Announcements

Recent News

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Recent News ~

ICUP Team Shares the Model Across Three International Conferences

by Susan Nolan, Ph.D. | September 28, 2026

In July, 2026, more than 20 members of the ICUPO and IRGUPO (from Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Serbia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States) presented work related to the International Competences for Undergraduate Psychology (ICUP) in Florence, Italy, at the back-to-back International Council of Psychology Educators (ICOPE) and International Congress of Applied Psychology (ICAP) conferences. Several of these team members, joined by colleagues from China, India, and the Philippines then conducted a panel on ICUP at the virtual Asia Psychology Learning and Teaching (AsiaPLAT) conference in August, 2026.  

The team continues to develop and disseminate resources for psychology educators and leaders to use in the classroom or for program and curriculum development. See the Our Works and Resources section of this website.

As we previously announced, the International Competences for Undergraduate Psychology (ICUP) Model was published in American Psychologist, the flagship journal of the American Psychological Association (Nolan et al., 2026, https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001687). (APA has provided full text for free on ResearchGate. In addition, the model itself, along with related resources, is also available open access at https://osf.io/6y38x/overview.)

The ICUP Model Published in American Psychologist

by Susan Nolan, Ph.D. | June 15, 2026

We are pleased to announce that the International Competences for Undergraduate Psychology (ICUP) Model has been published in American Psychologist, the flagship journal of the American Psychological Association. (The model itself, along with related resources, is also available open access at https://osf.io/6y38x/overview.) The article, co-authored by the full ICUPO Committee and IRGUPO members, presents the ICUP as a globally relevant framework offering a reference point for the reflection and development of foundational undergraduate psychology programs across diverse international settings. The model, developed through systematic and inclusive processes of scholarship, collaboration, and consultation with 120 contributors across 47 nations, is grounded in the concepts of psychological literacy and global citizenship.

Nolan, S. A., Cranney, Narciss, S., J., Goedeke, S., Machin, M. A., de Souza, L. K., Gullifer, J., Job, R., Hulme, J. A., Jia, F., Boeta Madera, V., Foster, L., Iliescu, D., Ju, X., Kojima, H., Kumar, A., Reyes, M. E. S., Tchombe, T. M. S., Waitoki, W., & IRGUPO.1 (2026). International Competences for Undergraduate Psychology (ICUP): A constructive shift for psychology? American Psychologist. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001687

ICUPO at Upcoming Conferences — Summer 2026

by Susan Nolan, Ph.D. | May 5, 2026

ICUPO will be represented at several exciting conferences this summer. Here's where you can find us:

Association for Psychological Science International Conference 📍 Barcelona, Spain | May 2026 Two posters featuring ICUPO work.

‍ICOPE (International Council of Psychology Educators) Conference 📍 Florence, Italy | July 20, 2026 ICUPO will deliver a keynote and workshop. Learn more

‍ICAP 2026 (International Congress of Applied Psychology) 📍 Florence, Italy | July 21–26, 2026 Two ICUPO symposia. Learn more

‍AsiaPLAT / NPTC 2026 💻 Online | August 6–8, 2026 (Abstract submission deadline: May 20) Learn more and submit

Interested in connecting with ICUPO at any of these events? Write to us at ICUPOproject@gmail.com.‍

New article on the ICUP in the Eye on Psi Chi

by Valerie Sorrentino | January 8, 2026

Authors Valerie Sorrentino, psychology undergraduate student at Seton Hall University (USA), and Susan Nolan, co-founder of the ICUPO, published an article in the Eye on Psi Chi, 2025 Winter edition: “The International Competences for Undergraduate Psychology: A Checklist to Help Make the Most of Your Degree Program”. This article introduces the ICUP Model as a new tool that can improve the quality of psychology undergraduate education through a focus on the development of psychology-relevant values and skills, particularly cultural responsiveness and collaboration, that will be beneficial in a range of contexts. The authors encourage the use of the clickable International Competences Checklist as a resource to help students and educators to identify and reflect on their goals and achievements throughout their undergraduate psychology program.

Citation: Sorrentino, V., & Nolan, S.A., (2025, Winter). The International Competences for Undergraduate Psychology: A Checklist to Help Make the Most of Your Degree Program. Eye on Psi Chi, 30(2), 48-51. https://doi.org/10.24839/2164-9812.Eye30.2.48.

Final ICUP Model Preprint Document and New Surveys for Students and Educator

by Susan Nolan, Ph.D. | April 15, 2025

The ICUPO team launched the latest and final version of the International Competences for Undergraduate Psychology (ICUP) Model preprint in January 2025. We are grateful to the whole team – ICUPO and IRGUPO alike – as well as all of the psychology educators around the world who contributed throughout the process, which began in October 2022.

We are excited to launch our educator and student surveys and hope many of you will participate in this research, which is approved by the Seton Hall University (SHU) Institutional Review Board (thanks to research assistants/SHU students George Perron and Leah Chatmon for their help with the Qualtrics programming). See the survey link along the top, as well as the survey buttons below the welcome on this page, for more information and to participate.

Finally, we are grateful to ICUPO research assistant and SHU Student Valerie Sorrentino for creating the new and expanded version of the website that you are on now.

New article on the ICUP and other competence models, including the APA’s Guidelines, 3.0

by Susan Nolan, Ph.D. | January 15, 2025

An international team published a recent paper in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning that features the International Competences for Undergraduate Psychology (ICUP): https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2025-33203-001. The team included the members of the ICUPO and IRGUPO who were also involved with the development of the American Psychological Association’s Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major, 3.0 (Guidelines 3.0). In the paper, we examine international aspects of Guidelines 3.0, as well as several other competence frameworks used around the world, noting similarities and differences among the models. We also introduce the ICUP as the first international framework developed for undergraduate psychology curricula.

