| Code | DSPHS |
|---|---|
| Duration | 2 years |
| Teaching Mode | Part-Time |
| Qualifications | Dip |
| NFQ Level | Level 6/7 |
| NFQ Award Title | Minor |
| Fees | €990 per academic year See Fees and Costs for full details. |
| Closing Date | September 2025 |
| Next Intake | September 2025 |
| Venue | UCC |
| Start Date | September 2025 |
Course Outline
This course is for practitioners involved in personal and social development in the community. If your practice training has been through either structured experiential learning or apprenticeship processes it will give you an understanding of the principal theoretical positions that shape contemporary academic discourses within your field of work. Upon completing the course, you will be able to theorise, evaluate and be intellectually accountable for your practice.
The Diploma in Social and Psychological Health is for those who have completed training in the Social and Health Education Project (SHEP), practitioners in the areas of personal and social development in the community and activists working for individual and community health and well-being. Training with SHEP is an advantage. Please see below a short introductory video about the course.
The Modules for the Diploma are as follows:
Year 1
- AD1881: Human Relationships, Sexuality and Parenting
- AD1882: Human Well-being
- AD1883: Health-related Social Policy
- AP1884: Lifespan Developmental Psychology
- AD1868: Introduction to Academic Writing
- AD1020: The Study of Human Beings
Year 2
- AD2854: Adult Education - Theory and Approaches
- AD2855: One-to-One Interventions - Theory and Approaches
- AD2856: Theory and Practice
- AP2857: Group Facilitation - Theory and Approaches
- SS2858: Human Rights and Social Justice
- SS2859: The Governance of Human Affairs
Course Practicalities
This course takes place one evening per week (Currently Wednesday evening) and 10 Saturdays each year from September to May
Assessment
The assignments for the modules on this course are either a 2,000-word essay or a 2,000-word personal learning journal. The assignment title for each module is designed by the module lecturer.
Who teaches this course
- UCC staff
- SHEP staff
- External lecturers
Why Choose This Course
Students like this course because it includes experiential workshops and the modules reflect the multi-dimensional character of health and well-being. Half of the assignments are personal learning journals, which require the students to reflect on their personal experience, their practice and their learning in the course. The remaining assignments are essays and the course incorporates workshops on essay writing skills to support students who may be studying at third level for the first time.
This diploma course is relevant to a wide range of employments though it is not a practitioner training or a professional qualification.
Requirements
- At least 21 by 1 January of year of application
- Hold Leaving Certificate or FETAC Level 5 or an equivalent qualification
- A practitioner or experience in personal or social development (or both)
- All applicants whose first language is not English must have attained IELTS Minimum overall score of 6.5 and a minimum of 6.0 in each band or the equivalent TOEFL/Duo Lingo score. A full list of accepted English language tests can be found here: https://www.ucc.ie/en/study/comparison/english/undergraduate/
Diploma programmes are offered subject to a minimum number of eligible applicants registering for the programme. Following completion of year 1 of this programme, should a sufficient number of eligible students not wish to progress form year 1 to year 2 of this programme as to make the year 2 viable, students will graduate with a certificate at that point. Programme viability is determined by reference to fee income and applicable costs in running the programme.
Fees and Costs
€990 academic year
For further information on fees and financial supports please click here.
How To Apply
We will reopen the application process early 2025 for September 2025 intake. Please feel free to complete the expression of interest form on when this course will reopen in 2025.