Part Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. No

Candidates may apply for admission to the Masters in Mindfulness Based Interventions if they have the following:

• At least an upper second class honours bachelor’s degree or equivalent
• Have completed at least one 8 week MBCT / MBSR training programme, a commitment towards engaging in daily personal mindfulness practice, prior participation in a silent residential retreat is desirable
• Have access and support from their work setting, to a clinical/educational population with whom they can deliver an 8 week MBCT/MBSR course in Year II

The purpose of the MSc in Mindfulness Based Interventions in UCD is to train mindfulness teachers to deliver Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to the highest standards. Students are supported to do this through experiential learning where the development of the student’s personal mindfulness practice is central.  This is combined with small group didactic learning where emphasis is placed on acquisition of critical, reflective thinking skills and integration of theory and practice. Knowledge is developed through studying core areas considered essential to teaching mindfulness based interventions; beginning with the core foundations of mindfulness based interventions and progressing through philosophical, psychological, theoretical, ethical and experiential aspects of becoming a mindfulness teacher. Assessments are based on a diversity of methods and learning culminates through demonstrating an ability to deliver a standard MBCT/MBSR 8 week course in year 2.

• Commence teaching MBCT/MBSR training programmes to the highest standards.
• Demonstrate that they have integrated a range of skills necessary to teach MBCT/MBSR (as detailed in the MBI-Teaching Assessment Criteria).
• Demonstrate the integration of a coherent understanding of the history and evolution of mindfulness based interventions.
• Embody the principles and pratices of mindfulness in their daily personal and professional lives.
• Teach mindfulness based intervention in the students existing domain of professional practice such as education, organisational, or clinical.
• The development of enhanced reflective and interpersonal skills and the development of critical thinking skills.

View All Modules Here

The first year of the course is designed to develop student’s knowledge of theory, research, and clinical applications of MBI. This will be blended with the development of the student’s personal mindfulness meditation practice. The primary academic focus of Year I will centre on:

• Developing a personal mindfulness meditation practice via direct experience of the 8-week MBCT programme. This includes opportunities for reflection, and a requirement for regular meditation practice between teaching blocks
• The Buddhist background to clinical mindfulness based interventions
• The history & evolution of psychological interventions for emotional & psychiatric disorders
• The emerging field of third wave psychological interventions and positive psychology
• The research underpinning MBIs – understanding and critically evaluation of the research
• The neuroscience and physiology of mindfulness 

Residential Training Retreat
This 5-day intensive residential training will provide students with the opportunity to deepen personal mindfulness meditation practice and to blend this with the practice teaching elements of MBCT/MBSR using in vivo feedback from other participants and from instructors.

The second year of the course is designed to further develop the student’s knowledge of theory, research, and clinical applications of MBIs. Blending this with the development of the student’s personal mindfulness meditation practice continues to be a core tenet of the programme. The primary academic focus of Year II will be:

• How to guide MBCT/MBSR mindfulness meditations
• How to conduct mindfulness inquiry
• Integrating personal mindfulness practice with teaching a class
• Understanding the centrality of self-compassion in teaching mindfulness
• Self-care and the mindfulness teacher
• Assessing participant suitability for MBCT/MBSR
• How to plan for and accommodate particular populations
• Understanding the theory & practice of group process
• Mindfulness in organizational settings: The challenges and opportunities
• Mindfulness & Leadership

Residential Training Retreat

This intensive residential training will provide the opportunity for students to blend and deepen teaching skills, personal mindfulness meditation, attitudes and competencies learned over Year 1 and 2.

Students will be required to complete an MBCT/MBSR Practice Project towards the end of Year 2. This will require the delivery and evaluation an 8 week MBCT/MBSR course to an appropriate client group in their own place of work, with supervision from course tutors. A written report along with audiovisual recordings will be required.

MSc Mindfulness Based Interventions (W323) Part Time
EU          Year 1 - € 9980
nonEU    Year 1 - € 10760
EU          Year 2 - € 9600 ^aa
nonEU    Year 2 - € 10450 <sup>aa

aa</sup>Second Year Fee applies to Students in 2nd Year in 2023 and who were a 1st Year Student on the programme in 2022/23
***Fees are subject to change

Tuition fee information is available on the UCD Fees website. Please note that UCD offers a number of graduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD graduate degree programme. For further information please see International Scholarships.

Up to 15 students are admitted to the Masters in Mindfulness Based Interventions each year.  Applicants in the first instance may contact Mary Boyle to indicate their interest in applying. Applicants may apply for the programme online at www.ucd.ie/apply

Candidates may apply for admission to the Masters in Mindfulness Based Interventions if they have the following:

• At least an upper second class honours bachelor’s degree or equivalent


• Have completed at least one 8 week MBCT / MBSR training programme, a commitment towards engaging in daily personal mindfulness practice, prior participation in a silent residential retreat is desirable


• Have access and support from their work setting, to a clinical/educational population with whom they can deliver an 8 week MBCT/MBSR course in Year II

Barry Costello
MSc., B.A., MACI, MMTAI

The MSc in Mindfulness Based Interventions in UCD is an excellent course. What made this study different from other academic programmes I have completed, was the experiential learning that supported me and my class in developing a meditation practice and deeper understanding of mindfulness. The teaching faculty has many years of experience, they offer loads of wisdom and support along the journey. Having completed the programme many avenues have opened in my career, the learning has also had huge benefits for me in my personal life.

The following entry routes are available: