The University of Tsukuba was founded in 1973 as part of the relocation of Tokyo University of Education. Other than educational organizations (schools, colleges and graduate schools), institutes were set up as research organizations in academic research fields. The Institute of Psychology was inaugurated in April 1975, mainly staffed by the teachers at the Psychology Department of the Tokyo University of Education and the Education Counseling Research Laboratory attached to the university. Professor Kikuo Uchiyama was installed as the first head of the Institute of Psychology.

The Institute of Psychology at the University of Tsukuba originated in psychology classes held at the Tokyo University of Education, the Tokyo University of Culture and Science and the Tokyo Higher Normal School. Professor Matataro Matsumoto, Professor Kojiro Matsumoto and Professor Jintaro Ose were active at the Tokyo Higher Normal School. Professor Kan-ichi Tanaka, Professor Asataro Narasaki, Associate Professor Taro Takemasa and Assistant Arata Yoda taught psychology when the Tokyo University of Science and Culture was opened. These psychology classes expanded to six courses when the Tokyo University of Education was inaugurated. In the three Experimental Psychology courses, Professor Torao Obonai and Associate Professor Jiei Ogasawara were posted in the first course, Professor Katsumi Nakamura and Associate Professor Shoji Kamitake in the second course, and Professor Arata Yoda in the third. In the three Educational Psychology courses, Professor Sukezo Nakano and Associate Professor Eiichi Komiyama were posted in the fourth course and Professor Iwao Goto and Associate Professor Sadao Nagashima in the fifth, with Professor Kosuke Katsura in the sixth.

The transition from the Tokyo University of Education to the University of Tsukuba took several years because each university had students in the middle of their courses. Most of the teaching staff served concurrently at the Tokyo University of Education. However, this system was discontinued at the end of March 1978, when the transition was complete. During that transition period, the psychology laboratories and administrative offices rented rooms in the buildings for Faculty of Physical Education and then in the buildings for Masters’ courses in Arts before they settled in the buildings for Faculty of Human Sciences.

In its infancy, the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Tsukuba had eight professors, eight associate professors and six assistants. Now, more than 30 years since its inception, the faculty has some 30 researchers who are engaged in education and research in five fields: experimental psychology, educational psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology, and clinical psychology. The teaching staff at the Faculty of Psychology have long been involved with the education of students at the College of Human Sciences in the 2nd Cluster of Colleges, the Doctoral Program in Psychology , and the Master’s Program in Education. Japan’s first night course specifically for counseling was opened in 1989 to educate students who had full-time jobs. With the reorganization of the graduate school, the Doctoral Program in Psychology was abolished and 5-year unified graduate school education began in the courses of Psychology, Human-Care Sciences, and Kansei, Behavioral and Brain Sciences at the Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences. The colleges were reorganized and the College of Psychology, part of the School of Human Sciences, was newly established in 2007. The Graduate School of School of Human Sciences was transformed to the system of graduate programs in 2020. Faculty members teach graduate students in six programs for master’s and doctoral degrees.

Over the 30 years since its inception, the Faculty of Psychology has nurtured 2,000+ majors in Psychology at the College of Human Sciences, 400+ students in the Counseling course, and 250+ students in doctoral and master’s courses, 80+ students with Ph.Ds earned through coursework and a thesis, and 80+ students with a Ph.D earned through research and a thesis. Research and education in psychology at University of Tsukuba are currently conducted at more than one independent organization, but the Faculty of Psychology is playing a new role as their hub or platform.