If you are a student, interested in understanding the aspects of human behavior, or if you enjoy working with people who have mental health issues, psychology may be the topic of study for you.
Aspiring students in psychology have several research and employment options.
Because Indian University provides psychology courses, students will have a plethora of excellent alternatives when it comes to deciding on a university.
Table of Contents
What is Psychology?
The study of human behavior and mental processes is known as psychology.
Psychologists investigate a person’s reactions, emotions, and behavior, and then use their knowledge of that conduct to address the resulting behavioral issues.
Rather than giving drugs for a “quick cure,” treatment focuses on therapy and counseling.
Psychologists are therefore in charge of detecting psychological, emotional, or behavioral concerns, also diagnosing any particular diseases, utilizing information gained through patient interviews, tests and records, and medical reference sources.
It is also the psychologist’s responsibility to develop a specific treatment plan for each patient and to adjust it as needed over time.
Why Psychology study?
Mental health concerns are being prioritized in today’s society since many individuals of all ages suffer from mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, bipolar affective disorder, paranoia, behavior and emotional disorders, and many more.
Such issues are now being addressed, and there is an urgent need for expert psychologists and counselors.
Psychology may assist persons in need by advising, directing, and counseling them to enhance decision making, stress management, and behavior control.
Psychology is one of the latest courses that students all around the world are studying since its area not only benefits society but also has a promising scope and future.
Psychology is taught at different colleges and universities, and courses are available at all levels of study, including undergraduate, postgraduate, MPhil, Ph.D., and postgraduate diploma programs.
Psychology is a broad profession with several intriguing specializations in which to pursue a career.
There are several specializations one might pursue and thrive in, ranging from Clinical Psychologists to Counsellors to Child Psychology.
For example, Anger/Rage is an emotion that produces serious health problems that not only harms one’s mental condition but also impact others.
Specializations in Psychology in India:
In India, there are several specializations in Psychology that one may follow as a profession.
Let us first look at the Psychology courses that are available.
BA in Psychology
Duration 3 Years
Eligibility Criteria
The student must have completed their 12th class from a recognized board in any discipline, with a minimum aggregate of 45 percent.
BSc in Psychology
Duration 3-Years
Eligibility Criteria
The student must have completed their 12th class from a recognized board in the Science stream with a minimal of 45 percent aggregates.
MA in Psychology
Duration 2-Years
Eligibility Criteria
The student must have graduated from a recognized university with a Bachelor’s degree in BA, BA Psychology, or a related topic with a minimum of 50 percent aggregate.
MSc Psychology
Duration 2-Years
Eligibility Criteria
The student must have completed a BSc in Psychology or a related field as part of their graduation from a recognized university with a minimum of a 50 percent aggregate.
MPhil in Psychology
Duration 2-Years
Eligibility Criteria
The student must have completed an MA or MSc in Psychology in a specific subject from a recognized board or university with a minimum of a 55 percent aggregate.
PhD
Duration 2 to 4 Years
Eligibility Criteria
The student must have completed an MA/MSc/MPhil in an area of specialization from a recognized university with a minimum of 60 percent aggregate.
Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology Counseling
Duration 1 Year
Eligibility Criteria
The student must have a bachelor’s degree in psychology or a related discipline from a recognized university and a minimum of 50 percent.
Areas of Specializations in Psychology in India
In undergraduate classes, students learn a little bit of everything and might develop an interest in a specific topic.
Students can then go on to seek a postgraduate degree in a specific sector or topic, where their abilities will be improved and become more skilled and educated in the area.
The following are the many types and areas of psychological specialization.
Clinical Psychology
It is one of the specializations in which specialists examine and treat patients using medical procedures.
Professionals can work as therapists, dealing with psychological crises such as grief, anxiety, and sadness, as well as treating those with persistent mental diseases.
Psychologists operate in clinics, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, health care facilities, and private practice.
People who want to pursue a career in Clinical Psychology will need to complete an MPhil or Ph.D. to be a successful practitioner.
Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive psychology is a scientific study of human mental processes.
It is the study of the mind as a processing unit for information.
Memory, perception, language, problem-solving abilities, and other areas of research are all studied by psychologists.
Neuroscientific procedures, such as brain scanning, are mostly employed.
People who want to study Cognitive Psychology are usually required to take Mathematics as part of their Science program.
Development Psychology
Development Psychology is the study of how people, groups, and societies evolve intellectually, socially, and emotionally throughout the course of their lives.
The field may include youngsters or adolescents.
Psychologists do research, implement their ideas, and assist other psychologists in their professions.
People can work as consultants, advisors, or as part of social service organizations, and they may even get a Ph.D. and educate as professors and lecturers.
Counseling Psychology
It is one of the most effective methods in which psychologists focus on persons who have adjustment issues.
Psychologists work as counselors in different backgrounds, including organizations, corporations, the Human Resources department, schools, universities, health centers, and private offices.
Psychologists consult and assist individuals with their problems and difficulties.
They research behavioral patterns and how to solve problems straightforwardly and constructively.
Educational Psychology
Psychologists in this subject strive to create a strategy to enhance learning processes, beginning with schools, colleges, universities, institutes, academies, etc.
Educational psychologists assist students in developing new ways for presenting their talents, opening up, being more attentive, and helping them with challenges that influence them in school and their home lives.
Psychologists employ theories to investigate the patterns and behavior of children of various ages, from 7 to 16.
Educational Psychologists assist children with a variety of learning processes by employing a variety of tactics and strategies.
Sports Psychology
ports psychology is concerned with athletes’ and sportspersons’ optimal performance and well-being.
Athletes’ cognitive, emotional, motivational, and physiological characteristics can all be greatly improved by sports psychologists.
It is a relatively young and fast-developing area of psychology.
