Psychology - Applied Psychology (Positive & Coaching Psychology) MA

This is an innovative MA programme that brings together the fields of Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology.

Coaching Psychologists specialise in behaviour change and use systematic methodologies drawn from the psychological evidence base to bring about positive change. This form of coaching is valued by people who want professional support from their coaches in order to maximise their performance and potential. In this programme we provide you with the tools and skills to provide such support and you will gain theoretical and practical knowledge of Positive Psychology & Coaching competencies.

Positive Psychology is the science of well-being, strengths, and the achievement of our potential, and all that is good in us. As a person’s level of well-being increases, their goal attainment also increases. Consequently, the synergies between Positive Psychology & Coaching Psychology make for a very powerful approach in helping people realise their potential.

The MA Applied Psychology (Positive & Coaching Psychology) degree can be utilised across a wide range of areas:

• Those working in human services with the desire to incorporate a coaching approach to behaviour change in their professional work. This could include teachers, social workers, social care workers, youth and community workers, probation officers, nurses, medical specialists, nutritionists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, etc.;
• Graduates who have the ambition to work as freelance coaches, or internal coaches in business organisations;
• Human resource professionals who want to specialise in employee well-being and development;
• Managers and leaders who wish to develop the ability to maximise the potential of their teams and develop their leadership potential;
• Those who want to maximise performance by adding a psychological approach to skill attainment. This could include sports and exercise professionals, those who work with singers, actors, and other talented individuals;
• Graduates of psychology who wish to acquire a set of professional skills as part of their route towards becoming a chartered coaching psychologist, or to undertake doctoral studies;
• Coaches who wish to study to master's level and incorporate a positive psychology dimension to their work.

This is the first course of its kind to be offered at MA level in the Republic of Ireland.

The programme equips students with advanced training in positive psychology coaching skills that will prepare them for a career as a professional coach. Skills in research methodology are a prerequisite for all psychology professions, and they constitute a key set of skills that set psychologists apart in the wider workplace.