In a country of one billion people, have you ever wondered about the numerous cultures that extend from Kashmir to Kanyakumari? Have the concepts of nationality, ethnicity and religion intrigued you? If these have crossed your mind, population studies might be your best bet.

“This subject examines issues and various problems associated with population,” says N. Audinarayana, head of the department of population studies at Bharathiar University in Coimbatore. Areas that are explored as part of population studies include demography and analysis that could be applied to whole societies or to groups defined by criteria such as education, nationality, religion and ethnicity. Bharathiar University offers an MA in population studies, which has 20 seats on offer. The eligibility for this is a graduation in social sciences. Graduation in languages doesn’t count. There is also a one-year MPhil programme, which is open to students with a postgraduate degree in population science, sociology, social work, geography, statistics, mathematics and home science. “The MPhil programme has two extensions and can also lead to a PhD,” says Audinarayana. The MPhil programme costs Rs 15,000 a year.

With the growing involvement of non governmental organisations (NGOs) in several projects, population studies is becoming increasingly popular. Being at the crossroads of disciplines like geography, economics and sociology, population studies presents tools to approach a large range of issues by combining the core of the discipline with methods borrowed from social or other sciences. “It is a multidisciplinary field,” says Audinarayana.

Annamalai University in Chennai also offers distance education courses — a BA and an MA in population studies. The requirements are a pass in Plus Two and a bachelors degree, respectively.

Annamalai University offers an MA, MPhil and PhD in population studies. Elaborates A. Subbiah, head of the department of population studies at Annamalai University in Chennai, “We offer a two-year MA in population studies and also an integrated MA in population and development that spans five years.” They also offer a one-year postgraduate diploma course in demography and social health. Subbiah stresses the importance of demography as a topic that is vital for research. These include the birth rate, fertility rate, mortality and reproduction. “Demographic research is necessary for the generation of quality data that can help in marketing research and census planning,” says Subbiah.

Demographic studies also highlight how the rise or fall in the numbers of a particular population or ethnic group affects their behaviour, and how that has an impact on their way of living and migration patterns.

There are five seats for the MPhil course and at any given time, there are around 10 students who are doing their PhD at Annamalai University. “Their research is important in decision-making and for policy formulation. Students have an opportunity to take part in the implementation of interdisciplinary projects across the social sciences,” says Subbiah.

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, offers a masters course in geography that provides students an opportunity to specialise in population and human settlement in the last semester. “We offer MPhil and PhD programmes in population studies too,” says Sudesh Nagiya, professor at the Center for the Study of Regional Development at JNU.

The postgraduate courses at this university are open to students with a bachelors degree in statistics, social sciences, mathematics, geography and economics. Two fellowships are offered to PhD students by the Indian Association of Parliamentarians on population and development.

The International Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS), a deemed university in Mumbai, offers many courses in population studies and is a major centre for research in the subject. “Courses range from a one-year postgraduate diploma in population studies to a masters degree in population studies, as well as MPhil and doctoral courses.

IIPS also offers courses in reproductive health and development for two weeks,” says Kamala Gupta, professor and head of the department of migration and urban studies at IIPS. For the master degree in population studies, a student has to have a masters degree in social sciences since the programme runs for a year. “We also have a correspondence course in master of population studies in place,” she adds. These programmes seek to increase the knowledge and understanding of the various aspects of the subject including concepts, measures and programmes related to reproductive health and development.

Prospects are quite bright for students who take up population studies. Students have the option to teach if they go in for higher studies and NGOs are also providing opportunities for doing specialised work. Students of population studies are much in demand for projects related to relief work. Also, each state in India has a Population Research Centre that provides employment opportunities. “One could gain entry as a research officer, a research assistant or a project associate in these centres,” says Kamala Gupta of IIPS. One could also work as a state demographer and do projects related to biostatistics.

Students of population studies can work in national and international NGOs. “Organisations like UNICEF, WHO and UNESCO hire students with a background in population studies,” says Audinarayana of Bharathiar University. They can also join institutes like the Indian Statistical Institute that conduct research in population studies. “For students with a masters degree, salaries would start at about Rs 10,000 a month and could go up to as much as Rs 30,000,” says A. Subbiah of Annamalai University. International market research groups also employ them.

So those of you who have an interest in learning about the varied facets of the human population could profitably cock an eye at population studies.