychological Measurement
Year 3 - Optional/Elective Modules
AP3121 Forensic Psychology
AP3122 Special Educational Needs
AP3123 Positive Psychology
AP3128 Contempory Issues In the Psychology of Work, Technology, & Organisations
AP3125 Cognitive Psychology: New Perspectives
AP3126 Health Psychology: Models and Applications
AN4009 Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience
Catherine Sullivan
c.sullivan@ucc.ie
+353 (0)21 490 4604
http://www.ucc.ie/en/apsych/