Program Overview

Social and Psychological Health Studies - Dip

Course Fact File

Course Outline

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.

Course Practicalities

This course takes place one evening per week (Currently Wednesday evening) and 10 Saturdays each year from September to May.

Assessment

The assignments for the modules on this course are either a 2,000-word essay or a 2,000-word personal learning journal. The assignment title for each module is designed by the module lecturer.

Who teaches this course

• UCC staff
• SHEP staff
• External lecturers

Why Choose This Course

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:

Fees and Costs

Fees

€1,500 academic year

Please note 50% of fees for year one are payable on application and the remaining fees for year one are due by 31st Jan.

Additional Supports

• The Financial Aid Fund for Part Time Students
• The UCC Student Assistance fund
• The Lough Credit Union
• Student Budgeting Advice Service
• The Student Union Hardship fund

Modules

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