| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2024-09-01 | - |
Program Overview
Course Overview
The Doctor of Psychological Science in Clinical Psychology is a taught programme that provides professional training in clinical psychology. The programme is provided in partnership with clinical psychology services in the Health Services Executive and other agencies. The programme’s objective is to produce competent and capable clinical psychologists for the health service by providing high quality training in the clinical, academic and research elements of clinical psychology.
Scholarships available
Find out about our Postgraduate Scholarships here.Applications are made online via the University of Galway Postgraduate Applications System.
Assessment is through coursework and the evaluation of clinical competence on placements. The coursework involves three essays, four Reports of Clinical Activity, Small Service-Related Research Projects, one Systematic Review, and one Large Scale Research Project/Thesis. Trainees must also complete and pass four supervised clinical placements. The thesis will be examined orally by external and internal examiners.
Program Outline
Course Outline
This programme provides trainees with a thorough and integrated training in academic, practical and research aspects of clinical psychology through teaching blocks, supervised clinical placements and supervised clinically relevant research projects.
Clinical competence is developed in supervised placements in child and adolescent, adult, disability, and elective settings over the programme’s three years. The placements provide trainees with experience of clinical psychology practice under the supervision of experienced clinical psychologists. Trainees have placements in mental health settings, working with both child and adult clients, and in services for people with learning disabilities. Other placements include services for elderly people, rehabilitation services, services for people with acquired brain injury, services for people with addictions, and appropriate settings in general hospitals. The development of personal awareness and interpersonal sensitivity is fostered.
The DPsychSc (Clinical) Programme is accredited by the Psychological Society of Ireland as a postgraduate professional training course in clinical psychology.
The programme provides basic professional training in many areas of work, including adult clinical psychology, child and adolescent clinical psychology and intellectual disabilities.
Curriculum Information
Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.
Glossary of Terms
Credits
You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module
An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject
Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional
A module you may choose to study.
Required
A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject
A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester
Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.
Year 1 (90 Credits)
RequiredPS6143:
Theoretical Issues 1- 10 Credits - Semester 1
Required
PS6142:
Research Methods 1- 10 Credits - Semester 1
Required
PS6141:
Clinical Practice 2- 30 Credits - Semester 1
Required
PS6140:
Clinical Practice 1- 30 Credits - Semester 1
Required
PS6139:
Report of Clinical Activity 1- 10 Credits - Semester 1
Year 2 (90 Credits)
RequiredPS6148:
Research Methods II- 10 Credits - Semester 3
Required
PS6147:
Theoretical Issues 2- 10 Credits - Semester 3
Required
PS6146:
Clinical Practice 4- 30 Credits - Semester 3
Required
PS6145:
Clinical Practice 3- 30 Credits - Semester 3
Required
PS6144:
Report of Clinical Activity 2- 10 Credits - Semester 3
Year 3 (90 Credits)
RequiredPS6153:
Theoretical Issues 3- 5 Credits - Semester 5
Required
PS6152:
Clinical Practice 6- 10 Credits - Semester 5
Required
PS6150:
Report of Clinical Activity 4- 5 Credits - Semester 5
Required
PS6151:
Clinical Practice 5- 10 Credits - Semester 5
Required
PS6149:
Report of Clinical Activity 3- 5 Credits - Semester 5
Required
PS6125:
Research Methods III and Thesis- 55 Credits - Semester 5
Why Choose This Course?
Career Opportunities
Career opportunities exist for professionally qualified clinical psychologists in a variety of health, forensic and social care settings. Opportunities may also be found in educational services and institutions. Most DPsychSc (Clinical) graduates take up employment in the HSE but a small number are also employed within agencies such as the Brothers of Charity Services and the Irish Prison Service.
About University of Galway
Founded in 1845, we've been inspiring students for 178 years. University of Galway has earned international recognition as a research-led university with a commitment to top quality teaching.
