CHENNAI: In the post-pandemic era, demand for undergraduate psychology courses in arts and science colleges has increased significantly. After commerce and computer science-related courses, colleges are witnessing a rush among students to secure a seat in courses like psychology and criminology.
Many colleges in the city told The New Indian Express that there was a significant surge in the number of applicants in psychology courses this year and that cut-off in the subject was likely to increase.
"So far, for the 50 BSc (Psychology) seats in our shift I, we have received 891 applications. Last year, it was just 600. The application process will continue till mid-July," said Lilian Jasper, Women's Christian College (WCC). WCC has another 50 seats in shift II.
She added that rising job opportunities for psychologists in post-COVID era boosted demand for the course. "Many had to deal with anxiety, stress, mental illnesses during the pandemic. As such, every organisation - from educational institutions to corporate companies - now hire counsellors," said Jasper.
Similar is the scenario with Ethiraj College for Women. For its 50 BSc (Psychology) seats, the college received over 800 applications against 500 last year. "We also offer a Master's degree in applied psychology and almost 90 per cent of our students landed jobs. This made undergraduate psychology course more popular," said S Kothai, principal of the college.
Some colleges have also tweaked the syllabus of the course to make their students more employable. "Psychology has always been an interesting subject, but in the last two years, its demand has increased. To make it more attractive, we have included components like human knowledge management and psychometric testing in the syllabus," said S Santhosh Baboo, principal of DG Vaishnav College.
For its 50 psychology undergraduate seats, the college has received over 300 applications. UG courses in criminology and police administration offered by the college also have high demand, the principal said. According to professors and psychologists, people in the post-COVID era were not hesitant to seek help for any psychological issue.
"Psychology is all about helping people by studying their thought process. From opting for clinical psychology to doing research, the sector provides many avenues for students. Jobs in the field also offer good pay," said KR Ramakrishnan, a professor in psychology.