Is the H.Dip in Psychology from DBS worth doing?

pwosullivan

I recently got accepted into the Higher Diploma in Psychology from Dublin Business School. I have yet to accept the offer as I am currently trying to gather as much info on the school as possible before I make my decision. I applied for the universities although my applications seem to have been unsuccessful.

I have an impression that private colleges are looked down upon by employers. Also I fear that getting accepted into university master courses may be much harder.

Is the H.Dip in Psychology from DBS worth doing?

sambuka41

pwosullivan wrote: »

I have an impression that private colleges are looked down upon by employers. Also I fear that getting accepted into university master courses may be much harder.

I have my undergraduate psychology degree with DBS and I have never had trouble getting a job. I have never encountered an employer who thought of a private college as anything less. Doesn't make sense to me, its all HETAC, covered pretty much the same as people on the UCD course?

What will make you more appealing to a masters is showing a commitment to the field of psychology, that doesn't come from study alone. That's volunteering your time, be that with helplines or on research projects. Willingness to work in the area. I really can't imagine whether your H Dip is from DBS will matter in the bigger picture.

chrisipoo8

And also to add to this...I just finished my hdip in psychology and I loved it! The course is brilliant, and lecturers are amazing!

But I am still going through the same worries as you about the whole private college thing!

Michelle30

I did the H.Dip in DBS and would recommend it if you did not get into the university ones rather than waiting for another year to apply again. The main thing is its PSI accredited (just like TCD and UCD H.Dips) which is what matters when you are applying for postgrads. But as sambuka41 said its the commitment to volunteering that will also be necessary when applying for a masters. I did it in DBS as they do it part time at night which allowed me to stay working full time. Good luck with whatever you decide

deedeedum

Hi,

I have also been offered a place in the Higher Diploma in psychology for September.

Great to hear a couple of positive reviews for the course:)

Really want to do it but the only thing holding me back is the fees. I would be grateful if someone could let me know do you have to pay all fees up front or can you pay in installments?


Thanks

Michelle30

Its half due in September (€2250) and half due by the end of January. I paid both amounts on time but I know a few people who didn't and they paid later, although DBS kept asking for payment.

HiGlo

I'm currently a part time student in DBS. For me they wanted 50% of the fees at registration, 25% by 30 November and the final 25% by 30 January. So it's not a huge chunk. I've managed all the payments fine except the last one so I've been paying that off €200 every 2 weeks.

I know that some of the people in the class have been paying in installments throughout the year.
I think if you approach them and explain you can set up a direct debit. However, you won't be deemed as having completed the year until all your payments have been made.

candyman

Michelle30 wrote: »

I did the H.Dip in DBS and would recommend it if you did not get into the university ones rather than waiting for another year to apply again. The main thing is its PSI accredited (just like TCD and UCD H.Dips) which is what matters when you are applying for postgrads. But as sambuka41 said its the commitment to volunteering that will also be necessary when applying for a masters. I did it in DBS as they do it part time at night which allowed me to stay working full time. Good luck with whatever you decide

@Michelle - what are the job prospects like stemming from this hdip in dbs. Are you able to practice as a psychologist after this hdip? Are you working in the field at the moment?

I am evaluating this course at the moment but it is hard to get a sense of the job prospects likely from it.

DalaiAlma

candyman wrote: »

what are the job prospects like stemming from this hdip in dbs. Are you able to practice as a psychologist after this hdip? Are you working in the field at the moment?

I am evaluating this course at the moment but it is hard to get a sense of the job prospects likely from it.

I thought it might be helpful to mention that a psychology bachelor's degree or HDip does not entitle you to practice as a psychologist; it is just the first step towards becoming a psychologist.

The accreditation by the Psychological Society of Ireland means that once you complete one of these courses, you will have a sufficient basic grounding in psychology. This would then enable you to apply for a PSI-recognised professional postgraduate training course (such as the doctorate in clinical psychology or masters in educational psychology), provided you had relevant work experience as well. Once you have completed one of these training courses, you may then practice as a psychologist.

I completed my conversion in the UK. In my experience where you do it doesn't matter as long as it is PSI/BPS accredited; what matters most for future job and course prospects is is the classification of your results (first/2i/2ii).

I hope this helps!

Follaton_Wood

Hey guys, I'm starting the DBS course in Sept also . Re: the BPS accreditation however, I was a bit concerned about this because in the UK, the BPS make anyone without a psych related BA (i.e. 60 credits) do a 1 year foundation course in order to access the H.Dip. The course I was specifically looking at was the conversion course here in Birkbeck Uni and it looks alot heavier than DBS in terms of the stats work etc. I know when I enquired, you had to have a C level GCSE/JC Math result to even apply. The course itself also has modules and aren't covered in the DBS course and vice versa. Although this may be because it's an MA level course and you can do the MA with an extra year after your H.Dip. I was seriously confused for a while over it, especially when I found out you can get BPS accreditation for the DBS course anyway! I just really hope it matches up to the UK courses in terms of recognition also, as I'd like the option of doing my MA over there after- depending on how things go!

Jimmy Bottlehead

DalaiAlma wrote: »

I thought it might be helpful to mention that a psychology bachelor's degree or HDip does not entitle you to practice as a psychologist; it is just the first step towards becoming a psychologist.

