TSU professor warns psychology qualification may be excluded from master’s reform

A professor at Tbilisi State University has warned that psychology may effectively be removed as a professional qualification under ongoing higher education reforms.

Marine Chitashvili said in a social media post that, under a ministerial order issued as part of the current reform, psychology is not included in the list of 120-credit master’s degree programmes.

Chitashvili stressed this would effectively eliminate the possibility of training qualified psychologists in Georgia, as the minimum requirement for obtaining the qualification is five to six years of study.

She called on colleagues and the wider academic community to appeal to the Ministry of Education and request amendments to include psychology in the 120-credit master’s programme list.

“This concerns everyone,” she wrote, urging supporters to express their readiness to jointly address the ministry.

Chitashvili noted that psychology had been taught at Tbilisi State University since its founding in 1918, at a time when only around 30 universities worldwide offered psychology programmes.

“After 108 years, we now need to ask the authorities not to abolish psychology as a qualification,” she wrote.