In this blog, we will have a look at the five best colleges for psychology in India, including:
- LSR, DU, New Delhi
- St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai
- Christ University, Bengaluru
- Fergusson College, Pune
- KJSAC, Mumbai
According to britannica.com, psychology means a “scientific discipline that studies mental states and processes and behaviour in humans and other animals. The discipline of psychology is broadly divisible into two parts: a large profession of practitioners and a smaller but growing science of mind, brain, and social behaviour. The two have distinctive goals, training, and practices, but some psychologists integrate the two.”
Psychology is increasingly becoming a popular subject in India, with mental health experts and concerns becoming more mainstream, too. For aspiring psychologists and students in the country who want to study the discipline, here is a list of the 5 best colleges for pyschology in India, which offer a bachelor’s degree in it (B.A. or B.Sc. psychology):
1. LSR (Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University), New Delhi – According to its website, “the Psychology Department endeavours to prepare students for their professional journeys in the dynamic, diverse and ever-growing field of Psychology. Students learn about the history of the discipline, its theoretical foundations and its numerous branches including Clinical Psychology, Counselling, Child Development, Bio-psychology and Human Resource Management.”
2. Saint Xavier’s College, Mumbai – According to Sailee Biwalkar who studied the course, “this major will have 6 papers of psychology- cognitive psychology, abnormal psychology, industrial psychology, Psychological testing and Assessment, Counseling Psychology and finally Psychological Practicals. This major is highly competitive though, with a limited number of seats (30, as per my knowledge). For students who don’t manage to secure a seat in single major, double majors with combinations like psych-eco and psych-socio are also offered wherein you will have 3 papers of each subject.”
3. Christ University, Bengaluru – According to its website, “The Department of Psychology, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), is known for its popular UG program viz. B.Sc. Psychology (Honours).” Also, “The Department runs a range of courses such as certificate courses, interdisciplinary courses, besides the undergraduate programs. Through these programs, students are encouraged to consider careers and missions that integrate the understanding of life.”
4. Fergusson College, Pune – This college has a rich history of encouraging the emergence of the discipline. As its website reads:
“The Department of Psychology was established in Fergusson College in 1979 to cater to the demand to offer specialization in Psychology to undergraduate students. Though a relatively young Department, the teaching of Psychology goes back a long way when it was taught under the encompassing subject of Philosophy. The department of Philosophy has had stalwarts like Prin. G.G. Agarkar, who originally founded the department, Prin. Bhate, Profs. R.D. Ranade, V. K. Jog, D. D.Wadekar, G. N. Joshi and Prin S. V. Bokil on its staff since its inception, and students were fortunate to have been taught by such eminent personalities. Owing to the incessant demand for specialization in Psychology, however, Psychology was established as a separate Department, and soon became one of the most sought after subjects in Fergusson College.”
5. KJ Somaiya Arts College, Mumbai – Its website reads:
“Our college has been offering the traditional three years Bachelor of Arts programme (B.A) from the time of its inception. This programme has been a popular, traditional choice for many students as it offered a variety of social science subjects (viz Psychology, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology and History) and languages (viz. English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Sanskrit) for study.”
So, now that you know the names of some of the best colleges for psychology in India, you can plan which one you want to go to and work towards securing a seat in that college.
A good rule of thumb would be to talk to one or more student who has studied psychology from the college you want to go, before deciding if you want to go there. This is in no way an exhaustive list so don’t get disappointed if you don’t make it to these 5, there are more.
With that being said: all the best!