Mastery is not a question of genetics of luck, but of following your natural inclinations and the deep desires that stirs you from within.
-Robert Greene
Firstly, Masters in any field or any specialization symbolizes the commitment to keep getting better and understanding the subject matter in much deeper lengths. No other fields would come up with questions where a masters degree would rather be asked to justify its relevance over someone justifying why they wouldn't go ahead for a Masters.
But when it comes to the field of Psychology, we do have this question that comes up because the field has so much to offer from a student who has learnt Psychology their entire life to someone at the age of 35 deciding to leave their job to pursue a career in psychology as a counsellor, a 40 year old woman deciding to leave the corporate world and entering the field of mental health and so much more.
Since a few years, there has been an immense growth in the student ratio taking Psychology as their subject (regular & distance education combined). So the importance of a Masters education can is divided into many parts here.
An 18-year-old student who has just passed out their 12th boards and wants to pursue a career in psychology asks me "Whether I should also pursue a master’s after a bachelor’s?"
A 21-year-old bachelor pass out who did not have Psychology as their specialization and asks me "If I want to switch to Psychology and should I go ahead for a master’s instead of a Diploma?"
A 21-year-old bachelor pass out who did have Psychology as their specialization and asked me "I do have a bachelor’s degree, is that enough or do I need a master’s?
A 32-year-old woman working in a bank as a manager for the past 10 years of her life has recently realized her interest in the field of psychology and asked me "How do I jump into this field of psychology?"
I don't think my answer would change because they are not my answers. This is what the field demands. The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021 (“NCAHP Act”) intended to provide standards for education and services performed by allied and healthcare professions such as ophthalmic science professionals, cardiovascular technology professionals and behavioral health sciences professional. According to this act, a Masters is the minimum criteria for any person to practice in the field of Psychology. Of course the word "minimum" being very specific here because the field cannot just be covered with a Masters. Having said that, a Masters is a gateway for a person to make an entrance. What a person wishes to do after that depends on a lot of factors starting with knowing what the field has to offer and what you are ready to give in.
No diploma or certificate course can replace Masters. But they also need to be done to get the additional benefits to better yourself. If Masters is the medications, all other courses is a healthy diet. Both are important. But you cannot skip medications. And you cannot expect a healthy diet to replace medications.
There is and should be no limit to how much you can learn, but there is a limit on how much you are allowed to not learn. And well Masters, is something you can't skip.
Some good colleges that provide Masters degree in India are :
TATA Institute of Social Science
Amity Institute of Behavioural Health and Allied Science, Noida
Indian Institute of Psychological Research
Ambedkar University
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Delhi
Pune University
Fergusson College, Pune
Whether one should get a Masters from outside of India, the answer to this question depends on many other factors that we will definitely cover someday in our upcoming blogs.
Bottom line is "Get a Masters in it to be a Master at it!"
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