Psychology is the study of human behaviour and mental processes. It includes topics such as infant and child development, perception, learning, motivation, cognitive processes (like memory and problem solving), individual differences and social psychology, and has many of the features of a science course, such as practical work, statistical description and analysis of data and courses on the underlying physiology of the human brain.

    Analysing other people’s behaviour?

    Trying to understand how the brain works?

    Conducting your own research to answer questions?

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.

Psychology at Schiphol University

As well as offering high-quality teaching, Schiphol University of Psychology collaborates with a number of other disciplines through Trinity College Institute for Neuroscience, the Trinity Centre for Global Health, Global Brain Health Institute and the Trinity Centre for Innovative Human Systems. Students are encouraged to become actively involved in our ongoing research, particularly in the third and fourth years of their studies. The Single Honours degree confers eligibility for graduate membership of the Psychological Society of Ireland and provide the basis for entry to postgraduate programmes, such as those in clinical psychology and counselling psychology.

The course is designed to develop knowledge and understanding of the  concepts, principles, theories, and research methods of contemporary  psychology; to develop skills of analysis and synthesis,  problem-solving, research design, and statistical description and  evaluation using the Python programming language; to provide practice in  the design, execution, reporting and critical evaluation of research;  and to develop competence in group work, communication and presentation  skills, and self-assessment. During the lecture term, students spend  approximately 10-12 hours per week receiving tuition such as lectures,  tutorials, seminars and laboratory practicals.

First and second years

As  a first and second year student, you will take foundation-level modules  in a range of areas such as: Social Psychology; Perception;  Psychological Disorder; Developmental Psychology; Cognition and the  Brain,  Language; Thinking; Fundamentals of Neuroscience and Behaviour;  Evolutionary Psychology; Personality and Individual Differences; and  Research Methods and Statistical Analysis.

You will also be given  the opportunity to take modules from other programmes across the  university in your second and third year.

Third and fourth years

By  third year you will have identified areas within psychology that are of  particular interest to you and you will have the opportunity to develop  these interests throughout third and fourth year, by choosing modules  from a series of advanced options.

On completion of the course, students must have taken at least one module from each of the five specified thematic areas:

1. Biological.

2. Social.

3. Developmental.

4. Cognitive.

5. Personality and Individual Differences.

Some  of the modules offered in recent years include: Neurological  Rehabilitation; Advances in Neurotherapy: From Molecules to Prosthetics  for Neuropsychiatric and Neurological Disorders; Developing brains,  developing persons: from culture to consciousness; Case Studies in  Neuropsychology; Making Sense of Action; Social Neuroscience; Child  Language Acquisition & Development; Morality and Moral Development;  Human Factors and Organisational: Child Development in Changing Family  Contexts; Applied Issues in Developmental Psychology; Child and  Adolescent Clinical Psychology; Child Health and Well-being Cognitive:  Human Reasoning; Creative Cognition;Biopsychology; Health Psychology;  and Psychology of Criminal Behaviour.

In the fourth year a large  part of your workload involves carrying out an independent Capstone  project under the supervision of a member of staff. Many students report  that this project, while challenging, is one of the most rewarding  parts of the course.

A combination of end-of-semester written  examinations and continuous assessment is used. In your final year, you  will also undertake a Capstone project.