Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs in Psychology in India [2024] | upGrad blog (2024)

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In this Article, you will learn Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs in Psychology in India [2024]

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There is no getting around the fact that psychology is one of the most important fields of our time. There was a time when psychology was purely notional, but after centuries of studies involving not only experiments but also philosophical evaluations and reevaluations, psychology is a field that straddles both the scientific and the intuitive. Earlier psychology was mostly academia-oriented, but years of experiments and research has made psychology both scientific and conducive.

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Whether you’ve been considering psychology as a career option and are wondering what kind of career will suit you best, or you’ve already started a career in a certain stream and want to see what kind of growth opportunities are available for you – this is the right article for you!

If you have been considering psychology as a career option or wish to change your career path, then keep reading!

Psychology is a scientific study of mind and behavior. A psychologist examines the functioning of a brain and the associated human behavior. The process of healing is not rapid but gradual.

Mental awareness has increased so as has the careers in psychology. Projected to grow at the rate of 14% year-on-year, psychology is a field that will always see tremendous growth because it helps to understand what causes problems in people in the first place, not just in solving them.

It is a field that will keep growing as it solves more significant problems like decision making, stress management, and behavioural issues.

In this article, we’ll take you through some of the highest paying jobs in psychology, and how they are different from each other. As well as explain a little bit about what each job entails and how to get there. This article will help you get the answer of your apprehensions like “How much does a psychologist earn in India?” or “How much psychologist earn in India?”

And you can find out which one suits you the best!

Learners receive an average Salary hike of 58% with the highest being up to 400%.

Top 10 Highest Paying Psychology Jobs in India

1. Psychiatrist

Requiring a very specific trajectory during the educational stage, a psychiatrist has the important responsibility of assigning people diagnoses (based on their evaluations) and making sure that they get the proper medicines.

For the most part, a psychiatrist comes in at a stage when a patient has already gone through various other structures that are designed to support those who are suffering from mental health conditions – a psychiatrist comes into the picture at the last stage of the journey of mental health.

Psychiatry is not restricted to a clinic; rather everywhere, such as pediatric psychiatrists, geriatric psychiatrists, forensic psychiatrists, military psychiatrists, sports psychiatrists, etc.

Usually, a psychiatrist is also well versed in certain forms of counselling or therapy, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

It’s not a walk in the park if you want to become a licensed psychiatrist. You have to finish an undergraduate degree in medical school and then do an MPhil from an RCI-licensed college to finally be able to call yourself a psychiatrist.

However, each country has its education requirements to be a psychiatrist. In India, one must have an undergraduate degree in medical school and an MPhil from (Rehabilitation Council of India) RCI-licensed college.

Typically, salaries from psychiatrists average around₹975,328per year.

Required Educational Qualification

To become a psychiatrist, one must have the following educational qualifications:

• An MBBS degree from a renowned university or an accredited institution.
• A diploma degree/ MD program in psychological medicine or psychiatry.

Essential Skills Required to Become a Psychiatrist

Being a psychiatrist is one of the highest paying psychology jobs in India, and to fill this role, one must possess a particular skill set. The following are the essential skills that one should have to become a thriving psychiatrist in India:

• In-depth knowledge of medicine
• Good grasp of psychiatry
• Good communication skills
• Ability to prescribe medicines and drugs
• Case study and observation
• Active listening
• Right diagnosis and treatment
• Applied diagnostic skills

Job Roles and Responsibilities

Being the highest paying job with a psychology degree, it has crucial responsibilities to fulfill. Some of the major roles and responsibilities of a psychiatrist are enumerated as follows:

• Analyzing the clients and performing the correct diagnosis and treatment for their psychopathologies.
• Conducting various psychological tests to identify the issue the patient is facing.
• Providing the necessary mental healthcare services to the patients.
• Prescribing medicines and drugs to psychiatric clients and patients.

2. Industrial/Organizational Psychologist

Given that a big chunk of the workforce is occupied across industries where there is little to no emotional support to be found for the various workers, it’s no surprise that those psychologists who can fit this role are rewarded generously for their efforts! And their efforts are often deployed not at a personal level only.

A healthy work environment comes from the culture; if the work culture is toxic, it creates stress in the business and the employees. Generous rewards are the after-effect of filling this massive gap in a workplace.

