BA or BSc, Full or part time?

ellabella1

Hi all

I am 31 and have decided to do a degree in psychology as a mature student. It is quite likely that I will be able to avail of a career break next yr if i wish to take on college full time thou I dont know how I will survive financially! Anyhow looking for advice on my options..

I see that ucd offer 3yr BA course as opposed to DCU & Maynooth for 4 yr Bsc. Does the Bsc carry more weight when it comes to further study or employment or is there some other significant difference?

Also instead of waiting one more year to begin, I see that DBS do a part time BA course (app 7 hrs class per wk). I could try and work a 4 day wk and do this part-time, depending on how much study is required weekly?? Finally does anybody know if I undertook 1st year part time & decided to go full time after, would the other colleges allow me straight into 2nd year of their course. Any advice would be much appreciated

The Black Oil

I'm not sure you should get too caught up in worrying about a BA/BSc matters at a perceptual level as such. That said, I'm not familiar with the ones you've mentioned. Presumably, for further study the main thing that will count will be that your degree is accredited.

ellabella1

Thanks, yeah it was Dublin Business School that I was referring to, it offers a part time BA (honours degree) in Psychology, accreditted by the PSI, so looks like it ticks all the boxes in that respect....This course involves attending 6 hours of class per week so I was initially concerned whether that was sufficient when compared with a full time course.

After some more research I see that the additional year to get the BA part time must compensate for that.. So should be all good. I guess I can only assume that the course run by Dublin Business School is pretty decent as it offers the same qualification and I havent read anything bad about it on this forum!!

endacl

If you already have a degree OP, UCD offer a 2 year hdip conversion. Save a year and a years fees. Level 8 either way. Best of luck.

ellabella1

I have only got a level 7 ba so that wont apply to me unfortuantely. Thanks though... Looks like i will probably take the long 4 year part time road!

endacl

ellabella1 wrote: »

I have only got a level 7 ba so that wont apply to me unfortuantely. Thanks though... Looks like i will probably take the long 4 year part time road!

I think we may be playing thread tennis!

ellabella1

omg sorry that is my fault, newbie to this!!! thought i should start a new thread in case people didnt go back to the old one!! Amateur me:o

endacl

ellabella1 wrote: »

omg sorry that is my fault, newbie to this!!! thought i should start a new thread in case people didnt go back to the old one!! Amateur me:o

Welcome.

So, what're your plans? Where do you want this book learnin' to get you?

ellabella1

Honsetly I am not entirely sure yet. I'd like to go in with an open mind and see what interests me most... Forensic psychology could go well with my current career and if I am drawn to something entirely different so be it. But I have always been drawn to psychology and studied it to a small degree previously. Either way I think it would be really interesting and open up doors for me in the future. I am just at a stage where I want and need to further myself academically so this is the subject that I am most drawn to... What about you? Have you studied psychology yourself?

endacl

ellabella1 wrote: »

Honsetly I am not entirely sure yet. I'd like to go in with an open mind and see what interests me most... Forensic psychology could go well with my current career and if I am drawn to something entirely different so be it. But I have always been drawn to psychology and studied it to a small degree previously. Either way I think it would be really interesting and open up doors for me in the future. I am just at a stage where I want and need to further myself academically so this is the subject that I am most drawn to... What about you? Have you studied psychology yourself?

Just finishing a Msc in Psychoanalysis. At the moment I'm using this chat to distract myself from working on my dissertation.
I found it useful to think about what I wanted at the end, career-wise, and work backwards from there.

I'd say it might be worth your while contacting the course coordinator for the HDip in UCD. You'll have done a lot since finishing your level 7. All of that would be taken into account when you're applying. No harm in asking, especially if you remember the current state of education. Institutions are in the business of selling courses to prospective students. Arrange a chat with the coordinator, and explain your position. I did a Hdip some years ago (yes, I'm addicted to study), with two people who had left school without a leaving cert. No harm in talking to them.

ellabella1

Impressive, fair play to ya... Tut tut for allowing yourself to be distracted by this amateur thou lol Appreciate the advice, yeah i must research some more and have a good think about it....Perhaps I can wreck your brain some more then!

Hmmm yeah I suppose it would be no harm talking to a co-ordinator especially if there is a chance that I can reduce time and money, would be worthwhile having a chat anyway... Thanks a mill, hope your dissertation goes well;)

Gestalt

I have also recently decided to do the part time Psychology degree with DBS as a mature student. I went to their open day last week which I found to be very helpful as they answered all my queries and helped me make the decision to go with them as they are very flexible. I am a shift worker so I needed to do a course which would be flexible with regards attendance as I may not always be available to attend. They send you the lecture notes a week in advance and said if you are unable to attend the lecture and you have any queries to contact them and they will assist you. I also feel doing the degree over the 4 years may be seem daunting but rather than bombarding yourself I feel it's best to enjoy doing the work and not have it rushed due to time constraints. I would advise that you go along to their next open day and of course contact the other universities as this will help you decide which path to take. Best of Luck :-)

Naked Lepper

Gestalt wrote: »

I also feel doing the degree over the 4 years may be seem daunting but rather than bombarding yourself I feel it's best to enjoy doing the work and not have it rushed due to time constraints.

part time psychology BA degree student here
dont let the four year thing lead you to believe that its going to be a go-slow course with low intensity or stress, it can be pretty tough going if working full time
if you have a mon - fri day job youd be going straight to dbs after work on monday and tuesday, and lectures dont finish till 9.30, so its around 10pm before youd generally get to your car or bus or whatever

and before you know it half the week is over and you will still be required to do assignments / study at home yourself the other days

after a while finishing a tough day in the office at 5pm on a wednesday starts to feel like a half day....

in saying that though i found dbs a good set up and have enjoyed the course so far. struggled a bit with it at times though but i guess everyone is different.

ellabella1

Thanks guys for the responses, your advice is v helpful...

DagdaIreland

ellabella1 wrote: »

I have only got a level 7 ba so that wont apply to me unfortuantely. Thanks though... Looks like i will probably take the long 4 year part time road!

Sorry to resurrect this thread if you've already made you decisions - but I just noticed the comment above.
I know that DBS were happy to admit me to the H. Dip (part-time) course in Psychology as a mature student, even though I only had a level 7 degree.. It would permit you to go on to a Masters or D. Clin (eventually!) with just two years study - it's 2 nights a week and I'd say is equivalent in workload to the BA course. It's no joke if you're working full time, as another poster has said, but it certainly seems manageable if you're motivated - I'm looking forward to starting year 2 and my research project etc.
I would say the disadvantage of DBS is a perceived bias against a "fee-paying" college (in this case the fee is not a lot more than the Student Captitation/Registration fee that's imposed in universities) amongst the wider public and that many lecturers are either full-time lecturing in DBS or else in private practice and so are not actively researching - hence they are unlikely to be able to facilitate you getting onto a Masters, or getting working experience yourself.. As I say, I'm only still learning myself, so other's experience may differ..