This module introduces core concepts in human anatomy, physiology, and basic chemistry that underpin further study in health and life sciences. It emphasises conceptual understanding, interpretation of biological information, and use of appropriate scientific terminology supported by development of relevant analytical and practical skills.

Aims:

• Provide a coherent foundation in human biosciences that prepares students for more advanced study in health and life science disciplines.
• Foster an integrated view of human structure and function by bringing together key ideas from chemistry, cell biology, anatomy, and physiology.
• Cultivate curiosity about how the human body is organised and regulated, encouraging students to connect theoretical concepts with real world contexts.
• Support students’ transition into higher education study by promoting active engagement with scientific ideas, independent learning, and informed use of evidence based resources.

This module gives healthcare students a foundational grounding in how ethical ideas, laws and professional standards guide everyday practice. It introduces key ways of thinking about right and wrong in healthcare and shows how ethical principles, legal rules and professional codes work together in common situations. Students will explore service user rights and professional responsibilities within the care relationship and will use practical frameworks to talk through typical dilemmas they may encounter in future practice.

Aims:

• Introduce students to key ideas and debates about moral decision-making in healthcare, helping them recognise ethical dimensions in routine practice. 
• Develop students’ understanding of how ethical standards, legal frameworks and professional guidance work together to shape the responsibilities of healthcare practitioners and the rights of service users. 
• Foster students’ ability to engage thoughtfully with common ethical challenges in healthcare, using appropriate concepts and language to participate in informed, respectful discussions. 

This module introduces the structure and operation of the Irish healthcare system, providing an overview of key healthcare settings and organisations. It examines organisational structures, funding models, and stakeholder roles, and explores the policies that shape system performance. Historical developments and emerging trends are analysed to understand the evolution and future direction of healthcare delivery in Ireland. 

Aims:

• Develop understanding of the Irish healthcare sector.
• Identify types of provision and differentiate between funding models.
• Learn about basic operational aspects of healthcare setting.
• Understand the historical perspective of the health sector development and forecast trends.
• Foster critical thinking skills by comparing healthcare models in national and international contexts.

This module introduces the fundamentals of human nutrition. It establishes a shared grounding in how nutrients function in the body and how basic nutritional information can be understood and used to support everyday food choices. Students explore how dietary needs and priorities evolve from childhood through adolescence, adulthood and older age, and how these changes relate to health, participation in physical activity and wider wellbeing. The module also considers how nutrition can contribute to the prevention and basic management of common lifestyle-related conditions and how introductory nutrition principles can inform simple recommendations in sport, PE and applied health contexts. 

Aims:

• Introduce students to core nutrition concepts and the main nutrient groups, building a foundation for understanding how food supports bodily function and health. 
• Develop students’ confidence in working with basic nutritional information, such as food labels and simple data, to make and explain everyday dietary choices. 
• Enhance students’ appreciation of how nutritional needs shift across the lifespan.
• Build students’ understanding of the relationship between diet, lifestyle-related disease and health. 

This module develops students’ knowledge, skills and attitudes for safe, person-centred care in general and specialist healthcare settings. It introduces key medical terminology, clinical assessment, care planning and quality improvement as they relate to working in partnership with service users, families and the multidisciplinary team. Students will explore how effective communication, therapeutic relationships and teamwork support person-centred decision-making, patient safety, risk management and continuous improvement in care. The module emphasises seeing the whole person, recognising individual preferences, values and circumstances, and integrating these into care plans and everyday practice.

Aims:

• Understand and use core medical and healthcare terminology to support clear communication in clinical contexts. 
• Recognise the principles and values of person-centred care and their importance for service users, families and practitioners. 
• Appreciate the role of the healthcare practitioner in collaborating with service users and others to assess needs and develop, implement and review care plans. 
• Recognise safety issues in healthcare settings, including human factors, and their impact on person-centred care. 
• Identify hazards that may threaten the safety and wellbeing of service users and discuss strategies for prevention and risk reduction. 
• Understand key processes of error reporting, analysis, reflection and learning, and how they contribute to safer, person-centred practice. 
• Develop awareness of how quality of care and service provision is evaluated and improved, taking into account different stakeholder perspectives. 

