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UCC Adult courses

Social and Psychological Health Studies - Dip

Course Fact File
CodeDSPHS
Duration2 years
Teaching ModePart-Time
QualificationsDip
NFQ LevelLevel 6/7
NFQ Award TitleMinor
Fees€1,500 per academic year See Fees and Costs for full details.
Closing Date30 May 2025
Next IntakeSeptember 2025
Venue

UCC Main Campus

Start DateSeptember 2025

Course Outline

Are you passionate about personal and social development? Do you work in, or would you like to work in community health, wellbeing, or advocacy? If so, this Diploma is designed for you!

This engaging and thought-provoking programme will deepen your understanding of the key theories shaping contemporary social and psychological health. Whether you’ve gained experience through structured learning, hands-on practice, or apprenticeship-style training, this diploma will equip you with the knowledge and critical thinking skills to reflect on, evaluate, and enhance your professional practice.

By the end of the programme, you’ll be able to:

  • Understand and apply key theories in social and psychological health.
  • Evaluate your practice with a strong theoretical foundation.
  • Advocate for positive change in individual and community well-being.

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.

 

SHEP Students

This programme is open to everyone, but students who have completed training in the Social and Health Education Project (SHEP) may find it of particular beneficial for progressing their studies. 

Please see 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

Why Choose This Course

This diploma course offers an enriching programme which surpassed my expectations. Its structure and delivery are excellent; its climate supportive.I am delighted to recommend it.

Nuala McDonnell

Student

Who is this programme for?

This Diploma is ideal for:

  • Practitioners or volunteers in personal and social development roles within the community.
  • Graduates of the Social and Health Education Project (SHEP).
  • Activists and professionals working, volunteering, or wishing to work to improve individual and community wellbeing.

 

Experiential Learning 

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.

 

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

€1,500 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 and we will contact you when this course reopens for applications. 

 

 



 

 

Contact Details For This Course

Similar Courses

Social Studies

Year 1 Modules

Year 2 Modules

Year 3 Modules

Year 4 Modules

For queries regarding course content or timetables please contact

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