What is Undergraduate Psychology Education For? A Comparative Analysis of International Frameworks in Transitional Higher Education Contexts  

Undergraduate psychology programs are increasingly expected to demonstrate coherence, accountability, and alignment with broader educational and professional standards. In contexts where national frameworks are absent, however, curricular development may be shaped by implicit and potentially incompatible educational logics. This paper examines this problem through the case of Albania, where undergraduate psychology programs have expanded rapidly without a shared framework to guide their purpose, structure, or outcomes. Adopting a qualitative and analytic comparative approach, the study analyzes three influential international models: the APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major (Version 3.0), the International Competences for Undergraduate Psychology (ICUP), and the EuroPsy framework, across six dimensions: internal architecture, educational philosophy, pedagogical philosophy, unit of concern, graduate role, and assessment logic. The analysis demonstrates that these frameworks embody distinct educational logics: performance, formation, and authorization, which carry different implications for curriculum design, graduate identity, and the distribution of responsibility within higher education systems. The paper argues that, in the absence of strong institutional and regulatory infrastructures, the question of framework alignment is not merely technical but conceptual and ethical. It concludes that making such alignment explicit is essential for ensuring coherence, accountability, and the development of graduates capable of functioning responsibly within transitional higher education contexts.

undergraduate psychology education, higher education reform, Albania, ICUP, APA Guidelines 3.0, EuroPsy, curriculum models

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