This module examines how humans grow, develop, and age from early childhood through older adulthood, encouraging students to view physical activity, sport involvement, and health through a life course lens. Students explore physical, motor, cognitive, social, and emotional development across the lifespan, and consider how these developmental changes shape participation, performance, learning, and health related behaviours. The module will build students’ ability to interpret developmental information so they can recognise and respond appropriately to individuals’ needs, capabilities, and challenges, and support students to work confidently and professionally with different age groups in coaching, PE, and applied health contexts. 

Aims:

• Introduce key theories and concepts of human development across the lifespan. 
• Develop understanding of how physical, motor, cognitive, social, and emotional development progress from childhood to older adulthood, and how this affects participation, performance, and wellbeing. 
• Build students’ ability to interpret developmental information when considering individuals’ needs, capabilities, and challenges in sport, PE, and health settings. 
• Encourage critical awareness of how social and environmental factors across the lifespan influence physical activity patterns, health trajectories, and sport involvement. 
• Support students to reflect on their emerging professional role and responsibilities when working with different age groups in coaching, PE and applied health contexts. 

This module supports students from Applied Health and Sports Coaching/PE programmes to develop the behaviours, attitudes and core skills needed to thrive in higher education and prepare for future professional roles. It introduces practical approaches to organising study, setting goals and engaging with academic work in ways that are realistic and sustainable. Students learn how to find, evaluate and reference information appropriately, make effective use of digital tools for learning and assessment, and participate as active, independent learners within a diverse academic community. Throughout the module, students are encouraged to reflect on their experiences and progress, laying the foundations for a confident and positive identity as higher education students.

Aims:

• Help students understand what is expected of them at degree level and support their transition into higher education. 
• Provide students with a toolkit of study strategies to support effective, independent learning across their programmes. 
• Encourage curiosity and a constructive attitude to ongoing, lifelong learning through the use of reflective and self-managed learning approaches. 
• Introduce and reinforce core academic conventions, including academic writing, use of sources and accurate referencing. 
• Build students’ confidence in using digital tools and online platforms for learning, communication and assessment. 
• Support students in developing realistic approaches to time management, goal setting and monitoring their own academic progress. 

This module enables students to relate and apply core psychological and sociological theories and concepts to health, illness and wellbeing. It introduces key ideas from health psychology and the social sciences to show how biological, psychological and social processes together influence people’s experiences of health and healthcare. Students will examine how factors such as beliefs, emotions, relationships, culture, social class and community shape health behaviours, responses to illness and engagement with services. They will also explore sociocultural influences on access to care, patterns of help seeking and experiences of inclusion or marginalisation within healthcare systems. Throughout the module, students will become familiar with major theories, models and core areas of health psychology, including behaviour change, stress and coping, health and illness related cognitions, quality of life, and the psychological impact of acute and long term conditions, with a focus on applying this knowledge to person centred practice

Aims:

• Build understanding of the relevance of sociology and health psychology to health care.  
• Explore how the principles, theories, and models can be applied to practice in healthcare context. 
• Develop sociological thinking to understand historical, cultural, political factors which shape healthcare policies and practice at local, national and internationals levels.  
• Develop critical thinking through ability to identify and discuss salient issues from a theoretical perspective.  

This module deepens students’ understanding of human biosciences by focusing on the detailed structure and integrated function of major organ systems. It explores how the cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, gastrointestinal, nervous, and endocrine systems work individually and together to maintain a stable internal environment under everyday demands. Core biochemical and metabolic concepts are revisited in a systems-based context, with an emphasis on energy production, fluid and electrolyte balance, and acid–base regulation. Throughout the module, students engage with diagrams, short scenarios, and simple physiological data to develop clear, coherent explanations of human function in real-world situations.

Aims:

• Provide a structured, systems-based exploration of human anatomy and physiology. 
• Promote an integrated understanding of how major organ systems interact to support homeostasis and everyday physical and mental activities. 
• Reinforce and extend key biochemical and metabolic concepts by linking them explicitly to organ system function. 
• Develop students’ ability to interpret and explain physiological information presented in, textual, graphical, and diagrammatic forms. 
• Encourage clear, accurate communication of human bioscience concepts using appropriate scientific terminology and reasoning. 

