Dire Dawa University psychology Department

As a Visitor to the Psychology Department website, the Department thought it was important to share our Vision and Mission with you. These are the statements that we believe in as a Department at Dire Dawa University. We hope you share our Vision and Mission as a Student of Psychology Department and supporter of our programs and centers.

NAME OF THE PROGRAM

Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology

BACKGROUND OF THE PROGRAM

Psychology as a discipline has gone through a number of remarkable developments in Ethiopia. The development of psychology in Ethiopia is highly attached with its historical beginnings and developments in Addis Ababa University. For the first time in its history, in 1962, following the establishment of the Faculty of Education, Psychology was officially formed as a Department with emphasis on Guidance and counselling so as to train school counsellors. And owing to the emphasis given to school counselling at the time, the name of the Department was “Department of Educational Psychology”.
Dire Dawa University began its first degree program in BA in Psychology in the year 2000 with seventeen students. The program was initiated on the following inter-related premises:

Dire Dawa University psychology Department

• The development of the Country demanded effective allocation and utilization of trained human power.
• Qualified people in guidance and counselling could help institutions to identify the interests, capabilities and attitudes of young people and direct their training in areas where they could be most productive.
• The Ethiopian school system was in serious need of trained persons to study and handle various academic as well as emotional problems of students and create a conducive atmosphere for effective teaching and learning.

The roles and functions of higher education in producing competent human resources with the necessary knowledge, attitudes, and skills are immense. Human resource development through higher education is of great importance for a successful social and economic development to take place. Thus, the Government of Ethiopia is now expanding the number of the Universities in the country. Together with the expansion of higher education in the country, Psychology Departments have been opened in various universities. These dozens of universities are producing graduates of general psychology who could serve in various areas of the world of work.
The importance of psychology in modern times is unquestionable. Psychology has earned recognition through its service in enhancing and preserving human happiness. Most importantly, it can become almost indispensable owing to such factors as rapid industrialization, urbanization, the change in the lifestyles of peoples, the influence of western culture, economic upheavals, the social, health, economic, and psychological effect of HIV/AIDS etc. Because of this and other related factors, life is becoming more complex and harder and beyond control for many people. Thus, in order to undertake psychological support to the needy, the development of the field of psychology has an enormous importance. Psychology program is aiming at producing well equipped and competent professionals that would serve the society in different domains and at various levels of governmental and non-governmental organizations.
Because of the dynamic nature of the curriculum, checking its relevance, revisiting, revising and improving it are important ways of marinating the quality of the curriculum. The need of curriculum development and revision could be initiated at different levels including the national need of the country.