The task of industrial and organizational psychologists is to make sure that the structures within which workers are operating can be attuned in a way so that it works out in the favour of both the companies as well as the people involved. Creating a healthy balance between the organization’s productivity and the workforce requires tremendous skills and mindfulness.

To not only strike a balance between the human and structural is not an easy task, and requires mindfulness of the highest degree.

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The path to becoming an organizational/industrial psychologist typically involves doing at least a master’s in organizational psychology, with a doctorate degree being optional. A Master’s in Organizational Psychology is the right path. A Doctorate Degree remains optional but increases the chances of earning money.

Keep in mind though, that completing a doctorate degree will greatly increase your chances of earning more money.

The (Industrial/ Organisational) I/O Psychologists make an average of ₹4,25,000 per year.

Required Educational Qualification

The scope of psychology in India is ever-expanding, which is why careers in psychology in India are growing with each passing day. One needs to have the following education qualifications to become an industrial psychologist:

• A master’s degree in psychology, preferably with a specialization in organizational behavior.
• A certificate course or PG diploma in organizational or industrial psychology.

Essential Skills to Become an Industrial Psychologist

To understand ‘is psychology a good career in India or not,’ you need to analyze the scope of psychological careers and the salaries they earn. However, to reach a higher position, one needs to inculcate some specific skills that are stated under:

• Good communication skills
• Thorough understanding of organizational behavior
• Grievance redressal
• Team management abilities
• Career counselling
• Leadership development abilities
• Human resource management

Job Roles and Responsibilities

As one of the highest paying jobs with a psychology degree, organizational psychologists need to perform the following roles and responsibilities:

• Closely observing the areas of organizational development and industrial effectiveness.
• Managing organizational aspects such as employee needs, assessment tests of the employees, how content they are, etc.
• Conducting leadership training programs and solving grievances of the workforce.

3. Neuropsychologist

Neuropsychology is a field that goes into the depth of the psychology of the brain. A neuropsychologist looks not just at typical psychological indicators that other psychologists use as a reference point.

A neuropsychologist determines how severe impairments one could have.

A neuropsychologist understands the rest of the parts of a body and how the brain responds to stimuli. For instance, which part of the brain produces a feeling of sadness or euphoria when one feels a sense of excitement.

Their specialty lies in having a thorough understanding of all the different parts of the brain and how they respond to various stimuli – for instance, which part of the brain isn’t functioning well when someone says they’re sad, or which part of the brain produces the feeling of euphoria when one feels a sense of excitement.

Owing to the fact that neuropsychologists can work with complex brain chemistry, they often work with pharmaceutical companies as advisors to their many medicines.

Neuropsychology is a specialized field that requires dedicated study, often for many years on end. But it’s a rewarding career, not only in terms of satisfaction but financially as well.

A neuropsychologist earns an average salary of ₹496,647 per year.

Required Educational Qualification

Psychologist salary in India are increasing with the development of this field. To become a neuropsychologist, one must possess the following educational qualifications:

• A master’s degree in psychology or applied science with a specialization in neuroscience or neuropsychology.
• M.Phil in psychology.

Essential Skills to Become a Neuropsychologist

The potential of neuropsychology is immense with new researches being conducted globally to scope deeper into the human brain. The following skills are essential to become a successful neuropsychologist:

• Extensive knowledge of medicines
• Critical and analytical skills
• Cognitive assessment abilities
• Research skills
• Thorough knowledge of psychopathology
• Ability to experiment

Job Roles and Responsibilities

The following are the rules and responsibilities of a neuropsychologist:

• Analyzing and evaluating the connection between human psychological processes and their impact on the human brain.
• Conducting psychological assessments on patients with brain injuries to understand their cognitive abilities.
• Identifying the cognitive disorders or mental health disorders in clients by working closely with healthcare facilities.
• Working in universities and educational centers to take forward the knowledge of neuropsychology.

4. School Counselor/Psychologist

The importance of a school psychologist or counsellor cannot be stressed enough. A school psychologist can tie together the social fabric of the school, which is almost always bursting at the seams, with social tensions and strife – for the students, school faculty, as well as management. School Psychologists’ importance is too high. They work within the educational ecosystem to diagnose and treat the emotional, learning, and behavioural problems in children, faculty, or management.