This module builds on prior learning from Human Lifespan Development and earlier study of person-centred care approaches to focus specifically on working with older people in healthcare settings. Students examine how biological, psychological and social aspects of ageing, together with frailty and multiple long-term conditions, shape older people’s health, functioning and experiences of services. The module emphasises understanding each older person’s needs, priorities and goals, and using this insight to support safe, individualised and coordinated care in partnership with families, carers and multidisciplinary teams across a range of care environments.

Aims:

• Provide students with a broad understanding of ageing in context, emphasising how biological, psychological and social factors interact to shape older people’s health, functioning and daily experiences. 
• Develop students’ ability to recognise and explore the diverse needs, priorities and goals of older people, and to use this understanding to inform holistic, person-centred assessment and care planning. 
• Equip students with underpinning knowledge and practical principles to contribute to safe, individualised and coordinated healthcare for older people, including those living with frailty and multiple long-term conditions, across a range of care settings.

This module explores how disability and mental health are understood and responded to within contemporary healthcare. It highlights the relationship between conceptual frameworks, service design and everyday practice, and encourages students to consider how healthcare environments can better support the rights, safety and participation of people with diverse additional needs. The module builds on person-centred care principles introduced in Year1, focusing on how these can be applied and adapted in practice when working with people with disabilities.

Aims:

• Familiarise students with the main theoretical perspectives and policy contexts that shape how disability and mental health are approached in healthcare. 
• Strengthen students’ understanding of how health needs, functioning and participation are affected by impairment, context and service organisation. 
• Encourage critical engagement with current practices, prompting students to consider how communication, environment, technology and teamworking can make care more inclusive and responsive, while drawing explicitly on person-centred care principles from earlier study. 

This module introduces students to research methodology, the stages of the research process and key aspects of research design in health studies. It emphasises the importance of research for improving everyday practice, using concrete examples of how studies have shaped policy, practice, and provision of services, while focusing on the use of existing research. 

Students learn to source, interpret and analyse research literature on selected topics, and to critically examine other people’s methodological choices with a view to applying this knowledge in their own independent research project in the following year.

Aims:

• Explain why research is needed and how it impacts practice in healthcare and related disciplines. 
• Introduce core concepts in research methodology, stages in the research process and aspects of research design. 
• Develop students’ skills in sourcing, selecting and synthesising relevant secondary research literature on a chosen topic. 
• Foster students’ ability to critically analyse the methodology, strengths, limitations and ethics of published studies. 
• Support students to present and communicate findings from secondary research clearly and professionally for different audiences, and to transfer this learning to their future independent research project.

This module builds on Year 1 learning in human development and nutrition. It explores key determinants of healthy lifestyles, including physical activity, sedentary behaviour, nutrition and social and environmental influences, with a focus on their implications for health promotion in school and community contexts. 

Students analyse contemporary trends in lifestyle behaviours and consider how different health environments can support or hinder wellbeing. They also develop skills in communicating evidence informed health and physical activity messages for diverse audiences and in evaluating their own lifestyles to plan realistic strategies for sustained health and wellbeing.

Aims:

• Extend students’ understanding of how lifestyle behaviours and surrounding environments influence health and wellbeing across school and community settings. 
• Develop students’ ability to interpret and critique current evidence and data on physical activity, sedentary patterns, nutrition and related health behaviours. 
• Build students’ skills in designing and delivering clear, age and context appropriate health and physical activity messages for varied populations. 
• Encourage informed self-evaluation of personal health practices and support the development of practical, sustainable strategies for improving individual wellbeing. 

This module examines how integrated care is being developed and delivered within the Irish health and social care system, and how multiprofessional teams work together to provide coordinated, person-centred services. It uses current Irish policy and service developments such as Sláintecare, HSE health regions, Primary Care Teams and Integrated Care Programmes as core reference points. Students explore the roles and perspectives of different professionals, the experience of people using services, and the organisational and cultural factors that support or hinder collaboration. International examples will be used to broaden understanding and to highlight transferable lessons for the Irish context.

Aims:

• Develop students’ understanding of the principles, policy drivers and current reforms shaping integrated care in Ireland, with particular reference to Sláintecare and HSE integrated care structures. 
• Explore the roles, responsibilities and contributions of different health and social care professionals working in Irish multiprofessional teams.
• Analyse how organisational design, funding, culture and power dynamics within the Irish system influence collaboration, care coordination and user experience. 
• Build students’ skills in communication, teamwork and reflective practice for effective multiprofessional working. 
• Critically compare Irish approaches to integrated care with selected international models, identifying key lessons and potential implications for practice in Ireland. 

