By Afriti, Rohit, Dishita, Sonal, Srijaa, & Radhika
 

If you want to become a Clinical Psychologist, M.Phil in Psychology will bring you closer to your dream. To get admitted to this course, one must have completed Post Graduation in Psychology. M.Phil. is all about ‘Practice’. Once a student is adept with theories and principles of the discipline, M.Phil exposes the student to apply this knowledge in the real world.     

After master's, you can either go for M.Phil or PhD. If you want to become a Psychologist or especially a clinical psychologist then you must opt for M.Phil. which gives you hands-on experience of the actual clinical setting. 

A student in pursuit of becoming a clinical psychologist has to complete an M.Phil Clinical Psychology degree first to get a licence recognised by RCI (Rehabilitation Council of India) to start practising in the field of clinical psychology. 

In this article, you'll get to know what M.Phil Psychology is, it's admission procedure, colleges, eligibility and career opportunities after that.

What is M.Phil Psychology?

M.Phil. Psychology or Master of Philosophy in Psychology is a two-year advanced postgraduate course. This course is designed as a  rigorous 2-year program with detailed theoretical knowledge and the whole clinical experience to provide trainees with the required skills in the area of clinical psychology. Some colleges which are not recognised by RCI offer a 1-year M.Phil Psychology course too but this program does not provide a licence required for clinical practice. During the course, the main emphasis is given on the detailed study of disciplines of Psychology, the science of behaviour and mental processes. It is a job-oriented course that offers many opportunities to the degree holders.

Difference between M.Phil and PhD in Psychology

M.Phil is Master's of philosophy and PhD is Doctorate of philosophy. Though both M.Phil. and PhD are research-based programs they are not similar and cannot be used interchangeably. M.Phil is a thesis-based program and an intermediate course between master's and PhD. M.Phil is Research masters and PhD is Research doctorate. 

Though they may have similarities, PhD is considered higher and more profound in terms of research. But M.Phil has its own perks and holds a unique importance in itself. Only after doing M.Phil from an RCI recognised institute, a person can get the license to practice as a clinical psychologist while after doing PhD a person can only get the doctorate degree, not the license.

Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI)

The RCI Act was enacted by Parliament and it became a Statutory Body on 22 June 1993. The Act was amended by Parliament in 2000 to make it more broad-based. The Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) is the apex government body, set up under an Act of Parliament, to regulate training programmes and courses targeted at differently-abled, disadvantaged, and special education requirement communities. It is important for any clinical psychologist. The Act also prescribes punitive action against unqualified persons delivering services to persons with disability.
 

Eligibility

• The minimum requirement to pursue this course is to have a MA or MSc in Psychology degree with a minimum of 55% (for reserved category 50% as per the GOI) from a UGC recognised University.
•  Certain Institutes provide admission through the Common Entrance Test (CET). Therefore, candidates have to qualify the exam in order to get admission in that college or university.
• Many universities conduct their own entrance exams and candidates need to clear this exam to proceed with the admission process.
• The admission procedure and mode of selection for admission to Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) in Psychology through distance learning, however, may vary from one Institute to another.

RCI approved institutions for M.Phil.

1. Institute of Human Behaviour & Allied Sciences (IHBAS), Delhi
2. National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore 
3. Central Institute of Psychiatry (CIP), Ranchi
4. Dharwad Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (DIMHANS), Karnataka.

Recommended Institute

NIMHANS, Banglore

The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) has been recognised as an Institute of National Importance which is a renowned centre for mental health and neuroscience education in India. This institution provides a 2-year RCI recognised program for M.Phil Clinical Psychology. 

The forms for admissions are released once a year in the month of December and are available for the duration of one or two months. The admission process includes an online entrance test (with negative marking). The difficulty level of the entrance test is high and hence, a thorough study is required. After passing the entrance test students have to go through counselling and there's no interview required.

The Syllabus for Entrance test includes general psychology, abnormal psychology, research and statistics with the knowledge of social development psychology, and a basic knowledge of psychiatry (from the perspective of abnormal psychology)

Stipend Offered by Some Colleges:

Some institutes provide stipend to students pursuing  M.Phil Psychology program. The stipend may vary from institute to institute.
 

*The table mentioned above is on the basis of previous records of each institution, changes in this data might be possible.

Admission Process

Each institute follows a different method of offering admission for M.Phil in Psychology; this is the basic outlook of the admissions process:

• First, the candidate needs to access the application form from the website of the University and fill all necessary details and attach required documents. The form needs to be submitted before the issued due date.
• The applications of all candidates are reviewed and the eligible candidates are selected to appear for the entrance exam. Questions are asked in the topics of analytical skill, statistics and other topics covered in Undergraduate and Postgraduate. 50% (for reserved category 45-50%) marks need to be secured to qualify for the next round of selection.
• The candidates who cleared the entrance exam are called for an interview conducted by a panel of experts who ask questions based on the subject and the research area.

After successfully passing the screening rounds, the candidates are eligible for the MPhil in Psychology program.

Watch this video for Entrance Test details and preparation tips:

How is M.Phil in Psychology Beneficial? 

M.Phil Psychology program enables students to get practical exposure along with theoretical knowledge which helps them to get acquainted with the actual clinical setting. It provides the necessary skills and experience to start clinical practice after they finish this degree. They can also be employed in Hospitals, Rehabilitation centres, National Health Service local councils, multinational organizations and various other domains. They are also eligible to become teachers and lecturers.  

M.Phil gives a good basis to the applicants for higher degree programmes such as PhD in their respective subjects. A person whose M.Phil dissertation has been evaluated and the viva voce is pending may be admitted to the PhD program of the same Institution.

Career opportunities after M.Phil in Psychology

After completing an M.Phil. in Psychology degree, there's an immense amount of job opportunities available for the degree holder. One can be employed in the following positions:

●      Psychology Consultant

●   Child Psychologist

●   Psychology Lecturer (after clearing NET)

●   Clinical Psychologist

●   Behavioural Health Counsellor

●   Associate Professor

●   Psychologist (Male or Female)

●   Rehabilitation Specialist

●   Community Relations Officer

●   Health Instructor 

●   Teacher & Lecturer   

 
 

The major fields to work after completion of M.Phil in Psychology are as follows:

●        Child/Youth Guidance Centres

●        Welfare Organizations

●        Rehabilitation Centres

●        Colleges/Universities

●        Hospitals

●        Community Mental Health Centres

●        Prisons

●        Defence Forces

●        Correctional Programs

●        Media and TV Channels

●        Travel and Tourism Companies

Building a career in psychology is a long journey which has many stops and M.Phil is one of the most important one. Getting an M.Phil degree will act as a doorway for entering into the profession and starting the practice as a clinical psychologist. 

Watch this video on Psychology careers in India