In such a scenario, a school counsellor offers respite for everyone involved, and makes sure that a school’s systems function as well as they can (and should).

A School Counselor/ Psychologist offers relief to everyone involved and ensures smooth functioning of the school. That is why the schools invest heavily in school counsellors. They make a significant impact on their student’s careers and form a lasting relationship with them!

This is why school psychologists are so important for schools, and why schools invest heavily in them. Moreover, school counsellors also form lasting relationships with their students, and can thus enrich their lives too – and this is a huge form of impact!

It’s a straightforward career path to becoming a school counsellor/psychologist, requiring some specialisation once a master’s degree has been completed. Becoming a School Counselor/ Psychologist is a straight career path; gain some specialisation after a Master’s degree. The average salary for a school counsellor/psychologist is ₹3,02,012 per year.

5. Clinical Psychologist

A clinical psychologist, much like a psychiatrist, understands all the conditions in which a mental disorder can present itself within a person. A clinical psychologist diagnoses, evaluate mental, emotional, or behavioural disorders, and offer treatment in a clinic or hospital.

So, a clinical psychologist’s task involves diagnosing, managing, and treating people who have these conditions – whether it be depression, or anxiety, or borderline personality disorder, or anything else. Because of the far reaching implications of this profession, it’s one of the most popular roles within the field of psychology, and has the most number of jobs on offer as well.

They deal in solving the problem of anxiety, depression, borderline personality disorder, etc. Clinical Psychology is a demanding field and has the most number of jobs on offer as well. It is one of the most sought careers in psychology in India.

Clinical psychologists often work across hierarchies in a number of different organisations, whether at care centres, recovery centres, hospitals, or other places where the mental health of people is dealt with at length.

In addition, they often offer their services through private practice as well, thereby increasing the scope of their earnings. The clinical psychologist salary is mentioned below.

A clinical psychologist makes on average ₹355,326 per year.

Required Educational Qualification

The clinical psychology salary has seen a decent growth compared to its counterparts. However, to become a clinical psychologist, one must have the following educational qualifications:

• Master’s degree in psychology from a recognized institute. A specialization in clinical psychology is preferred.
• An M.Phil in clinical psychology.
• RCI recognized license for practicing.

Essential Skills to Become a Clinical Psychologist

With a significant increase in the number of individuals seeking mental health support, clinical psychologists are anticipated to see 11% rise in their demand by 2032. Hence, clinical psychology salary too will reflect this demand with a higher base salary. One needs to build a particular skill set to become a clinical psychologist as enumerated below:

• In-depth knowledge of behavioral and emotional disorders
• Good grasp of psychological theories
• Analytical skills
• Good communication skills
• Good listener
• Conducting medical examination
• Diagnostic capabilities
• Conducting psychological tests and assessments
• Expertise in therapy and counseling
• Presentation

Job Roles and Responsibilities

A clinical psychologist has the following roles and responsibilities to fulfill:

• Conducting detailed medical examinations of the clients based on their symptoms, behavior, emotional distress, etc.
• Understanding the mental condition of a patient and providing psychotherapy treatment to them.
• Managing various administrative aspects of becoming a clinical psychologist, such as conducting test assessments.
• Working closely with physicians to understand a patient’s mindset and offer treatment accordingly.

6. Forensic Psychologist

Forensic psychologists specialize in psychology as it overlaps in the field of criminality and all things related to it. They work often with criminal offenders, attempting to rehabilitate them at a psychological level, before they go back out into the world. To this end, they can be employed by prisons, institutions that cater to habitual drug offenders, as well as hospitals. Forensic Psychology involves the application of knowledge to answer legal questions arising from legal or criminal proceedings. They work with the criminal offenders and rehabilitate them to go back to the world.

They serve as an important cog in the rehabilitation system for any crime – simply giving them time to reflect on their wrongdoing proves to be futile, unless it’s supported strongly by someone who can facilitate that process.

They play a very significant role in the rehabilitation system, to make the criminals reflect on their actions and prepare them to lead a normal life.

