Psychology degree UCC v's Open University

Micheller7

I would be very greatfull if someone could give me their views, opinions, experience of psychology degrees from UCC and Open University. I'm interested in studying psychology so I have applied for UCC which would be my first choice but competition for places based on mature student status is very competitive. My chances of gaining a place are slim to none. Other brick universities are not an option for me due to location restraints. I've also applied for other degrees in UCC, gaining a place on these courses might be more realistic for me, but psychology is what I really want to do. So I've been looking into the Open University psychology degree but doing a degree by distance learning is a little bit daunting and the cost is high, although the advantage of working from home in my own time is quite appealing. Any advice or information in relation to this would be very much appreciated. TIA.

omahonc

Micheller7 wrote: »

I would be very greatfull if someone could give me their views, opinions, experience of psychology degrees from UCC and Open University. I'm interested in studying psychology so I have applied for UCC which would be my first choice but competition for places based on mature student status is very competitive. My chances of gaining a place are slim to none. Other brick universities are not an option for me due to location restraints. I've also applied for other degrees in UCC, gaining a place on these courses might be more realistic for me, but psychology is what I really want to do. So I've been looking into the Open University psychology degree but doing a degree by distance learning is a little bit daunting and the cost is high, although the advantage of working from home in my own time is quite appealing. Any advice or information in relation to this would be very much appreciated. TIA.

Hi there i would make sure that if you do open uni course that it is recognised by psych soc of ireland and that it will be sufficient for any further study you want to do. I know of someone who had difficulty getting her OU psych course recognised ...dont want to bad mouth OU I am sure they are great but just make sure it will ne recognised once you get to next stage of study.
Good luck

Jimmy Bottlehead

Hi OP.

I'm currently studying a Masters course in Psychology in UCC. There are two OU mature students on the course, so if you wish to progress after your undergraduate, you can with the OU degree.
There are also several UCC undergraduate students on the course. Having spoken to both, I feel you would have a broader and more valuable experience attending UCC than OU.
Also, I don't think you mentioned if you have a prior degree, but if you have a level 8 degree, you could choose to pursue a conversion course, such as the H. Dip in Psychology. This would allow you to gain undergraduate status in half the time.

Ultimately it comes down to what works best for your schedule, location, and financial situation. Whatever course you choose, you can make it work for what you want.

Best of luck.

Micheller7

omahonc wrote: »

Hi there i would make sure that if you do open uni course that it is recognised by psych soc of ireland and that it will be sufficient for any further study you want to do. I know of someone who had difficulty getting her OU psych course recognised ...dont want to bad mouth OU I am sure they are great but just make sure it will ne recognised once you get to next stage of study.
Good luck

Thanks for your reply. From what I understand the OU degree is recognised by BPS, therefore it is recognised by PSI. But I will be sure to look into this further as recognition by PSI is important to me as I plan to continue with further study in Ireland.

Micheller7

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Hi OP.

I'm currently studying a Masters course in Psychology in UCC. There are two OU mature students on the course, so if you wish to progress after your undergraduate, you can with the OU degree.
There are also several UCC undergraduate students on the course. Having spoken to both, I feel you would have a broader and more valuable experience attending UCC than OU.
Also, I don't think you mentioned if you have a prior degree, but if you have a level 8 degree, you could choose to pursue a conversion course, such as the H. Dip in Psychology. This would allow you to gain undergraduate status in half the time.

Ultimately it comes down to what works best for your schedule, location, and financial situation. Whatever course you choose, you can make it work for what you want.

Best of luck.

Thanks for your reply. It's great to know that the OU degree will be recognised for further study in UCC. I was worried about this.

My highest education to date is at level 6 so unfortunately the hdip in UCC is out of my reach but there is a possibility that I might get a place on another degree course (not psy) in UCC. Which would mean continuing onto the hdip psy and 5 years of study instead of 3 years. But I'm ok with that . My other option is OU psy full time (done in 3 years). But I would miss out on the social aspect of attending a brick university.

Like you said, it comes down to what works out best for my situation. I could be extremely lucky and get a place in UCC on the psy degree which would make my decision a lot easier .

Thank you again for your reply. It was very helpful