NCI Course Details

Graduates of this course understand the principles of psychology and have a broad understanding of human behaviour, know how to critically analyse problems and how to conduct scientific research, and can apply psychology to the workplace, the community and society.

Join us at one of our upcoming CAO Open Day events were you will have the opportunity to chat to lecturers, experience the NCI campus and attend sample classes to get a taste of our CAO courses.

Click on the links below for more information:

• Saturday, November 23rd - 10am-1pm
• Saturday, January 25th 2025 - 10am-1pm
• Saturday, May 10th 2025 - 10am-1pm
• Saturday, June 28th 2025 - 10am-1pm

Year 1

• Introduction to Psychology
• Core Research Skills for Psychologists
• Social Psychology
• Introduction to Developmental Psychology
• Introduction to Statistics
• Cognitive Psychology
• Learning and Behaviour
• Coaching Psychology

Year 2

• Applied Statistics
• Personality and Intelligence
• Biological Psychology
• Psychopathology
• Advanced Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience
• Applied Research Methods
• Plus, two electives

Year 2 Elective Modules Include:

• Behavioural Science: Problem Based Learning
• Psychology of Gender
• Critical Thinking
• Multicultural Psychology

Year 3

• Health Psychology
• Advanced Biological Psychology
• Behavioural Psychology
• Applied Developmental Psychology
• Final Project
• Plus, four electives

Year 3 Elective Modules Include:

• Positive Psychology
• Criminal Psychology
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health
• Psychology of Ageing
• Cyberpsychology
• Psychotraumatology
• Workplace Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Students will also be able to select from a range of non-psychology elective subjects including: PR and Social Media, Social and Organisational Behaviour, Project Management, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Sales Management, Data Analytics.

All electives are subject to minimum numbers and resource constraints.

For information on electives, please download the BA (Honours) in Psychology brochure.

For information on the modules taught on this course view our module descriptors.

This undergraduate course is a three-year honours degree run over six semesters with continuous assessment held throughout the course and examinations at the end of each semester. Students complete research projects in their final year of study. These research projects are considered for submission to the Psychology Society of Ireland Annual Student Congress.

An NCI psychology student won the ‘Best Research Project’ in 2020, received an Honourable Mention for an Undergraduate Presentation in 2022, and won the Undergraduate Poster Presentation Award in 2023 at this prestigious national event.

In each year of the degree any student with an overall average of 70+ will win a Dean’s Award.

On completion you will receive a QQI BA Honours Degree in Psychology at level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications.

The degree is accredited by the Psychological Society of Ireland and therefore allows graduates to complete further graduate training within psychology in areas including clinical psychology, organisational psychology, forensic psychology and counselling psychology.

Completion of the degree will also facilitate graduates in entering many other professions including human resources, recruitment, management, consultancy and marketing.

Upon successful completion of the BA (Honours) in Psychology, graduates who have acquired the appropriate entry requirements can progress to postgraduate programmes at level 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications such as the MA in HRM at National College of Ireland, as well as clinical, educational, occupational and counselling psychology at other venues.

This course will appeal to students who have a curiosity about the human mind and who wish to work in a variety of related fields. The course is for school leavers, mature students and graduates of QQI level 5/6 programmes who wish to embark on a course of full-time study.

Minimum entry requirements are a grade H5 and above in two higher level subjects together with a minimum of O6/H7 in four other subjects. A minimum of grade O6/H7 must be obtained in English. A grade O6/H7 must be obtained in Mathematics.

For applicants whose first language is not English, please note the English language entry requirements.

For international students, please visit NCI's Your Country section to view the specific entry requirements for your region.

Mature applicants, applicants with a disability or those applying through the DARE or HEAR access schemes can find out more information on the application process.

Please note that exams can be scheduled during the morning, afternoon or evening Monday to Saturday.

NCI strongly advises that all students should have access to a suitable laptop for their course. A student Laptop Loan Scheme may be available for certain eligible students.

The College recommends the following laptop requirements for students joining this course:

Processor:

Intel 7th (or higher) generation processors (Core i-3, i-5, i-7,i-9-7x)
or AMD Ryzen 3rd generation processors, running at 2.0GHz and above (Intel Atom/Celeron or AMD Athlon/Sempron Processors may cost less, but may not meet your requirements)

Random Access Memory (RAM):
8 GB minimum

Solid State Drive (SSD) Capacity:
256 GB minimum

Wireless Card:
802.11 a/b/g/n compliant with Bluetooth Capability (incompatibilities have been noted with the Qualcomm Atheros Wireless Adapters and software device drivers)

Graphics Card:
Direct X9 or later

Supported Operating Systems:
Windows 10 Home/Pro

2023 CAO Points Guide :* 400

*For each course we have given a guideline based on our points over the past 3 years. This is a guide only, points vary each year.

The CAO course code is NC010.

Students must obtain a minimum of 3 distinctions and a full award and meet the CAO points requirements to apply for this Level 8 course. 

Visit our QQI Applicants page for further information.

Did you know you can apply for a Sports Scholarship at NCI?

Watch this video to hear from our current sports scholars Stephen Achukwu (basketball) and Adam Leonard (football):

The fee for this course is €6,250 per annum payable by the student (fees revised annually). Students on this course may qualify for the Student Grant Scheme.

The fee for this course for international students is €10,000 per year. For more information on international fees, please visit International Fees & Funding and International Scholarships.

Learn more about studying at NCI as an international student.