This module enables students to develop a critical awareness of the nature of mental health issues and needs within contemporary healthcare settings, and to explore good practice in mental health promotion. It examines public health policy and approaches related to mental health, provides an overview of services, interventions and initiatives across settings, and outlines the roles of health professionals involved in mental healthcare. Students have opportunities to build knowledge and skills for working with people who experience mental health difficulties, and to consider the impact of mental health problems on families and communities.

Aims:

• Develop a nuanced understanding of mental health, mental illness and wellbeing, including their relationship with physical health. 
• Explore the lived experience and wider impact of mental health challenges on individuals, families and communities. 
• Build awareness of the scope of mental healthcare provision nationally and internationally, and how policy shapes service organisation and delivery. 
• Strengthen students’ ability to use clinical reasoning to identify mental health care needs and signpost appropriate services, interventions and initiatives. 
• Consider the knowledge, skills and values required for effective, person-centred mental healthcare and interprofessional working in a range of settings. 

This module provides students with supervised experience in real-world healthcare-related environments. Students observe experienced practitioners, assist with relevant activities, while engaging in structured goal setting and reflective practice. 

Placement arrangements:

• Placements may be sourced by students or allocated from the programme’s pool of established links. 
• All placements will be quality approved in line with institutional policies and procedures. 
• A named placement supervisor (on site) and an academic contact (at the institution) will support the student.
  

Aims:

• Introduce students to applied healthcare environments and everyday practice. 
• Develop students’ skills in observing and assisting with healthcare-related activities. 
• Support students in setting, reviewing and evaluating personal goals for professional development. 
• Foster reflective practice through a structured learning journal that respects confidentiality and ethical standards. 

This optional module introduces the biochemical and molecular principles that underpin human nutrition. It focuses on the structure and properties of key biomolecules, enzyme activity and regulation, core metabolic pathways, and the biochemical basis of energy and nutrient balance. Students learn how nutrients are transformed within cells and how carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism is coordinated in fed and fasted states. Brief coverage of nutrient digestion and absorption, and of vitamins and minerals as cofactors, prepares students to progress to more applied study of digestion, bioavailability, dietary assessment, nutrigenomics and advanced topics in human nutrition.

Aims:

• Provide students with a robust biochemical foundation for understanding how nutrient related molecules behave and interact in the body. 
• Develop students’ appreciation of how catalytic and regulatory mechanisms control the flow of reactions within metabolic networks. 
• Enable students to build an integrated view of how interconnected metabolic pathways support cellular energy supply and maintain overall nutrient homeostasis under varying physiological conditions. 
• Strengthen students’ ability to use biochemical concepts and basic quantitative skills to make sense of simplified metabolic representations relevant to human nutrition. 
• Prepare students for progression to dietetics and related nutrition programmes by establishing the biochemical knowledge and conceptual skills needed to engage confidently with advanced nutrition, metabolism and clinical dietetics content.

This module introduces final year students to health professions and supports students to understand the scope of practice, responsibilities and professional standards of each profession, and to use this understanding to inform future career choices. Students are introduced to relevant professional bodies, registration and education pathways, and supported in preparing for applications and interviews for postgraduate entry programmes. One day per week, students attend a placement setting where they can observe health professionals in practice and reflect on their capabilities, strengths and development needs in relation to the skills and qualities required for these roles. Learning is further enriched through guest lectures from practising professionals and dedicated sessions involving service users, offering firsthand insights into professional practice and service user experiences.  

Placement arrangements:

• Placements may be sourced by students or allocated from the programme’s pool of established links. 
• All placements will be quality approved in line with institutional policies and procedures. 
• A named placement supervisor (on site) and an academic contact (at the institution) will support the student. 

Aims:

• Develop an applied understanding of the roles, scope of practice and responsibilities of health professionals. 
• Build knowledge of professional standards, regulation and education/registration pathways for these allied health professions and use this to inform their own career planning. 
• Learn from observation-based placement, guest lectures and service user encounters to deepen insight into everyday professional practice and interprofessional teamwork. 
• Develop skills in reflection, self-assessment and professional communication to support future applications and interviews for postgraduate programmes in allied health. 