The accreditation by the Psychological Society of Ireland means that once you complete one of these courses, you will have a sufficient basic grounding in psychology. This would then enable you to apply for a PSI-recognised professional postgraduate training course (such as the doctorate in clinical psychology or masters in educational psychology), provided you had relevant work experience as well. Once you have completed one of these training courses, you may then practice as a psychologist.

I completed my conversion in the UK. In my experience where you do it doesn't matter as long as it is PSI/BPS accredited; what matters most for future job and course prospects is is the classification of your results (first/2i/2ii).

I hope this helps!

Excellent post. I'm starting the H.Dip myself in September

candyman

So how many years training do you need to do before you are eligible to practice as a psychologist (starting point is this hdip + 14 years work exp in IT).

Also what can be expected as a starting salary range?

Jimmy Bottlehead

candyman wrote: »

So how many years training do you need to do before you are eligible to practice as a psychologist (starting point is this hdip + 14 years work exp in IT).

Also what can be expected as a starting salary range?

I'm still in the process of finding out myself, but from what I can tell...

Higher Diploma in Psychology - 2 years full or part time
(Possibly Masters in Applied Psychology) - 1 year full time, I believe
Doctorate in Clinical / Counselling Psychology - 3 years full time

For salary, it's listed as "Republic of Ireland: Trainee clinical psychologists earn €35,761–€39,525. Basic grade clinical psychologists earn approximately €54,000–€84,000. Senior clinical psychologists can earn in excess of €90,000 with long service increments (LSIs) included.

Northern Ireland: Assistant psychologists are normally paid on the NHS Agenda for Change bands 4 to 6. Band 4 starts at around £15,000. Qualified clinical psychologists start from around £25,000 (band 7), with pay scales going to £80,000+ for very senior positions. Details of the most recent salary scales can be found on the NHS website."

http://gradireland.com/careers-advice/job-descriptions/psychologist-clinical

DalaiAlma

candyman wrote: »

So how many years training do you need to do before you are eligible to practice as a psychologist (starting point is this hdip + 14 years work exp in IT).

Also what can be expected as a starting salary range?

Clinical or counselling psychology is a three-year doctorate, educational is a two-year masters. To apply for these courses, you also need a minimum of one to two years' relevant experience, though most people who successfully apply would have more than this. So you'd be looking at at least five or six years once you finish the H Dip. In my case, it took me about 5 years to gain the appropriate experience to get a place on educational psychology training but I did take the scenic route! I know of some people who've taken less time and some who have taken more so it depends on what kind of experience you get and what you learn from it. And I also can't stress the importance of getting high marks in your course, it makes a tough process a little bit easier!

The starting salary range in the UK is around £35K for a newly qualified psychologist and I think it's about €35-€40K in Ireland.

candyman

Thanks for the replies, very informative.

In summary, it could be up to 7 years study from start to practice, of which 3/4 is full time study.
Starting salary one qualified circa 35-40k.

⊙ How hard is it to secure a place on the masters or doctorate programmes and typical fees per year?

⊙ Is there plenty of jobs in this area for people qualifying from the doctorate/masters?

DalaiAlma

candyman wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, very informative.

In summary, it could be up to 7 years study from start to practice, of which 3/4 is full time study.
Starting salary one qualified circa 35-40k.

⊙ How hard is it to secure a place on the masters or doctorate programmes and typical fees per year?

⊙ Is there plenty of jobs in this area for people qualifying from the doctorate/masters?

They're quite competitive courses. Each of the clinical psychology courses in Ireland typically has around 200+ applicants for about 10-12 places. It's heavily subsidised by the HSE; they pay you a salary and 60% of your fees (about €8-€9K, leaving the trainee to pay about €5-€6K). You're also obliged to work for the HSE agency that you trained with for 3 years after you qualify.

Educational and counselling are self funded. The fees for the MA in educational is €8K per year and for the doctorate in counseling, it rises to in excess of €10K. Both are also full time courses with unpaid placements, which means a big financial burden and which I think partly explains why so many graduates pursue clinical psychology! Having said that, the competition for educational psychology is still at around 50 or 60 applicants for a dozen or so places. I've never applied for the counselling doctorate so I can't say what the competition for that is like.

As regards job prospects, in the UK (where I work), there always seems to plenty of jobs available for clinical psychologists. In some services, they advertise for both clinical and counselling psychologists for the same posts. As I haven't worked in the HSE, I can't really say what the employment prospects are like for clinical psychologists but I think it's quite containing that your sponsoring agency employs you for three years after graduating. For educational psychology, my understanding is that there's potential for private work in addition to working for the department of education.

meath12

im currently in my final year studying English and sociology but I studied psychology in first year so when I get my degree im hoping to get a 2.1, I want to do a psychology conversion course. I applied for the ucd higher diploma course and im going to apply to the course in trinity as well. I think though these courses only take in around 20 students, so if I don't get in im going to apply for the higher diploma psychology course in Dublin business school. im just wondering has anyone done this course in trinity or ucd and also does anyone know when the closing date is for the DBS course and how many students they take in?