Citation: Nolan, S. A., Cranney, J., Jia, F., Sokolová, L., Selvam, S. G., Dunn, D. S., Mena, J. A., Richmond, A. S., Machin, M. A., & Yahiiaiev, I. (2024). Going global: Intersections of the American Psychological Association’s Guidelines 3.0 with international foundational competence framework. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000409

Gamma.R2 released in September 2024

by Valerie Sorrentino | October 7, 2024

The ICUPO released the latest model, the Gamma.R2 version of the International Competences for Undergraduate Psychology (ICUP) on September 18th on the OSF platform – preprint at https://osf.io/6y38x/. The Gamma R2 presents additional minor language updates and clarification in response to ongoing feedback from global psychology educators. We are grateful to our colleagues from global and national psychology organizations who continue to share their experience and expertise during this iterative process.

Several members of the ICUPO and IRGUPO in the U.S. will present on implications of the latest model for U.S. psychology on Friday, October 11, in Louisville, Kentucky, at the Society for the Teaching of Psychology’s Annual Conference on Teaching (ACT). In addition, several members of the Seton Hall University (NJ, USA) Department of Psychology will present separately at the ACT on their ongoing curriculum redesign that reflects both the new ICUP and the American Psychological Association’s Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major 3.0.

For additional information, email susan.nolan@shu.edu or use the Contact Us button on this page

Gamma Version of the ICUP to be launched at ICP

by Susan Nolan, Ph.D. | June 29, 2024

The latest (Gamma) version of the International Competences in Undergraduate Psychology (ICUP) will be shared at the International Congress of Psychology (ICP) in Prague in July 2024. This version was developed after extensive input from the International Reference Group on Undergraduate Psychology Outcomes (IRGUPO) advisory group and from attendees at workshops, conferences, and other presentations in numerous countries.

At ICP, members of the International Committee on Undergraduate Psychology Outcomes (ICUPO) will share the latest model in two venues – a symposium on 23 July from 1 – 2:30 p.m. and a discussion on 24 July from 3:15 – 4:45 p.m. Several IRGUPO members will also be present for these discussions. We encourage ICP attendees to join us for discussion of the competence model. Following ICP, the team will finalize the model for dissemination and endorsement between August and November 2024. For additional information, email susan.nolan@shu.edu or use the Contact Us button on this page.

ICUP Gamma.R1 Version Released in August 2024 Following Feedback at Four International Conferences

by Valerie Sorrentino | September 10, 2024

14 members of the ICUPO and approximately 20 members of the IRGUPO advisory group attended at least one of four international conferences, as well as an additional workshop. At these venues, a number of these members presented the work that had resulted in the International Competences for Undergraduate Psychology (ICUP), and we received thoughtful and insightful feedback from conference attendees.

As a result of this feedback, several updates were made to the model, which is now the Gamma R1 version of ICUP. 

These presentations occurred at the following conferences:

  • The 2024 Biennial international Seminar on the Teaching of Psychological Science (BISTOPS) in Paris in early July, 2024

  • The Bühler Talk at the Technische Universität Dresden (Dresden University of Technology) in mid-July, 2024 (as part of an ICUP-focused workshop organized by ICUPO member Dr. Susanne Narciss)

  • The International Council of Psychologists 82nd Annual Meeting: Human Rights, Dignity, and Justice: Empowerment for All in Prague later in July, 2024

  • The International Congress of Psychology (ICP): Psychology for the Future: Together in Hope in Prague in late July, 2024

  • The Inaugural AsiaPLAT conference: International Perspectives on Psychology Learning and Teaching, organized by ICUPO member Dr. Aneesh Kumar, in Bengaluru in early August, 2024

For additional information, email susan.nolan@shu.edu or use the Contact Us button on this page.

ICUP Beta.R2

by Susan Nolan, Ph.D. | April 3, 2024

After input from multiple psychology organizations and individual psychology educators, as well as our International Reference Group on Undergraduate Psychology Outcomes (IRGUPO), the ICUPO has released the Beta.R2 version of the International Competences for Undergraduate Psychology (ICUP) on the OSF platform – preprint at osf.io/6y38x.

We are in the process of another global outreach process aimed at eliciting additional input before we finalize the model in August 2024. We welcome your comments by May 7, either via email to Susan Nolan at susan.nolan@shu.edu or the Contact tab on this website. We will share the final version of the document at the International Congress of Psychology in Prague in July, and then will begin the process of dissemination and seeking endorsements. (The ICUP is the intellectual property of ICUPO.)

Model renamed: ICUP

by Susan Nolan, Ph.D. | Februrary 2, 2024

Since the initial iteration of the international competence model, posted as a preprint in July, 2023, we have renamed the model. It is now the International Competences for Undergraduate Psychology (ICUP). Since that time, we also elicited extensive feedback from our advisory group, the International Reference Group on Undergraduate Psychology Outcomes (IRGUPO) via survey and virtual meetings. We also garnered valuable input from numerous colleagues during presentations at conferences or universities in a number of countries. As a result, a revised version of the ICUP was shared on our OSF platform in early January, 2024: https://osf.io/6y38x/. We are in the process of a global outreach process aimed at eliciting additional input before we finalize the model in August 2024. We welcome your comments, either via email to Susan Nolan at susan.nolan@shu.edu or the Contact tab on this website. (The ICUP is the intellectual property of ICUPO.)

IUFPC Model

by George Perron | October 10, 2023

ICUPO has completed a final draft of the Beta version of the International Undergraduate Foundational Psychology Competencies (IUFPC) Model, which can be accessed here.  The IUFPC is the intellectual property of ICUPO (please contact Susan Nolan, Susan.Nolan@shu.edu).