The Department of Psychology was established in 1972 and for many years served as the only comprehensive center for training psychologists in Central Asia and Kazakhstan.
A significant contribution to the establishment of the department was made by its head, Professor Mahamad Vokhidovich Vokhidov. By 1990, around 800 specialists had graduated from the psychology department. Among the graduates are prominent scholars such as V.M. Karimova, F.R. Abdurakhmonov, and I.E. Khudoyberdiev, who defended doctoral dissertations. Most graduates are currently working in various sectors of the national economy and in government administration.
The department has trained students from Cuba, Nicaragua, Mexico, Vietnam, Laos, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Yemen, the Arab Republic of Egypt, Angola, Mali, as well as from almost all republics of the former Soviet Union. The department has prepared more than 150 specialists for foreign countries.
Until 1976, the department was known as the “Department of Logic and Psychology” and operated within the faculties of philology and history. Since 1976, it has functioned as an independent Department of Psychology.
Students were taught by distinguished professors from major scientific centers such as Moscow, Leningrad (Saint Petersburg), and Novosibirsk, including B.F. Lomov, G.M. Andreeva, K. Vekker, K.M. Gurevich, I.V. Ravich-Shcherba, L.A. Petrovskaya, T.V. Kudryavtsev, A.M. Matyushkin, and N.N. Danilova.
Currently, the department operates a specialized academic council for the defense of кандидат (PhD-equivalent) dissertations in psychology.
Over the years, the department has included faculty members such as E.G. Goziev, G.B. Shoumarov, R. Gaynuddinov, S. Akhunjanova, N.S. Safaev, V.A. Toirova, M.M. Mamatov, R.B. Galyamov, and P.P. Zimin.
Heads of the Department of Psychology:
1972–1978 — M. Vokhidov
1978–1982 — Z. Dushabaev
1982–2012 — E.G. Goziev
2012–2013 — A.I. Rasulov
2013–2014 — G.Q. Tulagonova
2014–2016 — N.M. Majidov
Since May 2016 — D.G. Muxamedova
In the current academic year, 1,933 students are enrolled in the undergraduate Psychology program (806 full-time, 725 part-time, 98 evening, 200 distance learning), along with 104 master’s students.
In the 2025/2026 academic year, the department employs 55 full-time faculty members and about 3 part-time instructors.
In recent years, more than 20 monographs and over 400 articles in national and international journals have been published. Additionally, more than 16 papers have been published in SCOPUS-indexed journals and conferences, and over 450 abstracts have been presented at national and international conferences.
Currently, cooperation agreements have been signed with Nihol NGO, Istiqbolli Avlod NGO, Baku State University, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Narikbayev University (Kazakhstan), and Sarsen Amanzholov East Kazakhstan University.
At present, the department is headed by Doctor of Psychological Sciences, Professor D.G. Muxamedova.
