In the APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology
Major, approved by the American Psychological Association in 2013, the APA’s
Council of Representatives identified five learning goals and outcomes for
undergraduate Psychology majors. (Please see APA Guidelines for Majors 2.0 for
a full description of these learning goals or APA Learning Goals Infographic
for an abbreviated version.)
- Knowledge
base. Students should be able to:
- describe key concepts, principles, and
overarching themes in psychology,
- develop a working knowledge of psychology’s
content domains, and
- describe applications of psychology.
- Scientific
inquiry and critical thinking. Students should be able to
- use scientific reasoning to interpret
psychological phenomena,
- demonstrate psychology information
literacy,
- engage in innovative and integrative
thinking and problem solving,
- interpret, design, and conduct basic
psychological research, and
- incorporate sociocultural factors in
scientific inquiry.
- Ethical
and social responsibility in a diverse world. Students should be able to
- apply ethical standards to evaluate
psychological science and practice,
- build and enhance interpersonal
relationships, and
- adopt values that build community at
local, national, and global levels.
- Communication.
Students should be able to
- demonstrate effective writing for different
purposes,
- exhibit effective presentation skills for
different purposes, and
- interact effectively with others.
- Professional
development. Students should be able to
- apply psychological content and skills to
career goals,
- exhibit self-efficacy and
self-regulation,
- refine project-management skills,
- enhance teamwork capacity, and
- develop meaningful professional direction
for life after graduation.