Goals

The general objective of the Degree in Psychology is to train professionals with the scientific knowledge necessary to understand, interpret, analyse and explain human behaviour and with the basic skills and abilities to evaluate and intervene in individual and social situations throughout the human lifecycle, for the purposes of promoting and improving health and quality of life. To achieve these objectives, graduates must demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of:

1. The different approaches and theoretical traditions that have contributed to the historical development of psychology, along with their influence on the production of knowledge and professional practices, for the purposes of promoting the quality of life of people and of society.
2. The biological foundations of human behaviour and of psychological functions.
3. The cultural and anthropological factors and psychosocial principles involved in the behaviour of individuals, groups and organisations.
4. The designs, methods and techniques of research, the procedures for formulating and contrasting hypotheses, and the interpretation of results.
5. The diverse applications of psychology and the knowledge necessary to promote quality of life in individuals, groups and organisations in different contexts: educational, clinical and health, work and organisations, and community.

General and specific competences

Royal Decree 1393/2007 sets out the basic competences that must be acquired by students on all degree courses. The remaining competences are as follows:

• Students must demonstrate that they have acquired the knowledge required in a specific field of study, which is initially developed on the basis of their general secondary education, and that they have both drawn on information in textbooks and on the very latest information resources to attain the level of competence required of them.
• Students must know how to apply their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional manner and demonstrate that they have acquired the competences required of them through the elaboration and defence of arguments and problem solving in their field of study.
• Students must have the capacity to gather and interpret relevant data in their field of study to make judgements that take social, scientific and ethical issues into consideration.
• Students must be able to transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions to both expert and lay audiences.
• Students must have developed the learning skills necessary to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.