DECAP Educational, Child and Adolescent Psychology at Queen's University Belfast

Programme overview

DECAP is the only professional training course in Educational Psychology in Northern Ireland, a three-year full-time professional doctorate leading to a professional qualification in Educational, Child and Adolescent Psychology. It is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) as conferring eligibility for Chartered Status and approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for training educational psychologists.

Department: School of Psychology | Duration: 3 years full-time | Intake: Academic year 2027/28 (September 2027 entry); closing date Friday 8 January 2027 at 4.00 pm | Study mode: full-time | Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

What you will study

All curriculum elements are introduced in Year 1 through five modules: Learning and Development, Barriers to Learning/Vulnerable Groups, Assessment and Intervention, Research and Inquiry, and Professional Issues. Three of these are deepened in Years 2 and 3, with intervention teaching in Video Interaction Guidance, Dynamic Assessment, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, the Incredible Years Parenting Programme and Family Systemic Therapy. Trainees complete 300 days of placement across the three years, mostly within the Education Authority NI, plus multi-agency elective placements.

Career pathways

The programme is funded by the Department of Education; successful applicants may be offered training bursaries that carry a commitment to work as an educational psychologist in the Education Authority psychology service in Northern Ireland for a minimum of three years after qualifying.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

At least an upper second class (2:1) honours degree in Psychology or equivalent. Applicants without a 2:1 may apply with evidence of a postgraduate degree relevant to Educational Psychology (for example a Master's or PhD). The qualification must make the applicant eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Status (GBC) of the BPS by the closing date; overseas applicants or those with uncertain GBC should have a BPS decision by the closing date. Pre-entry experience is expected and entry is competitive. A full driving licence is normally expected. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK (a student visa is not sufficient); funded places are only available to applicants eligible for Home tuition fees, and there are no self-funded places for September 2027 entry. International English requirement: IELTS 7.0 overall with at least 6.5 in each component (taken within the last 2 years) or an equivalent qualification. Closing date for September 2027 entry: Friday 8 January 2027 at 4.00 pm.

Domestic applicants: GBP 9,250 a year (2027/28). Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland (ROI nationals resident in ROI) rate. Fees quoted are for a single year of study; NI/ROI/GB figures are provisional pending the Northern Ireland Assembly Student Fees Regulations. Source

International applicants: GBP 29,000 a year (2027/28). International and EU Other rate. Fees quoted are for a single year of study; NI/ROI/GB figures are provisional pending the Northern Ireland Assembly Student Fees Regulations. Source

Intake: September 2027

Duration: 3 years full-time

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