Interested in studying the human behaviour? Psychology is a discipline that is based on the study of mental health and behaviour. Psychology courses can help you better understand how the mind works with subjects like nature of the mind, feelings, motives, reactions and processes of the brain. It also involves other disciplines including sociology, philosophy, biology, artificial intelligence, linguistics, etc.
There has been a growing demand for psychologists as people are realising the importance of emotional health. Because of the increasing workload and fast-paced life, professionals who have the capability of assessing and treating stress, anxiety, family issues and social problems are highly valued.
After completing graduation, candidates can either proceed with higher education psychology courses or opt for jobs to gain some experience. The job prospects include Case Manager, Child Care Worker, Laboratory Assistant, Psychiatric Technician, Rehabilitation Specialist, Advertising Agents, Sales Representative, and Social Service Specialists among other profiles.
Candidates who complete their MA in any of the different psychology courses can look forward to job profiles like Marketing research analysts, Advertising and public relations managers, Clinical social workers, Physicians, Special education teachers, Counsellors, Psychiatric Assistant, Community Relations Officer, Developmental Psychologist, Day-care Centre Supervisor or Clergymen.
MA Psychology candidates specialized in Clinical Psychology can also look for employment in accredited psychiatric nursing homes. Government hospitals, as well as NGO's, are also some of the options available to postgraduates in psychology.
Further, students who have achieved their master’s degree in any of the psychology courses can go in for advanced programs like MPhil and PhD courses. Several institutes like Allahabad University, Amity Institute of Behavioural Health and Applied Science in Uttar Pradesh, Amity University in Lucknow and others offer MPhil or PhD programs. Candidates looking forward to their admission in PhD or MPhil courses will have to pay around INR 50,000 per year for two years to nearly Rs. 3.5 lacs for two years.
Moreover, certificate psychology courses in child psychology and clinical psychology are available in India.
Knowing one’s own skills and attributes is the first and foremost step in moving forward with any career. Psychology courses require a certain skill set that helps candidates establish a basis on which they can work upon. There are some skills and traits like patience, good communication skills, a genuine interest in people’s behaviour and the ability to work with a wide variety of age demographic, that are common for all areas of psychology while others are quite a course specific.
Communication skills: For psychologists communication skills are very important, as they are required to interact directly with clients or patients. Candidates who specialise in research departments also need communication skills as they will need to present their research results and efficiently report their observations.
Patience: In all fields of psychology, patience is extremely helpful. If you are dealing with patients or professionals, you will need to handle the conversation with patience. Psychologists dealing with children and substance abuse patients, alcoholics and smokers, will need an extra layer of patience if they want to see the desired results.
Ethics: Psychologists need to be constantly dealing with other people. This endows them with a special responsibility and a code that they have to stick to.
Pragmatism: Psychologists need to be realistic and consider the practicality of beliefs and theories. They cannot always expect to get the perfect result.
Psychology courses can be studied right from the undergraduate level. Candidates can opt for psychology as an honours subject, which is offered by most universities in India. To enrol in a bachelor’s program in psychology, you need to have the 10+2 certification.
To get into colleges offering undergraduate in psychology courses, students must get through a cut-off list, which is the general criterion across Indian universities. After the results of intermediate exams are declared, students must fill a university application form for any of the psychology courses, wait for the cut-off percentage to be announced, and then apply to the colleges they prefer.
Psychology courses at the undergraduate level generally take three years.
In India, degree-level psychology courses include BA (Hons) Applied Psychology, BA (Hons) Psychology, BA (Journalism, Psychology and English), BA (Psychology) and BSc (Psychology).
Diploma psychology courses include Advanced Diploma in Child Psychology, Advanced Diploma in Counselling Psychology, Diploma in Applied Psychology and Diploma in Child Psychology.
Different colleges have different fee structures for undergraduate psychology courses. Candidates can expect to pay around INR 1,400 per year to INR 46,000 per year, for three years, depending on the institute they choose.
|
Type |
Duration |
Fee (INR) |
|
Bachelor’s Degree |
3 |
1,400 to 46,000 per year |
After graduation, candidates who want to pursue post-graduation can go for specialisation in various fields of psychology. Further, many renowned universities offer advanced psychology courses including MPhil or PhD.
Most of the universities allow admissions to postgraduate psychology courses - MA in Psychology - through entrance exams conducted by them. After clearing the entrance exams, the colleges conduct personal interviews as well. On the other hand, some universities take into account the candidate’s merit in qualifying exams. Fergusson College, Pune; IGNOU and Banasthali University, Jaipur are some of the colleges that admit based on the merit.
Candidates need to invest a minimum of two years towards achieving a Master’s degree in any of the psychology courses.
Postgraduate degree in psychology courses includes MA (Applied Psychology), MA (Counselling Psychology), MA (Hons) Psychology, MA (Psychology and Applied Psychology), MA (Psychology), MSc (Applied Psychology), MSc (Counselling Psychology), MSc (Psychological Counselling), MSc (Psychology) and MSc Applied Psychology (Military).
The postgraduate diploma courses include Post Graduate Diploma in Application in Psychology (PGDAP), Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Psychology, Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Psychology, Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling Psychology, Post Graduate Diploma in Family and Child Psychology, Post Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Counselling, Post Graduate Diploma in Rehabilitation Psychology, and Post Graduate Diploma in Sports Psychology.
Students who are moving towards their master’s degree program will have to pay around INR 3,100 per year to INR 40,000 per year, for two years. On the other hand, a distance MA in Psychology will cost INR 13,000 for two years at Indira Gandhi National Open University.
|
Type |
Duration |
Fee (INR) |
|
Master’s Degree (Regular) |
2 years |
3,100 to 40,000 per year |
|
Distance MA |
2-5 years |
6,500 per year |
The Master’s level programs in different psychology courses provide certain specialisations for graduate students who want to pursue higher studies. These specialisations include Clinical Psychology, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Social Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Forensic Psychology etc.
Psychology students, who are interested in helping people who are dealing with the substance and alcohol abuse, can study further in this field to help in counselling these individuals. The counsellors work with patients, families of the patients, organisations and sometimes with NGOs working for the welfare of people suffering from substance and alcohol abuse.
Clinical Psychology is one of the most common and commonly practised specialisations of Psychology. Those individuals who take up Clinical Psychology treat people suffering from mental and emotional disorders. Universities, hospitals, organisations and NGOs employ Psychologists of this field.
An aspiring industrial organisational psychologist emerges as a high-earning professional in the discipline of Psychology. In this specialisation, students learn about psychology associated with workplace productivity and employee behaviour.
A forensic psychologist works in close association with law enforcement agencies to profile criminals, analyse the mental situation and help in their conviction in the court. These psychologists assist in solving many legal matters by applying their psychological approach.
This Psychology specialisation puts emphasis on counselling families and groups, giving career advice to students, treating self-esteem issues and resolving stress-related problems. People visit a counselling psychologist to find out the solution of their physical, emotional and mental health issues.
A very intriguing specialisation is Experimental Psychology. It focuses on developing analysing tests, which assess the various aspects of psychology. An experimental psychologist studies a wide range of behavioural aspects of human as well as animals.
Psychology offers a unique specialisation for sports aficionados. Sports psychologist conducts motivational counselling for athletes to improve their performance. A specialist in this discipline helps the athlete in coping up with the pressure of competition, recovering from injuries and correcting many other psychological problems.