In addition to simply helping those that have committed crimes, forensic psychologists are also responsible for making sure that people are psychologically profiled correctly – through this they can predict who is likely to become a criminal and who will be a threat to society if they are released from prison.

They are also responsible to make sure that the people are psychologically profiled to assess if they are fit to go back into society.

On average, a forensic psychologist earns ₹5,65,000 per year.

Required Educational Qualification

Forensic psychology salary is generally more than that of the general psychologists and counselors as forensic psychologists specialize in a field. To become a forensic psychologist one needs to have the following educational qualifications:

• A master’s degree in psychology.
• A doctorate in psychology in the field of psychology of law and ethics psychology of criminology and abuse is preferred.

Essential Skills to Become a Forensic Psychologist

A forensic psychologist salary depends upon how skilled that person is. The forensic psychology salary is determined based on the following skills:

• In-depth knowledge of the concepts of psychology
• Evaluating psychological disorders and mental illness
• Critical thinking abilities
• Case study and observation
• Knowledge of forensic
• Stress management
• Analytical skills

Job Roles and Responsibilities

Forensic psychology salary are often higher in certain areas because they have to handle and deal with various critical cases that may be criminal in nature. The following are the roles and responsibilities of a forensic psychologist:

• Conducting psychological tests and assessments regarding the cognitive functions of the victims, suspects, and culprits.
• Closely examining the victims and culprits to understand if they are suffering from any sort of psychological illness.
• Offering mental healthcare services to victims and convicts if they are mentally ill.
• Working closely with other mental healthcare professionals such as clinical psychologists, counselors, etc to investigate certain cases and provide consultation services.
• Testifying about various psychopathologies and their criminal aspects in courts and other judicial bodies.

7. Counselling Psychologist

Counselling psychologists are experts in making people come face to face with their problems and offering them solutions that can be of help to them in the immediate short term. They help people to improve their well beings, prevent and alleviate distress.

Counselling offers people an insight into their behaviours that simply going to a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist won’t – this is why these services are often paired together so that in combination they can provide great results for the person concerned. Counselling offers an insight into behaviors that psychiatry or clinical psychology won’t. It is preferable to pair them together in order to get great results.

This insight can then be used to further delve deeper into any “concern areas” for respective people: someone might want to focus more on their relationships, others might want to take a closer look at work, while some might want to be able to look closely at their hobbies. The insights help better understand the pain points which one might focus upon like relationships, career, work, hobbies, etc.

A counselling psychologist makes an average salary of ₹362,758 per year.

They too have private practices and can earn separately through that channel.

8. Sports Psychologist

Sports psychologists are psychologists who understand not only the human mind but also the human body – they understand how they interact with each other on and off the field.

A sports psychologist is someone who, ideally, has already gone through the motions of various sports training rituals themselves, and therefore understands the specific toll that it takes on both one’s mind and body. They make sure the mental well-being of athletes impacts their performance, behaviour, and health of athletes.

They guide the athletes towards their goals and play a big role to make or break athletes’ careers. This helps the athletes to meet high expectations.

Thus, with this experience, they guide others to their specific sports-related goals, and can make or break athletes’ careers – after all, sports as a field comes with very high expectations, rewards, as well as disappointments.

And this is where a sports psychologist shines and allows others to shine as well.

A sports psychologist typically makes a salary of ₹589,581 as they start out but can make a promising sum of around 24 Lacs per year !

A sports psychologist usually earns an average salary of ₹5.9 lakh-₹7.5 lakh per year in India.

Required Educational Qualification

Sports psychologist salary in India has seen a whopping rise in recent years as various sports academies and institutions are taking into account the importance of the mental health of the players along with their physical health. It is a growing field and to become a sports psychologist, one must have the following educational qualifications:

• Master’s in psychology
• A post-graduation or diploma in sports psychology
• Preferably a PhD in psychology, salary is also higher in such scenarios

Essential Skills to Become a Sports Psychologist

Sports psychology comes under the ever-expanding psychology scope in India. The essential skills to become a sports psychologist are:

• Understanding of athletics
• Case study and observation
• Leadership training
• Interpersonal skills
• Mental training for athletes
• Team management abilities
• Potential to build a team
• Stress management

Job Roles and Responsibilities

Being a sports psychologist is not an easy task. One needs to be constantly on their toes and train athletes to become more vigilant and fit. The following are the roles and responsibilities of a sports psychologist:

• Performing certain psychological assessments to evaluate the mental strength and fitness of the players.
• Performing training sessions and conducting team building tasks to increase the team spirit and commitment of the athletes.
• Conducting leadership and developmental training programs in the field.
• Offering counseling sessions and rehabilitation services exclusively to athletes.

