Psychology Courses: Eligibility, Fees, Career Scope, Salary, and More
There are a bunch of psychology courses available out there that you may choose to do if you aspire to have a career in the field of psychology.
Psychology is a very diverse subject and there are numerous courses around the same. Each of the courses focuses on a particular set of knowledge and theories involved in psychology. In fact, there are different requirements for the students to pursue such courses.
The different psychology courses are meant to provide you an overview of the study of psychology or a specific subject or branch of it. It has therefore become very important for the students aspiring to have a career in the field of psychology to find courses relevant to their studies and pursue them.
At this point in time, the awareness for mental health and the advancements in understanding the functions of the human brain has hyped the importance of psychology as a branch of science among students and even the general audience.
The study of psychology is not necessarily related to counseling or therapy but way beyond that. The capacities of the human brain are unimaginable and any changes in the function can affect other parts of the body as well.
This is the prime reason the study of psychology involves several other things. So, in this article, you’ll get to learn about the details of the subject of psychology, career scope, psychology courses, eligibility criteria, salary, and many other things.
So, if you aspire to become a professional psychiatrist, or a psychologist, or even a therapist, then you might as well find very relevant and important information from details mentioned throughout.
What is Psychology?
The general definition of Psychology is that it is a branch of science that deals with the study of mind and behavior. As mentioned, psychology is a very diverse stream of studying the mind and human behavior it involves numerous concepts and theories around it. The origin of the word psychology is Latin that means the study of the soul.
There had been many definitions of the word psychology, but the most common and the most accepted definition of all time suggests that psychology is the study of mind and behavior. There have been man great scientists who came up with their analysis of how the human brain functions.
The curiosity to explore human psychology dates back to the early 1800s, in fact, there are traces of humans trying to understand things like consciousness, behavior, and more in the early 1600s. The advancements in the psychology field were quite fast, and in the first century itself many revolutionary discoveries, analyses, and theories were made.
The human brain is by far the most complex physical object known to us and therefore it has been observed by a different set of experiments. Mostly by asking questions about how we feel, behave and think in different situations, scientists came up with a certain analysis about the fundamentals on which the brain functions.
The subject “Psychology” has evolved tremendously and is still evolving. We can map mind processes, observe behavioral tendencies, and more with the advanced technologies that have been developed in recent years.
Types of Psychology
Psychology could better be understood based on 2 parameters, they’re research and practice. As mentioned, the human brain is one of the most complex physical objects ever known and that is the reason continuous research and studies conducted result in more sub-branches and subjects being found and introduced in psychology.
Psychology cannot be identified by one particular trait, study, analysis, or research rather, there are so many types of psychology and some of them are:
- Behavioral Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
- Counseling Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Forensic Psychology
- Personality Psychology
- Social Psychology
These were only some of all the types of psychology and you may read about some more from this article by verywellmind.
Let’s try and understand some of these types of psychology.
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Behavioral Psychology
A lot of our behavior comes from the way our mind operates. The study of understanding the relationship between the mind and the behavior of a person is known as behavioral psychology. There are specifically two components on which the entire study of behavioral psychology is based.
They are operant and classical conditioning. These two conditioning can be explained in simple words to understand behavioral psychology.
Operant conditioning in simple words can be explained as the behaviors which come as a result of past events or incident while the classical conditioning means the relation between a neutral and conditioned stimulus. For example, we have conditioned our minds in a way that every time we hear a siren, we predict there’s a danger, accident, or emergency. While the siren remains neutral we may the danger or emergency we think of is conditioned stimulus.
This article by imotion, helps in understanding behavioral psychology.
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Clinical Psychology
Clinical psychology is more focused on observing and understanding mental distress and dysfunction. Therefore, it involves research-based practices for people with mental illness and distress.
Clinical psychology is more about the professional practice at this point in time and focuses on complex mental issues which make it a very potential career choice for those who are looking for a challenging career.
In simple words, it is the most accessible and preferred form of treatment that people with clear mental illness and issues look for. It is one of the very popular practices that is helped to treat patients diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and more.
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Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive psychology is basically the study of understanding the internal functioning of the brain. This involves observing and studying the patterns of how humans normally think, process, adapt, absorb and learn things.
It is said to be a very recently introduced concept in the study of psychology which is growing wildly popular. Its uses in medical science address the problems of people dealing with memory losses, difficulty in learning, and things of that nature.
The research in cognitive psychology has led to so many new methods of treating complex mental issues like difficulty in calculating, understanding accuracy and precision, learning, reading, and writing, etc.
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Counseling Psychology
Counseling psychology, as the name suggests is a branch or field of psychology that focuses more on enhancing the overall well-being of a person and instill positivity in their minds. The people diagnosed with clinical depression or those who get panic attacks because of some triggers, and even the people with anxiety are recommended to try counseling.
Counseling could be a very healthy practice as it mainly empathizes with the patient and focuses mostly on listening and understanding them instead of giving suggestions. There are specific psychology courses that teach you the practice of counseling.
Counseling can be a very tough job as dealing with patients with different mental disorders is not easy. Sometimes, there are people with traumatic past, suicidal tendencies, alcoholics, short-tempered, depressed, etc.
Empathizing with them and suggesting whatever is necessary from a very neutral perspective might be hard sometimes.
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Developmental Psychology
It is a very interesting study in the domain of psychology that focuses on observing the developments in the life of humans as they progress in life. Most commonly, it is associated with infants, children, and their mental growth.
It is mainly about how the thought process, behavior, learning, and feelings change over a period of time in a person’s life. The study in developmental psychology has helped scientists come up with some amazing theories to help people, and most children diagnosed with mental growth-related problems.
It is one of the very important branches of psychology and is quite a popular choice among students who choose to study psychology after their higher secondary education.
