50 'focused' graduate degrees

MOST of you may have been asked this question, quite often, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ Doctor, engineer, IAS, architect, is the typical answer. But, rare is the occasion when someone says, “I want to become an ethical hacker, apiculturist, film maker, or tourist guide.” Rajalakshmi who is pursuing a BSc in Visual Communications at Loyola College, Chennai, shares, “This field did not exist in my parent’s horizon. So there was an initial resistance. A BCom would have made them happier.”

The difficulty lies in identifying what interests you the most as opposed to enrolling in a programme, which is the flavour of the season, says Rajni Arya, a former State Psychologist, Boston, USA. According to Arya, it is almost impossible for the 99% of students to know exactly what they want at the age of 16-17, when deciding the subjects. “My son has changed his preferences at least eight times in the last one year. The solution lies in more information,” says Chandrasekar, a harrowed parent.

New degrees that crop up like mushrooms have also added to the confusion; we now have degrees in cosmetology, trichology, nano-biotechnology offered at the undergraduate levels. In a recent article, two professors from IISc argued that it is impossible to specialize in nanotechnology without a thorough grounding in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. A basic degree in any one of these disciplines is crucial, before specializing in a subject like nanotechnology.    

To help you choose the right path, we put together a list of 324 graduate programmes and examined 50 of them in detail. Make an informed decision!