9. Education Psychologist

An education psychologist fills any possible gaps that are left behind within the schooling system in so far as the education of a student is concerned. There is tough competition and stress in the education industry, this begins from the nursery to higher education. Today, everyone wants to get the best out of the equation for career growth and personal advancement.

We have earlier seen that there are school psychologists and counsellors who serve to hold students’ anxieties as well as their fears, which may in part be triggered by the school. An education psychologist, however, makes sure that a child’s intellectual growth is taken care of.

Often, a school system doesn’t allow for certain minds to grow at the rate that they will grow the best – and this is where an educational psychologist will be far more helpful than a school psychologist or counsellor.

An education psychologist can earn up to ₹10,65,343 with the possibility of earning a salary of ₹972,275 – and this doesn’t even include bonuses or other perks! Similarly, through private practice, an educational psychologist can stand to earn even more money. This is one of the highest paying psychology jobs in India.

The average salary of psychologist in India, in the field of education, is ₹ 2.1 lakhs per year.

10. Child Psychologist

A child psychologist does what you may imagine they do – they work with children. Children have to face a lot of challenges as they grow up, and parents may not always be in the best position to be able to deal with all of those issues.

In fact, there may be instances when parents specifically approach a child psychologist because they are wondering how to deal with a certain problem that they can’t solve on their own.

A child psychologist helps keep the parents stress free while they focus solely on the child. A child psychologist focuses on the well-being of the children, keeping their mental health safe.

Child psychologists too have their own private practice, and as word spreads about their services, they can stand to make a lot of money through this medium.

Child Psychology scope in India is huge with mental health awareness. Child Psychologists do private practice as well, increasing their chances of earning more money.

The average salary of a psychologist specializing in the field of child psychology in India is ₹3,90,366 per year. However, this is an average basic pay and it can increase depending upon the years of experience and the level of expertise an individual possesses.

Top reasons why psychology is important

Psychology can help in explaining why people act the way they do. Professional insight helps in improving their decision-making, management of stress, overcoming traumas, and predicting their future behaviour. The scope of psychology is becoming high as people are becoming more aware of their mental health.

Disciplines of Psychology

The discipline of Psychology is vastly spread which allows for major applications of the discipline in almost every field. The highest-paying psychology jobs in India are among these disciplines. Some of the disciplines of Psychology include

1. Family
2. Sports
3. Business
4. Media
5. Forensic

Top skills required in the field of Psychology

The psychologist’s salary in India is determined by various factors and skills are one of those factors.

• Clinical reasoning
• Quantitative and Qualitative Research
• Experiment Design
• Critical Thinking
• Listening
• Communication

Modern careers in Psychology

The psychology salary in India is increasing as there is fresh air for mental health awareness. Some of the modern careers in psychology are

1. Professor
2. Healthcare industry
3. Government Agencies
4. Schools
5. Corporate

Major fields in Psychology

The highest-paid psychology jobs in India are also determined by various factors and the field of psychology is one of the factors. The more experienced one becomes in their field, the more psychology jobs salary keeps increasing.

Some of the fields are mentioned below

1. Counseling Psychology
2. Educational Psychology
3. Clinical Psychology
4. Quantitative Psychology
5. Forensic Psychology
6. Social Psychology

A career in psychology in India is promising if you find what interests you more and build your niche in it.

Take the Leap into Psychology?

As we’ve already explored above, psychology is a field that is rife with possibilities, with discoveries waiting to happen, intersections still to be found, and lives yet to be enriched! Beginning your career in psychology is the best way to earn a top salary in psychology in India – no matter where you’ve completed your education from, it is bound to come in handy as there are a huge number of opportunities in India. Mostly all the above-mentioned are one of the sought-after careers in psychology as well as rewarding.

Each profession takes time to establish, so the sooner you get started the better! There is success at the end of each road – so start on your path today!