This module enables students to extend and apply the research skills developed in Year2 by designing and completing a small-scale healthcare-related research project. Building on prior knowledge of research methodology, students refine a research question, select an appropriate design, and apply suitable methods of data collection and analysis. They engage with ethical decision-making and, institutional ethical approval processes to ensure their work is conducted responsibly. The module culminates in the production of a written research report and an oral presentation, allowing students to communicate their findings and reflect critically on the research process.

Aims:

• Consolidate and extend students’ understanding of the research process and designs relevant to healthcare. 
• Support students to plan, justify and implement an ethically sound, small-scale research project. 
• Develop students’ practical competence in using appropriate research methods, tools and data analysis techniques. 
• Enhance students’ ability to interpret findings critically and relate them to existing literature and practice. 
• Build students’ confidence in writing up and presenting research for academic and practitioner audiences. 

This module examines how disruptions to normal human structure and physiological function contribute to the development of common diseases affecting major body systems. Building on students’ prior learning in anatomy, physiology and core bioscientific principles from Years 1 and 2, the module shifts focus from understanding how the healthy body functions to analysing how and why pathological changes occur. Students investigate key mechanisms of disease and apply this knowledge to explain the development and progression of selected conditions. The module also introduces foundational epidemiological concepts and measures, enabling students to enabling students to connect individual level mechanisms with broader trends and risks.

Aims:

• Consolidate and extend prior knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and bioscience by applying it to core mechanisms of disease at cellular, tissue, organ, and system levels. 
• Develop students’ understanding of the pathophysiological processes underlying common conditions affecting major body systems. 
• Introduce and embed basic epidemiological concepts and measures as tools for interpreting patterns of health and disease in populations. 
• Foster the ability to integrate mechanistic (pathophysiological) and epidemiological perspectives when explaining how diseases develop, progress, and impact health. 
• Encourage clear, structured communication of disease mechanisms and patterns of occurrence using appropriate scientific terminology and reasoning. 

This module prepares final year students to lead and manage safe, person-centred practice within contemporary healthcare settings, explores how everyday leadership and management decisions shape the quality of care. It examines what quality means in healthcare from the perspective of different stakeholders such as service users, families, staff, organisations and regulators, and how cultures of quality improvement and learning are created and sustained at the front line. Students will examine how leadership and management theories translate into managing people, resources and care processes, and will work together on a group project and individual reflection to develop and demonstrate teamwork, leadership and a personal commitment to continuous improvement, regardless of formal role.

Aims:

• Develop a critical understanding of leadership and management theories and frameworks, and how they inform the practical leadership of teams and day-to-day practice. 
• Deepen their understanding of quality as a multidimensional concept (safety, effectiveness, person centredness, equity, efficiency and timeliness) and how it is experienced by different stakeholders. 
• Build confidence in managing practice (delegation, prioritisation, coordination, communication and resource use) in ways that promote a culture of quality improvement, learning and psychological safety. 
• Strengthen their ability to use simple quality and service management tools, working with others to plan, implement and review improvements in practice. 
• Enhance their capacity for critical reflection on their own and others’ leadership, followership and contribution to a culture of high-quality, continuously improving care in any role. 

This optional module explores the therapeutic role of exercise in maintaining health, managing chronic conditions and supporting rehabilitation after injury or illness focusing on how exercise affects individuals at various stages of life. The unit will foster understanding of exercise science principles and equip students with practical skills in designing and adapting exercise programs to meet the specific needs of diverse populations, from childhood to old age. This module will prepare students who aim to progress to postgraduate courses and pursue careers in allied health professions where exercise plays a crucial role. 

Aims:

• Develop a foundational understanding of exercise science principles and how exercise influences health, function and wellbeing across the life course. 
• Build knowledge of the therapeutic use of exercise in preventing illness, managing chronic conditions and supporting rehabilitation after injury or illness. 
• Gain practical skills in designing, adapting and safely progressing basic exercise programmes to meet the needs of diverse individuals and groups, from childhood to older adulthood. 
• Reflect on how learning from the module can support future applications to postgraduate programmes and careers in allied health professions where exercise is a key component of practice.