Psychology

The Department of Psychology is considered one of the core departments within the College of Education at King Abdulaziz University. Its roots date back to 1407 AH, when the College offered the Educational Diploma Program, and the Educational Psychology Division was responsible for delivering most of its courses. The department has witnessed continuous development over the decades through the establishment of several distinctive academic programs that have contributed to the preparation of specialized professionals in the fields of psychological and educational counseling. These include the Higher Diploma in Educational Guidance and Counseling in 1425 AH to preparing psychological and educational counselors, followed by the Master’s Program in Educational Guidance and Counseling during 1429–1430 AH, offered through coursework and a research project. In addition, new Master’s programs in Educational Administration and Instructional Technology were introduced, leading to the program being renamed the Graduate Educational Studies Program in 1435 AH.The department also launched the first distance-learning Master’s cohort in the Kingdom during 1431–1433 AH in the field of Educational Guidance and Counseling. This was followed by the transformation of the program into the Institute of Graduate Educational Studies in 1437 AH and the renaming of the unit to the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling. In 1439 AH, a thesis-based Master’s program was introduced and the first cohort was admitted. Subsequently, the Institute was transformed into the College of Graduate Educational Studies in 1440 AH, becoming the first college in the Kingdom to carry this designation. In 1441 AH, the PhD program in Psychological and Educational Counseling was established and the first cohort was admitted. The department continues to develop new programs that meet the needs of the educational field, such as a Master’s program in Measurement and Evaluation, a Master’s program in School Counseling, and a Master’s program in Addiction Counseling and Treatment, in order to keep pace with contemporary developments in educational psychology and counseling and to meet the needs of professionals in educational and counseling roles.