TSM Psychology
Is this course for me?
The School of Psychology aims to offer a knowledge base and a set of skills that not only equip students for the many careers that exist in psychology, but also prepare students intellectually for other careers. Psychology is a branch of science that demands clear, rigorous thinking, numeracy and the ability to define, study and solve problems in complex, changing settings. It is also an applied science that deals with how people act and behave in the real world and provides support for people in their social life and work, for example, through clinical and counselling interventions. If you are interested in the factors influencing human thinking, feeling and behaviour you will enjoy this course.
The TSM Psychology programme includes many of the same modules taken by single honor students. Whilst TSM students take less modules than single honor students, the programme is structured in such a way as to ensure that students cover all of the principle areas of Psychology.
Students who satisfactorily complete four years of the TSM course are eligible for Graduate Membership of the Psychological Society of Ireland and the British Psychological Society.
Note: Psychology is no longer offered as part of the TSM programme. From September 2019, Psychology will only be offered as a single honors degree at undergraduate level.
After observing the work of an educational psychologist while working with individuals with autism and from other experiences working with intellectual disabilities, I choose to study Psychology. The broad range of topics that I was able to study on the course, from health psychology to neuroscience, could have prepared me for a number of career paths not just within Psychology, but also in the wider world. I enjoyed my time so much during my undergraduate degree, that when it came to choosing a field in which to complete a PhD, I felt that there was only one real choice.
Course Structure
The course is designed to develop a wide knowledge of the concepts, principles, theories and research methods of contemporary psychology; to develop skills of analysis and synthesis, research design, statistical description and evaluation, problem-solving and computer use; to provide practice in the design, execution, reporting and assessment of research and to develop competence in group work, communication and presentation skills and self-assessment. This preparation is designed to cultivate a high level of competence in scholarship and research, enabling the successful graduate to proceed directly to advanced postgraduate work, professional training or a productive career.
During the lecture term, single honour students spend approximately 10-12 hours per week (5-6 hours for TSM students) receiving tuition such as lectures, tutorials, seminars and laboratory practicals.
Please note that modules are subject to change.
Year 1: Junior Freshman
- PS1005 Academic Skills Tutorial 1
- PS1010 Research Skills and Methodology I
- PS1208 Fundamentals of Neuroscience and Behaviour
- PS1230 Personality and Individual Differences
- PS1232 Foundations of Psychological Thought Application
Year 2: Senior Freshman
- PS1011 Statistics and Methodology I
- PS1230 Personality and Individual Differences
- PS1208 Fundamentals of Neuroscience and Behaviour
- PS2005 Academic Skills Tutorials 2
- PS2007 Developmental Psychology
Year 3: Junior Sophister
TSM Psychology Pattern Bi (Psychology Minor)
Students choose six of the following modules:-
- PS3408 Clinical Psychology, Intellectual Disability and Pervasive Developmental Disorders
- PS3422 Rationality and Reasoning
- PS3423 Creativity and Imagination
- PS3426 Advanced Individual Differences
- PS3427 Embodiment
- PS3428 Culture and Health
- PS3432 Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology
- PS3437 Child Development in Changing Family Contexts
- PS3439 Applied Issues in Developmental Psychology
- PS3440 The Psychology of Criminal Behaviour
- PS3447 The Neuropsychology of Control
- PS3454 Social Neuroscience
- PS3458 Preclinical and Clinical Models of Neuropsychiatric and Neurological disorders
- PS3460 Consumer Behaviour
- PS3464 The Brain Through the Lifetime
TSM Psychology Pattern Bii (Psychology Major)
- PS3001 Research
- PS3014 Practicals, Methodology and Stats II (elements)
Students choose four of the following modules:-
- PS3408 Clinical Psychology, Intellectual Disability and Pervasive Developmental Disorders
- PS3422 Rationality and Reasoning
- PS3423 Creativity and Imagination
- PS3426 Advanced Individual Differences
- PS3427 Embodiment
- PS3428 Culture and Health
- PS3432 Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology
- PS3437 Child Development in Changing Family Contexts
- PS3439 Applied Issues in Developmental Psychology
- PS3440 The Psychology of Criminal Behaviour
- PS3447 The Neuropsychology of Control
- PS3454 Social Neuroscience
- PS3458 Preclinical and Clinical Models of Neuropsychiatric and Neurological disorders
- PS3460 Consumer Behaviour
- PS3464 The Brain Through the Lifetime
Year 4: Senior Sophister
- PS4003 Theoretical Issues in Psychology
- PS4009 Advanced Academic Skills
- PS4014 Project
Students choose five of the following modules:-
- PS3408 Clinical Psychology, Intellectual Disability and Pervasive Developmental Disorders
- PS3422 Rationality and Reasoning
- PS3423 Creativity and Imagination
- PS3426 Advanced Individual Differences
- PS3427 Embodiment
- PS3428 Culture and Health
- PS3432 Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology
- PS3437 Child Development in Changing Family Contexts
- PS3439 Applied Issues in Developmental Psychology
- PS3440 The Psychology of Criminal Behaviour
- PS3447 The Neuropsychology of Control
- PS3454 Social Neuroscience
- PS3458 Preclinical and Clinical Models of Neuropsychiatric and Neurological disorders
- PS3460 Consumer Behaviour
- PS3464 The Brain Through the Lifetime
Study Abroad Opportunities
Second and third-year undergraduates are eligible to apply to study for one or more semesters (usually a whole academic year) in certain other European psychology schools, with travel, and, where appropriate, some subsistence funding provided by the EU Erasmus fund. There are no basic course charges to be paid abroad. Assessment is carried out in the host (i.e., international) institution and is accepted by Trinity as if students were examined here. The School of Psychology has bilateral agreements with several European universities, including the University of Helsinki, Freie Universität Berlin, Erasmus University Rotterdam, & Université Paris V.
Click here for more information about our EU Erasmus Exchange Programme
Mature Students
General Information
All mature student undergraduate applicants must complete an online application form at the Central Application Office – www.cao.ie. The CAO has a mature student information page here http://www.cao.ie/index.php?page=mature. The deadline is the 1st of February each year. Late applications are not accepted.
To be considered a mature student applicant you must be:
- 23 years of age or older,
- an undergraduate applicant,
- an EU applicant.
A TCD FAQ on this can be found here - https://www.tcd.ie/maturestudents/faq/
All mature students applying to TCD must complete a CAO application AND a separate TCD mature student application form.
Please find the correct course form through the link at this page - https://www.tcd.ie/maturestudents/apply/
TCD has a dedicated Mature Student Officer, Clodagh Byrne who can be contacted via email at: mature.student.officer@tcd.ie. Mature student information webpages can be found here - https://www.tcd.ie/maturestudents/
Full details on the application process can be found at the above website link. You will also find support information, important dates and profiles of some mature students at TCD. It is recommended that you read through as much information as possible before completing your application.
School of Psychology: Mature Student Selection Process
The School of Psychology invites all mature students who have successfully applied to study Psychology to attend TCD Psychology aptitude tests. The tests take place approximately 4-6 weeks after the CAO closing date. The TCD Admissions Office will contact all applicants and inform them of the date, time and venue for these tests. The tests are usually held at a TCD venue on a Saturday morning.
Aptitude Tests
There are two aptitude tests:
- A general test of academic aptitude, and
- A test of specific academic aptitude for Psychology
- Each test lasts under one hour and is in multiple-choice format.
You will be given a short break in-between each test. Since these are tests of aptitude, there is no special preparation that you can do in advance. There are no samples or practice tests.
There is no pass or fail mark on these tests. The test scores are used as a basis for short-listing candidates for interview. There are generally many more applicants than we can interview, let alone offer a place, so not getting an offer of an interview should not be taken as meaning you do not have the academic aptitude required – simply that enough others scored higher.
Interview
Interviews for short-listed candidates usually take place 2-3 weeks after the tests. The Admissions Office will contact candidates confirming the time, date and venue for this.
Interviews are usually held at the School of Psychology offices on a weekday. Unfortunately, we cannot hold interviews outside of normal working hours.
Two members of the School of Psychology academic staff will interview each candidate individually for approximately 20 minutes. The candidate’s background, knowledge, reading and interest in psychology will be discussed.
Candidates are scored out of 20 in the interview.
Place Offer
The names of those who score highest are sent to the Admissions Office. The Admissions Office will make offers of places directly to the successful candidates over the following months. Those who have not been successful will also be informed by the Admissions Office at this stage.
The TCD Mature Student Guidelines booklet 2017 can be downloaded here.
Further reading:
Overview of Psychology UG course - https://psychology.tcd.ie/undergraduate/