History

The Psychology Study Program, Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University was successfully initiated and established by the Department of Behavioral Sciences, one of the 27 departments within the Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University. The existence of psychology as a discipline at the Faculty of Medicine had developed even before 1980 and was formalized through the establishment of the Department of Behavioral Sciences. Since then, the Department has carried out its main activities in accordance with the Tri Dharma of Higher Education, encompassing education, research and scientific development, as well as community service in the field of psychology.

In terms of community service, the Department of Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University has extensive experience in addressing community needs related to psychological consultation. The department is recognized as a pioneer of psychological service provision in Bali. Its engagement in psychological consultation services has been ongoing for more than 20 years, with each faculty member practicing psychology professionally. Consequently, the department has accumulated diverse experience in psychological services. It is therefore expected that the establishment of the Psychology Study Program will further enrich and expand the existing psychological services as a form of noble contribution to the people of Bali and Indonesia.

The Psychology Study Program was officially established on February 6, 2009, based on the Surat Keputusan Direktur Jenderal Pendidikan Tinggi Depdiknas Nomor: 137/D/T/2009. The program was initiated by the faculty members of the Department of Behavioral Sciences, who also formed the core team for developing the Psychology Study Program in the future. The establishment of this program aimed to meet the growing demand for psychology graduates in Bali and its surrounding regions. The academic community of Udayana University, particularly the founding team of the Psychology Study Program, shared a noble vision—to produce psychology graduates with strong academic ability, innovation, and productivity in providing psychological services to society, while upholding professional conduct, broad knowledge, comprehensive understanding of psychological concepts, and the ability to conduct and develop research beneficial to the community.

The aspirations of the Psychology Study Program are reflected in its vision, mission, and objectives. The vision of the Psychology Study Program, Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University is to become a higher education institution that produces excellent, independent, and culturally grounded human resources in the development and application of psychology for society, with competitiveness at national and international levels. The mission is to empower the Psychology Study Program as a higher education institution that conducts education, research, and community service at national and international standards based on science, technology, and cultural values that respond to societal needs. The objective of the Psychology Study Program is to become a high-quality higher education institution that produces graduates who demonstrate professional conduct, possess national and international competitiveness, and are capable of conducting research and community service activities based on science, technology, and cultural values in an open, creative, innovative, and productive manner.

Initially, the curriculum of the Psychology Study Program referred to the outcomes of the 17th Indonesian Psychology Colloquium held in Semarang in 2007. The curriculum developed by the Faculty of Medicine emphasized psychology in the health context, while also incorporating other branches of psychology such as Developmental Psychology, Social Psychology, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and Educational Psychology. These five fields of expertise were integrated into the core courses (77 credits, including 71 credits of psychology courses and 6 credits for thesis), compulsory local courses (53 credits), and elective local courses (14 out of 40 credits). Consequently, students are required to complete a minimum of 144 credits over an average of four years of study, leading to the degree of Bachelor of Psychology (S.Psi). The learning system implemented in the program follows the semester credit system with a student-centered, competency-based approach.

In mid-2015, the Psychology Study Program conducted a curriculum redesign workshop referring to the Keputusan Asosiasi Penyelenggara Pendidikan Tinggi Psikologi Indonesia (AP2TPI) No. 01/Kep/AP2TPI/2015 which amended the Surat Keputusan Asosiasi Penyelenggara Pendidikan Tinggi Psikologi Indonesia (AP2TPI) No. 01/Kep/AP2TPI/2013  on the Core Curriculum for Undergraduate Psychology Programs. This revised curriculum placed greater emphasis on learning outcomes and the intended graduate profiles of the Psychology Study Program, as well as on feedback from employers gathered through tracer studies. The resulting curriculum structure consisted of courses in basic theory, excellence focus, assessment and intervention, measurement and research, and personal development and soft skills.

Following the AP2TPI 2019 Decree and the Merdeka Belajar–Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) policy issued by the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, the Psychology Study Program implemented a curriculum revision on October 9, 2020. The 2020 Curriculum consisted of courses on basic theory, excellence focus, assessment and intervention, measurement and research, personal development and soft skills, proposal seminar and thesis, general basic courses, interprofessional education courses, electives, and the Kampus Merdeka program.

Currently, the Undergraduate Psychology Study Program implements the 2022 Curriculum, which emphasizes the program’s focus on excellence in Cultural Health Psychology through courses such as Cultural-Based Health and Well-being Psychology, Transpersonal and Cultural Psychology, Health Behavior Management, and Culture and Occupational Health.

Finally, it is expected that this Study Program Handbook will serve as a guide to ensure the effective implementation of the Tri Dharma of Higher Education within the Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, enabling academic and administrative activities to run smoothly while addressing the needs of the faculty and the university, and contributing to the development and advancement of society as a whole.