Bachelor of Science (Psychology)

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Course Overview
Key Facts
Course Outline
Further Education
Why Choose This Course?
Course Fees
Find Out More

Entry Points (2024)

534

Course Overview

Psychology is the study of behaviour and mental processes, and includes individual and social, human and animal, basic and applied aspects of these. The School of Psychology provides modules in all the main aspects of Psychology including Cognitive Psychology, Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Biological Psychology, Personality Psychology and Research Methods. The course satisfies the requirements for graduate membership of relevant professional societies (the Psychological Society of Ireland and the British Psychological Society).

Students might consider studying Psychology if they are interested in becoming an applied psychologist (e.g., clinical psychologist, educational psychologist, forensic psychologist, health psychologist etc.), a Psychology researcher, lecturing in Psychology or improving their general education by studying an interesting and useful discipline with careers of a more general type in mind, such as the media, IT or management.

Psychology at the Virtual Open Day

Read questions and answers from our 'Ask a Lecturer' in Psychology Live Q&A session.

Applications and Selections

Who Teaches this Course

The course is taught by academic staff from the School of Psychology. Lecturers include:

Professor Geraldine Leader

Professor Brian Hughes

Professor Annmarie Groarke

Professor Jane Walsh

Professor Gerry Molloy

Professor Brian McGuire

Requirements and Assessment

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 level in the Leaving Certificate, including Irish, English, another language, and three other subjects recognised for entry purposes.

Additional Requirements

None

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Duration

4 years

Next start date

September 2025

A Level Grades (2024)

universityofgalway.ie/alevels

Average intake

QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes

1 (More Info)

Closing Date

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

Award

CAO

GY104

Course code

Course Outline

First-year Psychology is taken with two other subjects selected from the extensive Arts menu. In second year third year and final year of the BSc in (Psychology) students solely study Psychology courses (with the exception of some electives).

YEAR ONE

• Cognitive Psychology
• Theories of Personality
• Research Methods & Practical Skills in Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Psychology of Learning
• Developmental Psychology
• Biology and Behaviour

Plus two other subjects are selected from the extensive arts menu

YEAR TWO

• Developmental Psychology
• Experimental Psychology
• Qualitative Research Methods
• Biological Psychology
• Psychology of Learning
• Social Psychology
• Theories of Personality
• Perception, Attention and Performance
• Research Methods in Psychology
• Memory and Cognition
• Professional Skills in Psychology

YEAR THREE

Options include
• Study Abroad
• Work Placement • Historical and Conceptual Issues in Psychology
• Research Placement
• Elective Psychology Modules
• Modules from other disciplines

Modules in Year 3 include the following:

Core

PS3113 Research Project Management: Proposals and Planning
PS420 Psychological Measurement: Theory and Practice
PS323 Critical Essay

Electives

PS3118 Introduction to Consumer Psychology
PS3120 Medical Psychology
PS3108 Design Thinking
PS3115 Community Psychology and Social Justice
PS3109 Vertically Integrated Projects
BSS2103 Introduction to Sustainability
MG3113 Megatrends
PS3123 Exploring Routes to Wellbeing

FINAL YEAR

• Applied Behavioural Analysis
• Advanced Research Methods in Psychology
• Issues in Cognitive Neuroscience
• Health Psychology
• Forensic, Abnormal and Clinical Psychology
• Research Project
• Relational Frame Theory
• Behavioural Medicine
• Paediatric Clinical Behavioural Interventions
• Neuropsychology
• Positive Psychology
• Human Sexuality
• Various elective modules

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits: You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module: An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject: Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional: A module you may choose to study.
Required: A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject: A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester: Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.

Year 1 (60 Credits)

Year 2 (60 Credits)

Year 3 (60 Credits)

Further Education

Completing the BSc (Psychology) will enable a graduate to gain access to further training to become a professional psychologist or to undertake a research degree in psychology (e.g., a PhD in Psychology). The degree qualiﬁes graduates for entry to specialist postgraduate professional programmes in Ireland, the UK, the USA and elsewhere.

Psychology prepares students for a diversity of interdisciplinary ﬁelds, including neuroscience, sports science, health promotion and education. Graduates have gone on to do further training to become professional psychologists (e.g., a clinical or occupational psychologist) and work in a variety of settings. For example, in the health services, they treat mental health issues; in educational settings, they identify learning needs; and in industry, they work on recruitment and retention. Researchers in the ﬁeld of psychology also work as lecturers in third-level colleges or other research settings. Many graduates also ﬁnd their psychology degree helps them in non-psychology professions, such as banking, the media, information technology and management and the criminal justice system.

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Psychology prepares you for a diversity of interdisciplinary fields, including neuroscience, sports science, health promotion and education. Graduates have gone on to do further training to become professional psychologists (e.g., a clinical or occupational psychologist) and work in a variety of settings. For example, in the health services, they treat mental health issues; in educational settings, they identify learning needs; and in industry, they work on recruitment and retention. Researchers in the field of psychology also work as lecturers in third-level colleges or other research settings. Many graduates also find their psychology degree helps them in nonpsychology professions, such as banking, the media, information technology and management and the criminal justice system.

The BSc in Psychology provides the foundation for professional careers in psychology, as well as careers in a host of cognate areas. Graduates are to be found across all employment sectors, including:

Social and health services
Counselling and therapy
Industry and commerce
Civil service
Education
The defence forces
Journalism and the media
Sport and recreation
Organisation and management
The criminal justice system

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

Work Placement

In third year, there will be a limited number of work placements relevant to psychology.

Study Abroad

The links we have forged with European universities such as Maastricht and Munich mean that students have the option to study for part of their psychology degree abroad through the Erasmus programme.

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€5,598 p.a. (€5,738 p.a. including levy) 2025/26

Fees: Tuition

€2,598 p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Student Contribution

€3,000 p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Student levy

€140 p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Non EU

€19,500 p.a. (€19,640 including levy). 2025/26

EU Fees are comprised of Tuition + Student Contribution Charge + Student Levy* €140. *Payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI. Further detail here.

For 25/26 entrants, where the course duration is greater than 1 year, there is an inflationary increase approved of 3.4% per annum for continuing years fees**.
**Excludes Full-Time EU Undergraduate fees. These are fixed and do not change.

Find out More

Miriam Lohan,
School of Psychology
College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Celtic Studies
T 353 (0)91 493 101
E psychology@universityofgalway.ie
www.universityofgalway.ie/psychology/

What Our Students Say

Michelle Downes | BA (Psychology)

I am in my second year of a Psychology degree and I love it. We have a different range of subjects every semester and you really do regret it if you miss a lecture because the lecturers make them so interesting. My favourite subject this year was Forensic Psychology because it was just so fascinating - much better than an episode of CSI!