Psychology In India: A Career Overview

Education, in the last few decades, has changed a lot. Earlier, career options were constricted to very few streams like Engineering, medical, IT, etc. But people have become relatively more open-minded. Now, other factors like aptitude, interest, job satisfaction, etc are also considered. We have started exploring and thinking about other fields to make a career in. This has led to the emergence of unconventional streams as variable career options.
One discipline that is leading this wave of new career options in psychology. Psychology in India is the most recent career that is rapidly becoming popular. It is one of the core subjects in the Arts stream. This is the reason that most psychology students are first introduced to it when they pick Arts after 10th. 

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and human behavior. Because of the work of many scientists and researchers, it has developed into a science. It is a legitimate field of study. Because it studies the human mind, it also includes various psychological and mental health disorders. This is because some disorders manifest themselves in the form of physical symptoms. Hence, psychology also has a clinical element.
Psychology as a science is just as complex as practical science. It has many faculties and schools of thought. It has many dimensions that are yet to be explored. And the study that we have done so far has revealed to us important knowledge about the human mind. All this has made psychology a blooming field, worldwide. More and more people are opting for psychology as a career because of their interest in it. At the same time, it is also an up-and-coming career that has a lot of scope.  

Compared to the west, psychology is not quite as well known in India. The conventional career options in India are still restricted to the science stream. People are generally not even aware of psychology as a career. Aside from this, there are also many stigmas and misconceptions related to psychology. But psychology in India is a growing field. Many colleges and academic institutions have flourishing psychology departments, consisting of many smart and inquisitive professionals. Aside from this, a certain sector of the population avails the services of practicing psychology professionals.
More and more people are going for unconventional therapies and psychiatric interventions to help with their problems. Psychology has a long way to go in India. But that is exactly what makes it a good career option with a lot of room for personal growth and development. 

The core of psychology as a field is academic in nature. Many colleges and universities facilitate research in psychology. This is because there is much more to be learned. At the Undergraduate level, there are two psychology courses in India 

1. BA Psychology:

BA psychology is relatively more theoretical in nature. It teaches the students about the different theories that have developed over time 

2. BSc Psychology:

BSc psychology contains more biology. It is more inclined towards the medical sciences. Similarly, at the Postgraduate level, MA psychology and MSc Psychology are the two psychology courses in India.  

After this, most psychology students opt for an MPhil or Ph.D. in their specialized field of interest. Many universities in India offer interesting psychology courses along with good career opportunities for the students. Following is a list of top psychology colleges in India. Most of them offer courses in psychology at all levels. Some of them require entrance exams or certain academic qualifications. 

• Lady Shri Ram College 
• Fergusson College 
• St Xavier’s College 
• Christ University 
• Jai Hind College 
• Amity University 
• AIIMS 
• Manipal University 

Aside from this, there are many diplomas and certificates offered by universities like these. They can be a good addition to your profile. There are online courses in some areas of psychology that you might find interesting. 

There are multiple career profiles in the field of psychology. After completing your BSc and MSc in psychology, the student can become a clinical psychiatrist. This means that they are empowered to prescribe medicine and certain kinds of drugs to help the patient with their mental health issues. On the other hand, after their BA/MA in psychology, the student can become a clinical counselor or practicing psychologist.
Both a psychiatrist and a counselor can treat patients for their mental health disorders. There are many emerging faculties of psychology such as sports psychology, criminal psychology, etc. There are also many emerging forms of therapy such as movement therapy, performing arts therapy, music therapy, etc. These are all job markets that have high demand because of how unconventional they are. The student can pick his field of interest and make a dynamic career in it. They just have to specialize in the education of this field and start practicing. Aside from all this, they can also go into research in psychology.
All these aspects of a new career field can be confusing and overwhelming. But we at Dheya offer various tools that can help you make the right career path for yourself. Call us now to know more!