Course Overview

The School of Psychology offers MLitt degrees in a wide range of research areas, completed primarily on the basis of a research thesis. Each student is assigned a primary Supervisor(s) and a Graduate Research Committee made up of experienced researchers to plan their programme of study and to provide on-going support to their research.

Candidates should have obtained a degree qualification in psychology to at least Upper Second Class Honours level (or equivalent international qualification). Admission to a research degree is at the discretion of the potential Supervisor and Director of Research, and is based on a proposal from the applicant following discussion with the member of staff whose academic area of interest is most appropriate.

DPsychSc
The programme focuses on the development of research skills and is assessed through a series of academic and research projects, including a research thesis. The programme consists of three years of part-time study.  The time commitment for class attendance is a half day per week of lectures on research methods for 12 weeks per year plus orientation activities (library skills etc).  Candidates are expected to dedicate the equivalent of one day per week throughout the year in order to complete the work requirements of the course.  In addition, candidates attend occasional specialist workshops in research skills and statistics and meetings with the programme team and research supervisors.  The total ongoing time commitment over the three years of the programme is a minimum of one day per week. 

Programmes Available

MLitt (Psychology), full-time
MLitt (Psychology), part-time
DPsychSc (Top-up Doctorate), part-time

Applications are made online via the University of Galway Postgraduate Applications System

Associated

Learning Outcomes

Entry Requirements

Entry requirements for DPsychSc

  1. Applicants must demonstrate that they are eligible for full membership of the Psychological Society of Ireland Division of Clinical Psychology
  2. Applicants other than those who are self-employed must provide written evidence of approval from their employer to undertake the course 
  3. Applicants must have a viable research proposal for their major thesis.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Current research projects

Current funded research opportunity

Work Placement

Related Student Organisations

Career Opportunities

Find a Supervisor / PhD Project

If you are still looking for a potential supervisor or PhD project or would like to identify the key research interests of our academic staff and researchers, you can use our online portal to help in that search

Research Areas

  • Forensic clinical psychology; suicide and parasuicidal behaviour; psychopathy; actuarial and clinical risk assessment; offending behaviour.
  • Health promotion; coronary heart disease; primary care; health behaviour change, communication in health care settings; blood donation.
  • Stress-illness relationship; cognitivebehavioural interventions with patients with breast cancer; psychoneuroimmunology.
  • Psychological time and process psychophysics and their relation to consciousness. Cognitive dysmetria as applied to any disorder, especially schizophrenia.
  • llness cognitions and health outcomes; coping and adjustment in chronic illness; self-management interventions for chronically ill patients.
  • Child health psychology; children's experiences including their understanding of psychological problems; child-centred research methodology.
  • Developmental psychology; cognitive aging; performance psychology; electrophysiological windows into brain functioning; happiness.
  • Psychological aspects of stress, in particular psychophysiological and cardiovascular reactivity. Individual differences and psychosocial factors that moderate stress responsivity.
  • Laboratory studies in health psychology,including blood pressure regulation, psychophysiological aspects of stress, and addictive processes; behavioural epidemiology.
  • Pain and its management; rehabilitation and illness; utilisation of health services.
  • Derived stimulus relations in adults and young children; applied behaviour analysis and autism; applications of behavioural principles in the treatment of autism.
  • Rehabilitation of acquired brain injury; management of chronic pain; abnormal illness behaviour. symptom magnification and malingering; learning disability and challenging behaviour.

Researcher Profiles

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€5,750 p.a. (€5,890 including levy) 2024/25

Fees: Non EU

€14,500 p.a. (€14,640 including levy) 2024/25

Extra Information


EU Part time: Year 1 €4,250 p.a. (€4,390 including levy) 2024/25

All students, irrespective of funding, must pay the student levy of €140.

Contact Us

School of Psychology
T +353 91 493 101
E psychology@universityofgalway.ie
https://www.universityofgalway.ie/psychology/