As an academic unit of Xavier University, the College of Arts and Sciences commits to the holistic development of the students in order to form them into men and women of competence, conscience, and commitment, while actively responsive to the needs of the larger community of the country and the Asia-Pacific.

The College, through the general education courses, provides the students with the liberal and humanistic education to enable them to become broad-minded, to think clearly, critically and logically, as needed for life-long learning and decision-making in daily life.  The College of Arts and Sciences implements the Jesuit mission courses in Philosophy and Religious Studies to develop the specifically Christian and Ignatian character of the students.

The College offers degree programs in AB History/International Studies/Political Science, AB English, AB Filipino, AB Philosophy, AB Economics, AB Sociology, BS Psychology, BS Mathematics, BS Chemistry, BS Biology and Marine Biology. Through its apostolates of teaching, research, advocacy and community extension services, the College commits to continuously work with and for the community in the pursuit of truth and of social concerns, the improvement of linkages and relationships of people in Northern Mindanao, and the preservation of culture and environment in Mindanao in particular and the Philippines in general.

In sum, the College of Arts and Sciences, as an integral part of the Filipino, Catholic and Jesuit academic community of Xavier University, strives to uphold academic excellence and to pursue justice by forming men and women of conscience, competence, commitment, and compassion in the promotion of peace and development for the service of God and the Filipino people.  

Psychology is known as the “scientific study of behaviour and mental processes”. In line with the nature of psychology, the BS Psychology program of Xavier University aims to provide students with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitude for jobs that may involve interpersonal relations, ethics and research, mental health and psychological welfare and development and functioning of the person, the group, the community and organizations or institutions. The program embodies the university’s core values of competence, conscience and commitment through its courses and through encouraging students to become actively involved in working for the marginalized community. In addition, the program prepares students for further study in fields such as law, business and management and medicine.

The Department of Psychology aims to provide quality education to its students, thus producing critical thinkers and service-oriented graduates whose critical role in the society is to understand human behavior and other psychological phenomena.

The MA Psychology program intends to produce compassionate, conscientious and competent psychologists who can help individuals and groups in different settings or fields. Specifically, the program intends to equip students the skills that are necessary for them to be able to practice psychological assessment and diagnosis, individual and group counseling and psychological research, particularly in the community.

The graduate program, furthermore, prepares students so that they may have experience that may help them become recognized by well-regarded and purposeful psychological associations as certified practitioners in their field of specialization.

Mentoring

MA PSYC also has a mentoring program wherein faculty members help students keep track of their academic progress & at the same time see the value of being men & women for others. Likewise, the mentoring program encourages students to engage in research that emphasizes the community & the themes of the university’s research & social outreach endeavour namely:  Environment, Food Security, Good Governance, Health & Sanitation, & Peace.

Curriculum

Undergraduate Prerequisites (12 units)

Psy 23 General Psychology
Psy 33 Personality Psychology
Psy 41 Fundamental Statistics
Psy 53 Research in Psychology

Core Subjects (9 units)

Psy 201 Development of Psychological Thoughts
Psy 202 Advance Statistics
Psy 203 Advance Research

Major Subjects (18 units)

Psy 216 Group Process
Psy 230 Psychological Testing 1.1
Psy 204 Principle and Techniques of Counseling
Psy 210 Advance Social Psychology
Psy 254 Advance Theories of Personality
Psy 270 Psychology of Attitude

Electives (3 units)

Psy 271 Social Influence
Psy 273 Social Issues
Psy 272 Applied Social Psychology
Psy 274 Social Cognition
Psy 221 Introduction to Psychotherapy
Psy 223 Marriage and Family Therapy
Psy 206 Projective Techniques
Psy 215 Pastoral Counseling
Psy 231 Objective Personality Tests
Psy 207 Advance Abnormal Psychology
Psy 208 Advance Developmental Psychology

Practicum (3 units)

Psy 229 Field Practicum

Comprehensive Exams

Thesis writing and oral defense (6 units)

XU Psychology Department is faithful to the vision mission of the university. Students are trained to be responsive of the issues confronted by the different communities of Mindanao specifically issues related to peace, mental health, and well-being.

The department's integrative framework aimed at strengthening psychosocial competencies that helps preserve and maintain wellness among individuals in the community. Specifically, programs and curriculum content are designed in ways that promote and enhance the cognitive, emotional, social, and spiritual competencies of individuals.

Side by side with the promotion of competencies, the department sees the need to give equal value and importance on scientific researches and explorations. Scientific outputs are building blocks of knowledge in serving the community.

Vision-Mission

XU Psychology program intends to produce compassionate, conscientious and competent psychologists and psychometricians who can help individuals and groups in different settings or fields. Specifically, the program intends to equip students the skills that are necessary for them to be able to practice psychological assessment and diagnosis, individual and group counseling and psychological research, particularly in the community.

Student-Teacher Relationship

The faculty members value student-teacher relationship and try to ensure that students attain holistic growth and development so that they may become proud of who they are and who they will become while at the same time maintaining good and humble hearts.  

Community Engagement

MA Psychology students are encouraged to serve people from all walks of life particularly the marginalized members of the community. They are able to do this through joining activities such as disaster response, psycho-education in change management and psychosocial processing that are facilitated or organized by the department.

Research and Publication

Students are required to engage in research studies/thesis that can be granted funding by the Kinaadman Research Center, the university’s “main arm for research development and management”. To date, the department has had 15 research studies (both Graduate and Undergraduate) that were funded by KRC, 4 of which have been published by the same body and 1 of which has been published internationally.