Admission & Selection
Admission Requirements 
Applicants are selected on the basis of their academic record; their basic clinical skills and potential; their research skills; and their personal suitability for the role of clinical psychologist.
Academic requirements. Applicants for the course must hold a 2.1 honours degree in psychology or an honours diploma in psychology which makes them eligible for graduate membership of The Psychological Society of Ireland or the British Psychological Society. In judging academic suitability for the programme, account is taken of the honours grade of the primary degree and also of additional degrees in related fields such as counselling or health psychology.
Relevant clinical experience requirements. Applicants must have at least a year’s relevant clinical experience during which they have developed the basic clinical skills required for establishing working relationships with clients or patients on the one hand and professional colleagues on the other. Clinical skills and potential are judged by taking into account the way in which candidates have made use of the opportunities available to them to engage in relevant clinical experiences. Work as a psychological assistant, a care assistant, a nursing assistant, a research assistant on a clinical research project, or a post-graduate research degree where the project was conducted in a clinical area are typical examples of the types of experience that are considered to be relevant in this context. Completion of short courses and workshops which have contributed to the development of clinical skills are also taken into account in judging clinical skill and potential.
Research skills. An applicants research skills are taken into account in judging their suitability for the programme. In judging research skills, account is taken of completion of clinical or other research projects as part of postgraduate degrees; participation in clinical research projects; publication of research reports; presentation of research at conferences; development of computing skills; and of qualifications obtained in related fields such as research psychology or statistics.
Personal suitability for the role of clinical psychologist and working in health service organisations. An applicants personal characteristics relevant to the role of clinical psychologist and working in health service organisations are taken into account in judging their suitability for the programme. These include a knowledge of the role of psychologists within the HSE and other health service organizations; a commitment to public service provision; potential for developing a capacity for self-reflection; and potential for developing interpersonal skills essential for working in health service organizations. In judging personal characteristics account is taken of steps applicants have taken to learn about the role of clinical psychologists in the health service and to begin to develop as reflective practitioners. This includes participating in self-reflective workshops and personal therapy or counselling.
Guidance on preparation for clinical psychology training is given in the first chapter of Clinical Psychology: An Introduction by Alan Carr 
Applications
Up to 12 places are offered on the D Psych Sc each year that an intake occurs.
Click the links below to download each of these documents:
- Notes for Applicants (pdf)
- Application Form 2013 (docx)
For the September 2013 intake the application deadline is
5.00p.m. 1st February 2013
Applications may be hand delivered to the drop box outside F209, Newman Building, UCD, Belfield, but should arrive there before 5.00p.m. on the 1st February.After short-listing successful applicants will be called for first round interviews on Thursday 14th and Friday 15th March 2013 and second round interviews on Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd March 2013.
Unfortunately, each year we receive many excellent applications but are only able to offer places to under 12 applicants. This means that there is a chance that you will not be selected this year.
Throughout the short listing and selection procedures candidates are rank-ordered in terms of suitability for the programme. Candidates who are not successful in obtaining a place on the programme one year should not interpret this to mean that they will be judged to be unsuitable if they reapply. Rather, failure to be selected one year usually means that the candidate was not as suitable as the candidates selected on that particular year.
Should you fail to be selected this year, our advice is for you to enhance your portfolio of relevant clinical experience and relevant clinical research over the coming year and reapply for the programme next year. As your portfolio of relevant experience expands it becomes more likely that your application will be ranked highly enough, in comparison with other applicants, to be selected. Many successful graduates of the programme made more than three unsuccessful applications!! An article profiling entrants to Irish clinical psychology programmes appeared in the March 2011 edition of the Irish Psychologist and may be of interest to applicants for clinical psychology training see Irish Clinical Training Programmes
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International Applications
A number of places on the D Psych Sc may be offered each year to international applicants. International applicants in the first instance may contact Muriel Keegan at muriel.keegan@ucd.ie to indicate their interest in applying for the M Psych Sc.
The following website provides general information for international students who wish to study at UCD: http://www.ucd.ie/international/
Teaching in Irish Universities is normally through the medium of English, therefore all applicants are required to demonstrate a high level of competence in English language. Applicants whose first language is not English, and who are not presenting the subject English in a school-leaving examination which is at least of pass Leaving Certificate standard (e.g. GCSE grade C) must meet the minimum English Language Requirements in relation to TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and IELTS (International English Language Testing System) specified at the following website: English Language requirements
Contact
For further information please contact Muriel Keegan at muriel.keegan@ucd.ie or +353-1-716-8120