TISS: Master of Arts in Applied Psychology

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Established in 1936 as Sir Dorabji Tata Graduate School of Social Work and later renamed to be called the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, it truly laid the foundation of education in the field of social sciences in India. Its main campus, TISS Mumbai, offers over 50 master’s degree programmes, one of which is Master of Arts in Applied Psychology, which comes under the School of Human Ecology. With only 20 seats per year, a difficult process of selection and admission, minimal tuition fee and renowned faculty members along with high-paying on-campus placements, it has become one of the most sought-after courses of the institute.

To apply for a Master of Arts in Applied Psychology (Clinical and Counseling Practice) degree at TISS, you need to adhere to the following eligibility criteria:

Candidates who have completed or are in the process of completing B.A. or B.Sc. Honours in Psychology or
Candidates who have completed or are in the process of completing B.A. or B.Sc. General i.e. in a subject other than psychology – with a minimum of three papers in Psychology or
Candidates who have completed any Bachelors Degree from a recognized University and have completed a University recognized one-year, part-time or full-time post-graduate diploma in counselling, fulfilling the UGC criterion of a minimum of 40 credits (Distance and online diploma courses are not taken into account).
Candidates in their final year should complete all the examinations and internship on or before 30th September of the year they wish to start at the institute.

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Like every master’s degree at TISS, the selection process for this programme involves two stages as well:

National Entrance Exam (TISS-NET): It is a computer-based test with 100 objective type multiple-choice questions (MCQs). The exam is divided into three categories: English proficiency (30 questions), Mathematical and logical reasoning (30 questions) and General awareness (40 questions). It is usually held in February every year from 2 pm to 3:40 pm across various centres located in different parts of the country. The mode of conduction is English and there is no negative marking. You get 1 hour and 40 minutes to finish the exam. There is no sectional cut-off except for General Awareness (GA) that is applied for qualifying the TISS-NET. It is given 50 per cent weightage in the final aggregate score.

The Online Assessment: It is conducted for around 20 – 30 minutes by a three-member panel with the objective to assess the candidates’ suitability and interest in studies of the chosen programme, in this case, psychology. It is a two-part assessment –

Extempore reflection on a given topic – The candidate will be asked to present a reflection on a topic, assigned by the panel members, which will be related to the programme chosen. The duration of your reflection should be about 2-3 minutes. You will be given a chance, only one, to ask for another topic in case you are not comfortable with the former topic. It is given 20 per cent weightage in the final score.
Online Personal Interview (OPI) – In this part, the panel engages and interacts with the candidate to get a glimpse of his/her dedication, motivation, interest and basic subject knowledge of the undergraduate studies. Your social and economic understanding will also be put to test. It has a 30 per cent weightage in the final score.

The purview of this course is to make interventions that aim at augmenting person-environment-fit, mustering more and more resilience for effective coping and enhancing well-being and Quality of Life. Specified in the Boulder Model for clinical psychology training (Frank, 1984), the program focuses on the same lines to develop a sound base in research for all its students of Master of Arts in Applied Psychology (Clinical and Counseling Practice) degree. Training during this course has been dedicated to increasing the awareness in the socio-cultural contexts and diversity surrounding an individual, manifold. One of its major goals is to equip learners to practice developmental, mental health and issue-based assessment and interventions with a special emphasis on primary prevention and therapeutic interventions. It works to create an effortless blend of theory and practice.

Some other long-term and short-term courses in psychology to look out for at TISS

Ph.D. in Applied Psychology (Anchored by School of Human Ecology).
Diploma in Trauma Therapy.
Post Graduate Diploma in Psychotherapy and Counselling with Children and Adolescents.
Post Graduate Diploma in Supervision for Mental Health Practice.
Short Term Programme – Fostering Strengths: A Certificate Course in Psychosocial Work with Adolescents & Young People.