Overview

NFQ Level 9, Major Award

The MA (Applied Psychology) (Mental Health) is a full-time programme running for 12 months.

Placements

While sufficient placements will be secured for all students on the programme, if a student chooses not to accept the placement offered by the School of Applied Psychology, it will then become their responsibility to secure an alternative placement for themselves which meets with the School of Applied Psychology placement criteria for MA (Applied Psychology) (Mental Health). Placements may be located throughout the Republic of Ireland. 

Students failing the Placement may, with the approval of the programme team, be permitted to either extend or repeat the Placement. Students may repeat the placement only once in a repeat year. 

Students failing or not completing the placement because of a serious ethical breach as per placement contract will not be permitted to repeat the placement.

If a student is deemed unsuitable to continue a placement for any reason other than an ethical breach, they may be permitted to complete 20 credits of taught Postgraduate Applied Psychology modules instead plus the 30 credit dissertation and exit with an MA in Psychology.

All placements will be supervised in a work setting relevant to the programme of study. Placements will run two days a week (usually Thursdays and Fridays) for at least six months (340 hours minimum). 

Exemptions

Students who have already passed a module(s) as part of another programme, may seek exemption from this module(s) and will be required to take another taught Postgraduate Applied Psychology module to the same credit value.

Alternative pathway -  MA (Psychology)

Students who pass 40 credits in Part I but fail the placement (and repeat placement if taken) or are deemed unsuitable to undertake a placement may be permitted to complete 20 credits of taught Postgraduate Applied Psychology modules and a 30 credit dissertation and exit the programme with an MA (Psychology).

Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Psychology (Mental Health)

Students who have completed and passed modules to the value of at least 60 credits in Part I and who fail or do not wish to proceed to Part II may opt to exit the programme and be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Psychology (Mental Health).

Programme Requirements

For information about modules, module choice, options and credit weightings, please go to Programme Requirements. 

Programme Requirements

Students take 90 credits as follows - all listed core modules in Part I (60 credits) and a dissertation in Part II (30 credits).

Module List

Code	Title	Credits
Part I
Students take 60 credits as follows:
Core Modules
AP3119	Psychological Therapies	5
AP6023	Psychological Assessment	5
AP6060	Advanced Issues in Quantitative Research Methods	5
AP6061	Qualitative Research Methods and Data Analysis	5
AP6128	Introduction to Psychotherapeutic Skills	5
AP6174	Clinical Presentations (Child, Adolescent, Adult, and ID)	10
AP6180	Mental Health and Disability Placement 1	20
LW6616	Critical Perspectives on Mental Health Law	5
Part II
Students take 30 credits as follows:
Core Modules
AP6137	Dissertation in Applied Psychology 2	30
Total Credits		90

¹

See the Placements section on the Overview tab.

²

On the recommendation of the School, an Examination Board may decide that a dissertation is a borderline pass/fail and may agree to permit the student to make minor corrections to achieve the pass standard (40 or 50 per cent, as detailed in the module description) for the Dissertation within six weeks of the publication of examination results. This option should apply only where examiners are satisfied that the research described in the Dissertation is fundamentally sound and that the fail judgement relates solely to the presentation of the Dissertation.

Examinations

Full details and regulations governing Examinations for each programme will be contained in the Marks and Standards Book and for each module in the Book of Modules.

Programme Learning Outcomes

Programme Learning Outcomes for MA in Applied Psychology (Mental Health) (NFQ Level 9, Major Award)

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• Understand the discipline of psychology and its value in mental health contexts;
  
• Critically appraise psychological research and practice;
  
• Utilise the principles of applied psychological practice, gained through coursework, in mental health placement settings;
  
• Know the professional and ethical issues that may arise in the application of psychology in mental health placements;
  
• Develop an adequate level of knowledge and competence with working practices in the area of mental health;
  
• Display skills commensurate with planning and implementing an effective research dissertation.