Psychology - Applied Psychology - Mental Health

The MA in Applied Psychology (Mental Health) gives you an advanced understanding of the discipline of psychology in mental health settings.

Applicants must: Hold a Second Class Honours Grade 1 in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) in Psychology. Satisfy the eligibility requirements for graduate membership of either the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) or the British Psychological Society (BPS). This must be demonstrated by the applicant by providing evidence that your undergraduate degree/qualification(s) is accredited by the PSI or by the BPS. Applicants whose undergraduate degree/qualification(s) is not listed as an accredited qualification by either the PSI or the BPS are required to provide evidence from the PSI or the BPS that they (the PSI or the BPS) consider your undergraduate degree/qualification(s) to be equivalent to the PSI/BPS degree, in terms of granting you eligibility for graduate membership of the society. This evidence must be sought by the applicant by applying directly to either the PSI or BPS as appropriate. Provide a reference. Once you have submitted your online application you will be requested to provide the name and email address of 1 referee. A communication will issue immediately from UCC to your referee requesting the that they submit a written reference report directly to UCC. This must be submitted by the Referee by 2nd April 2026 Supply statements detailing: A research proposal which must include details that would ordinarily be contained within an abstract. Your research proposal is very important for your application as it demonstrates your potential to undertake and successfully complete a research dissertation. Motivation and readiness which should include information on: Reasons for applying to the programme; How your experience to date has prepared you for a mental health-related placement; include details of any professional or voluntary positions held; How the MA Applied Psychology (Mental Health) programme fits with your career plan. Consideration under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) may also be given to applicants who do not meet the minimum academic entry requirements as stated above but who present with a Second Class Honours Grade 2 in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) in Psychology and have significant and directly relevant work experience or has performed impressively in a relevant Master's degree acceptable to the School selection committee. In such cases, the applicant must clearly set out the grounds upon which they wish to be considered in the motivation and readiness statement. Please note that: If you are in the process of completing your undergraduate degree in Psychology or a conversion/Masters degree you must be in receipt of your final results (whether undergraduate or postgraduate) before 31st July. Please Note: The application closing date for this programme is 9th March 2026. This means that the statements mentioned above (research proposal and motivation and readiness) must be fully completed by 9th March, 2026. Supporting documentation, including non-UCC academic transcripts, evidence of eligibility requirements for graduate membership of either the PSI or BPS must be uploaded to the submitted application by 2nd April 2026. Applicants will not be shortlisted for interview: If final results are not available before 31st July. If a fully completed referee report has not been submitted to UCC from your Referee, by the time of shortlisting If your application is missing information or supporting documentation (including: academic transcripts, evidence of eligibility requirements for graduate membership of either the PSI or BPS, research proposal, detail on motivation and readiness) by the time of shortlisting Interview Applicants will be shortlisted for interview based on: academic performance, referee report, evidence of research capacity, commitment to the area of applied psychology, awareness of professional issues in placement settings, preparedness for a mental-health related placement. Garda Vetting Please note that as part of this programme students will require Garda Vetting as they will take part in a placement or UCC related activity where they will be working in an unsupervised capacity with children and/or vulnerable adults. For more information on this process please read the UCC Student Garda Vetting Policy. International Applicants To be considered for an offer, you must provide all the required documents at the time of application. Follow these steps before applying: Check the entry requirements: You must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements. For more information see our Qualification Comparison page. Prepare supporting documents as outlined in the Requirements Section of this course page. Pay close attention to the guidance on the information that should be included in the motivation statement. Accreditation: You must satisfy the eligibility requirements for graduate membership of either the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) or the British Psychological Society (BPS). Accreditation applications are reviewed every 6-8 weeks. Only then start the application by clicking on the Apply Now button. For Applicants with Qualifications Completed Outside of Ireland Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements. For more information see our Qualification Comparison page. International/Non-EU Applicants For full details of the non-EU application procedure visit our how to apply pages for international students. In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments. Note that not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above. For more information contact the International Office. English Language Requirements Applicants who are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university-approved English language requirements. Visit our PG English Language Requirements page for more information.