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Forensic Psychology
It is a branch or field of psychology that deals with the application of knowledge around psychology in legal matters usually for criminal cases. The work required exceptional expertise in psychology as the matters are related to law and serious criminal offenses.
These were some of all the types of psychology and there are certainly more which you may easily find on the web.
Who Can Study Psychology?
Psychology courses are usually for the students who have completed their higher secondary education or the 12th standard, however, in some educational boards, psychology as a subject has been introduced in the syllabus of students studying in 12th standard.
Read about professional courses to do after 12th
In fact, the students who prefer to choose arts as the primary subject for higher secondary education might get the option to keep psychology as one of the supplementary subjects. However, to have a career in the field of psychology, you will need to have a degree in psychology.
So, if you aspire to have a career in psychology it is preferable that you take biology in your higher secondary classes for a better understanding of the human body. Although, you having any stream in 12th wouldn’t make a difference, as you’ll be eligible to study psychology post completion of your 12th standard in any discipline.
Psychology Courses in India: Details, Eligibility, Fees, Career Scope, Salary, and More
As mentioned, psychology is a very diverse domain and it is therefore further divided into sub-subjects for students to study and master a particular area of such a vast topic. There are many psychology courses, and depending upon the preferences of the student, they may choose the subjects and the courses.
Let’s explore the details of psychology courses one by one:
Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology
There are several courses that you may consider if you’re willing to have a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. There are broadly two courses that you may prefer to choose if you want to do your graduation in Psychology, they are:
B.Sc in Psychology and BA in Psychology
Let’s try and understand the course details of each of the mentioned bachelor’s degrees.
B.Sc in Psychology
This psychology course will guide you from the very fundamentals of psychology to the very details of it. The course involves the core in-depth concepts of psychology, that allow one to understand human psychology in a more precise and detailed manner.
Course Details:
B.Sc (Bachelor in Science) in Psychology is a bachelor’s program with psychology being the primary subject. The duration of the course is 3 years, and in this period of time, the students will get to learn psychology through a definite syllabus. By the time they complete the course, they’ll be able to understand the human brain well enough to identify the mental issues of a person.
Eligibility:
This particular degree (B.Sc in Science) requires the students to have completed their 12th class in the Science stream. The student must have qualified for their 12th science with at least 55%, however, depending upon colleges, the requirement might be different. Some of the colleges even require the students to qualify for an entrance exam to be able to find admission.
Scope:
The students, once they complete the course may find opportunities to practice counseling, therapy, or even work as human behavior research analysts and more. It is one of the very recognized degrees and there is a good opportunity right after completing B.Sc in Psychology to study as well as to work.
Fees:
B.Sc in Psychology will cost you anywhere between INR 1,50,000- INR 3,00,000 for 3 years, however, this may differ from college to college.
BA in Psychology
This is another such course that provides you a bachelor’s graduation degree in Psychology. This is very much similar to that of B.Sc in psychology however there are some minute differences that we’ll study as we discuss more in detail about the course.
Course Details:
BA in psychology is a 3-year undergraduate program that offers the students a bachelor’s degree in Arts specializing in the subject of Psychology. The course just like every other educational course has a definite syllabus that is followed throughout the period of 3 years. In this time period, the students will go through the very professional and important aspects of human psychology.
Eligibility:
The course requires the students to have completed their 12th from a recognized board in any discipline. The student must have secured at least 55% in their 12th standard however these criteria might differ from college to college. Some colleges even require the student to qualify for an entrance exam to be able to find a seat.
Scope:
Being a recognized degree, the course presents plenty of opportunities for the students right after completion of the course. The students might want to practice counseling, or therapy or even prefer to study further to explore more of a particular subject in psychology through a master’s degree.
Fees:
B.Sc in Psychology will cost you anywhere between INR 1,50,000- INR 3,00,000 for 3 years, however, this may differ from college to college.
Let’s try and understand what are the master level psychology courses
Masters Degree in Psychology
The students who have completed their Bachelor’s degree in Arts or Science with Psychology as their primary subject may consider going for a Masters degree in Arts or Science specializing in the same. The master level courses do have a syllabus but unlike a bachelor’s degree, you get to specialize in a specific topic of Psychology.
Master of Art/Science in Psychology
The course allows students who have completed their graduation to specialize in any particular topic of Psychology and once done with the course, the students may turn to prefer to have a career as a professional psychologist, psychiatrist, therapist, counselor, etc.
Details of the course:
The duration of the course is 2 years and in this time period, the students get to learn about very core and in-depth concepts of the topics they choose to study. By the time a person completes their master’s degree, they are well versed with the aspects of human behavior and the relationship with the mind. They can identify mental disorders and dysfunctions, and come up with necessary diagnoses as well.
Eligibility:
The student must have completed their bachelor’s degree from a similar stream. The bachelor’s degree must be authorized by a recognized university.
Scope:
There is a good scope in a career once the students complete their master’s program. They may then choose to practice psychology, therapy and counseling, and things of that nature. They may also find a career as a lecturer in universities or there are good requirements for psychology experts in medical facilities as well.
Fees:
The fees may differ considering which university and program a student is pursuing, however, on average pursuing a master’s degree in psychology will cost you anywhere between INR 1,00,000- INR 3,50,000 for 2 years.
Conclusion
It has been observed that there the number of mental health illnesses is increasing day by day, in fact over the years it has increased massively. However, we surely have a need for more psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists for a study suggests that there is less than one doctor for every 100,000 patients with mental illness in India.
So, you might as well find a good career in helping people with their issues regarding mental health, as there is a good opportunity in the field and it’s a very noble profession helping people with their mental probelms.
Professional courses to check out
