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Rise in demand for psychology courses

Last Updated 26 March 2014, 17:53 IST

Varsities plan short-term courses as laypersons show interest

Colleges in Bangalore are reporting a rise in demand for specialised short-term courses in various subdisciplines of psychology especially from non-stream professionals.

This is besides the increasing demand for general degrees in the core subject. At Jain University, for example, the intake of students in the psychology department is 60 at the postgraduate level and 20 in research. It receives enough number of applications to fill the intake.

The university says it is planning to start many short-term courses in psychology than the three specialisations it offers at present — clinical psychology, counselling and psychological therapy. 

“We receive enquiries even from laypersons who have no background in psychology and have entered the corporate sector and education for such courses,” said Shailaja Shastri, head of psychology department at the university.

“It is because of this increasing demand that we will start specialised courses soon.” The university will start a diploma course in psychological counselling and sports psychology. “Such short-term specialised courses are seen as improving the skills of people in various sectors and maximising their performance,” Shastri added. 

But instead of offering only generic degrees in psychology, she went on, add-on and specialised short-term courses should be introduced to increase students’ employability.

The demand for 50 postgraduate seats in psychology at Bangalore University has also seen a rise lately, according to Ashok H S, head of psychology department. At present, the university offers specialisation in organisational behaviour, clinical psychology and child guidance. 

“Besides the popularity of the core subject, it is interesting to see more and more people asking for add-on courses in subdisciplines like counselling, rehabilitation and corporate mentoring to name a few,” said Ashok. 

At Christ University, the demand for psychology has been doubling every year, according to a teacher from the university who wished to remain anonymous. The university has an intake of 60 students at the PG level and 100 at the UG level. “From Bangalore alone, we get as many as 300-400 applications,” the teacher added. 

The university also offers a certificate course in trade and development that is open to non-stream students. This course is especially popular among human resource professionals, the teacher said. 

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(Published 26 March 2014, 17:53 IST)

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