What is psychology?
We can explain the word ‘Psychology’ in multiple ways, with respect to biology, philosophy, humanities, or even through pure and abstract ways of mathematics. Each explanation has its own merits and purpose.
In this space, merit is education and purpose is building a meaningful career in the field of psychology. So, lets not complicate the matter.
We have American Psychological Association (APA) which is a competent body on this discipline. APA explains what APA does through its own words as:
APA is the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, with more than 122,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students as its members.
American Psychological Association (APA)
American Psychological Association (APA) defines Psychology as the scientific study of the mind and behavior. Psychology is a multifaceted discipline and includes many sub-fields of study such areas as human development, sports, health, clinical, social behavior and cognitive processes.
So it is obvious that psychology is a subject that has immense influence on everybody’s life, and it span through most of the affairs of our life; from sports to arts, from science to religion, from thoughts to actions. And, it is also true that most of us are fascinated to learn and understand what and how psychology works. Further, few of us are even interested to move the stone little further and wishes to take up Psychology as a career discipline.
What is the best option to start the career journey in Psychology?
Yes, getting the right education from the right place from the right sources.
In this article, you are going to understand the difference between two under graduate (UG) or Bachelor degree courses in the field of Psychology. The preference shall be to compare both the courses head-to-head with few parameters as listed below:
| No. | Parameter | Bachelor of Arts (BA) Psychology | Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) Psychology |
| 1. | Approach of study (Language of the course) | Humanities & Social Science | Scientific |
| 2. | Who can/shall study (Eligibility Criteria)? | The candidate needs to be a Class 12 pass in any stream (Science/Humanities/Commerce) from a recognized board of education and should have secured a minimum of 45% marks in their respective courses. | The candidate should have passed their Class 12 in Science stream (in most cases) from a recognized board and should have secured a minimum of 50% marks in their respective courses. |
| 3. | Admission Criteria | Admission can be done either through merit or entrance examination conducted by the university or the college. | Admission is done through entrance examination conducted by the university or the college. |
| 4. | Focus of Study | Psychology and Non Psychology fields (Humanities & Social Studies) | Applied Psychology and Research Psychology (Science & Mathematics) |
| 5. | Specialization (Major fields) | 1. Organizational Psychology 2. Child Psychology 3. Forensic Psychology | 1. Biological Science 2. Research Methodology |
| 6. | Related fields | 1. Sociology 2. Political Science 3. Philosophy | 1. Biology 2. Chemistry 3. Calculus |
| 7. | Career Opportunities | Law, Journalism, Counselling, Human Resources, Social Work, Health Psychology, Child and Family Psychology | Clinical Psychology, Health Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Government, Organisational, Medicine, Hospitals |
Following video explains the topic in more detail:
You can watch following video to understand the difference between BA and B.Sc explained in Malayalam language:
Disclaimer: This article is written for students who want to pursue a career in the field of psychology. Information shared here is basic and must not be taken as the final word. Before taking a final decision, please seek expert advise from competent sources.
Mujeeb Patla 