In India, it is quite new.
However, given the popularity of sports and the increasing number of leagues and franchise-based tournaments, sports psychologists will be in high demand.
Sports psychologists can deal with athletes, sports teams, sports coaching centers, academies, and numerous sports leagues.
Forensic Psychology
Psychologists use their expertise to deduce and analyze crime scenes in order to assist law enforcement in criminal investigations.
Psychologists work in the field and are obliged to engage in jail counseling or rehabilitation programs.
Forensic psychologists assist lawyers and teams involved in criminal cases. It is one of the most exciting and fascinating occupations available, as realistic as it gets.
Social Psychology
Social psychologists examine how others influence people’s behaviors, beliefs, and feelings.
Psychologists study exemplars of behavior such as attitude creation and change, violence, prejudice, and interpersonal attraction.
Psychologists operate in social care centers, and their approaches are applied in organizations and businesses where such emotions are commonly expressed.
Job Perspectives
Psychologists can be found working in a series of contexts, including universities and colleges, primary and secondary schools, government organizations, private enterprises, hospitals, clinics, and private offices.
They are also used in social settings and many other settings.
A master’s level psychologist works under the supervision of one or more doctoral-level psychologists.
Those with a bachelor’s degree can work in community health clinics, vocational rehabilitation facilities, and administrative assistants.
The Historical Division of the Ministry of External Affairs has job openings in its Cultural Affairs Division.
There are research posts available for Second Class postgraduates in History/Political Science/Modern History with foreign language expertise.
Students who have studied International Relations will be given precedence.
Opportunities are also given by
- Central Board of Film Censors,
- Film Division of Government of India,
- Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,
- Defense Services, All India Handicrafts Board,
- Ministry of Education and Department of Tourism etc.
Few Placement Areas
- Welfare Organizations
- Research Establishments
- Rehabilitation Centres
- Prisons
- Child/ Youth Guidance Centres
- Advertising Industry
Few Job Types
- Clinical Psychologists
- Counseling Psychologists
- Social Psychologists
- Educational Psychologists
- Industrial Psychologists
- Research psychologists
- Developmental psychologists
Pay Scale / Psychologist Pay
On a financial level, choosing to take psychology courses in India may surprise you.
If you can get a job as a psychologist, it may be a highly satisfying career.
Those with the necessary abilities and education are expected to make a lot of money.
Other significant criteria impacting a professional psychologist’s income include his or her area of specialty and experience.
Experienced psychologist with M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees earn a lot of money.
Those in private practice have better income potential.
In this industry, your initial salary might range from INR 1.79 LPA to INR 6.23 LPA.
As one establishes oneself in the field and specializes in one of its branches, he will be able to earn more.
What Does It Take to Become a Psychologist in India?
The following are the prerequisites for becoming a licensed psychologist:
- Pass the 10+2 exam, ideally with Psychology as a subject.
- Complete a Bachelor’s (BA or BS) degree in Psychology (with a program that emphasizes “personality development, psychotherapy, stress management, and neuro-psychology”).
- Postgraduate specialization is possible with an M.A. or M.Sc. in Psychology, Social Work, or Counseling.
- Ph.D. or M.Phil degrees are also offered for further specialization at the doctoral level.
- The postgraduate and doctorate programs concentrate on research, which is ideal for pursuing a research or teaching position, whereas the graduate degrees focus on practice, such as counseling.
- BA/BS in Psychology or a comparable degree is all that is required to practice Counseling Psychology (like Education or Social Work).
- Graduate (Bachelors) programs last three years, Postgraduate (Masters) programs last two years, and Doctoral (MPhil or Ph.D.) programs last two years (can extend depending on research and studies involved).
Personal Skills in a Psychologist
To be successful in the discipline of psychology, one must possess the following qualities:
- good communication abilities to successfully advise people suffering from mental/behavioral difficulties a highly analytical mind for diagnosis
- a great degree of patience, which allows the psychologist to stay calm under pressure while dealing with a particularly tough case or a difficult patient a real love for assisting individuals in overcoming their own mental/behavioral issues
- The two most significant personality qualities in a psychologist are compassion and drive.
Best Colleges for Psychology in India
- Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi
- Jesus and Mary College, Delhi
- St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai
- Presidency College, Chennai
- Christ University, Bangalore
- Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS)
- Sophia College for Women, Mumbai
- Kamala Nehru College for Women, Delhi
- Mithibai College of Arts, Mumbai
- Fergusson College, Pune
- University of Calcutta, Kolkata
- Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
- St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad
- Gargi College, Delhi
- Indraprastha College for Women, Delhi
- Bethune College, Kolkata
- Amity University, Noida
- Jai Hind College, Mumbai
- Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi
- University of Lucknow, Lucknow
- Wilson College, Mumbai
- Isabella Thoburn College, Lucknow
- Mount Carmel College, Bangalore
- Loyola Academy, Hyderabad
- National PG College, Lucknow
- Women’s Christian College, Chennai
- Osmania University College for Women, Hyderabad
- Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
- Ashutosh College, Kolkata
- Galgotias University, Noida
- The National Degree College, Bangalore
- Gujarat Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar
- Holy Cross College, Agartala
- DAV College, Kanpur
- VGZ College of Arts & Science, Mumbai
- NMKRV College for Women, Bangalore
- Flame University, Pune
- Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Agra
- KLE University, Belgaum
- Indian Institute of Psychology and Research (IIPR), Bangalore
- Loreto College, Kolkata
- Bheem Rao Ambedkar College, Delhi
- Madras School of Social Work, Chennai
- Sarojini Naidu Government Girls PG College, Bhopal
- Ravenshaw University, Cuttack
- DAV College, Chandigarh
- Sarojini Naidu Government Girls PG College, Bhopal, Ranchi
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