Science, Commerce, and Arts are the three disciplines of study after class 10th. As per the interest areas, students opt for any of these branches. B. A is a degree that students opt for after the 12th standard. B. A stands for Bachelor of Arts. It is an undergraduate program. B. A offers various specialisation. The specialisation depends on the interest of students. The branch is often looked upon after science. Due to the dearth of seats available for science programs. B. A is now looked upon as a new option by students.
An introduction
B. A or Bachelor of Arts, is a three-year degree course. The course offers specialisation in various areas. A student has to complete the core and elective work combined with the other general requirements. The various types of electives offered are History, Psychology, Economics, English, Journalism, Political Science, Geography, and Sociology to name a few. Some new electives have come up in the past few years. Namely Hospitality, Design, and Mass media. A student pursuing B. A (Bachelor of Arts) has to study 5 subjects. Along with these subjects, they also learn a few elective subjects.
The B. A (Bachelor of Arts) can be done in 3 formats. It can be pursued full time for 3 years. Students can opt for part-time learning as well. The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) offers B. A (Bachelor of Arts). There are various universities that offer distance learning like Tamil Nadu open university and Karnataka open university. The cost of a distance learning course is around 6 thousand to 12 thousand per year. The time and the course syllabus are almost the same as a full-time course.
Eligibility criteria for B. A (Bachelor of Arts)
We shall discuss the criteria for a full-time program.
- Students must have cleared the 10 + 2 level exam from recognised school or university
- The student must have scored 50 percent at the 12th standard exam
- Some colleges have their entrance tests. These tests have to be cleared.
- A 5 percent relaxation in the score is applicable for the students of the reserved category
Entrance tests for the B. A (Bachelor of Arts) program
Some colleges like the Tata Institute of Social Services, or the Delhi University have their own entrance tests. Studying B. A (Bachelor of Arts) in these prestigious institutions is an advantage for the students. To study B. A (Bachelor of Arts) in these or other reputed colleges, entrance tests have to be cleared. Some of the popular entrance tests are as follows:
- TISSBAT – entrance test for Tata Institute of Social Services (TISS)
- DUET – for Delhi University
- BHU UET – for Banaras Hindu University
- NIMSEE – for NIMS
- JNUEE – for Jawaharlal Nehru University
Syllabus for the B. A (Bachelor of Arts) program
As mentioned previously in this article, 5 subjects are common for all electives. For core electives, the subjects differ. Given below is a comprehensive guide on the syllabus along with the popular specialisation.
Common BA Programme Subjects | |
| General knowledge | Comprehensive Ability |
| Indian Polity | Numerical and Mental Ability |
| The Human Body & Common Disease | History & Indian Culture |
| Population & Climate Change | Environmental Studies |
| BA English | |
| English Literature | Twentieth-Century Indian Writing |
| Concurrent – Qualifying Language | Nineteenth-Century European Realism/ Classical Literature/ Forms of Popular Fiction |
| Concurrent – Discipline Centred | Contemporary Literature |
| Anglo-American Writing from 1930/ Literary Theory/ Women’s Writing of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries/ Modern European Drama | (-) |
| BA Political Science | |
| Language – MIL/ English Environmental Science | Understanding Political Theory |
| Constitutional Government and Democracy in India | Generic Elective |
| Environmental Science Language – MIL/ English | Political Theory-Concepts and Debates |
| Political Process in India | Introduction to Comparative Government & Politics |
| Perspectives on Public Administration | Perspectives on International Relations |
| Ability Enhancement Course | Pol. Process & Inst. in Comparative Perspective |
| Public Policy and Administration in India | Global Politics |
| Generic Elective | Ability Enhancement Course |
| Classical Political Philosophy | Modern Indian Political Thought |
| Modern Political Philosophy | Indian Political Thought |
| BA History | |
| History of India | Social Formations, Cultural Patterns of the Ancient World |
| Social Formations and Cultural Patterns of the Mediaeval World | Rise of Modern West |
| History of Modern Europe | History Of Southeast Asia: 19th Century |
| History of Modern East Asia | Generic Elective (Interdisciplinary Any Four): Environmental Issues In India, Research Methodology in History, Making of Contemporary India, Delhi: Ancient, Delhi: Mediaeval, Delhi: Modern or Issues in the Contemporary WorldChoose any Two: Understanding Heritage/ Art Appreciation: An Introduction to Indian Art/ Archives and museums/ Understanding Popular Culture |
| BA Psychology | |
| Introduction to Psychology | Statistical Methods for Psychological Research-I |
| Environmental Science | General Psychology |
| Biopsychology | Psychology of Individual Differences |
| English Communication | Youth, Gender and Identity |
| Development of Psychological | Psychological Research |
| Social Psychology | Emotional Intelligence |
| Psychology for Health and Well-being | Understanding Psychological Disorders |
| Statistical Methods for Psychological Research-II | Applied Social Psychology |
| Stress Management | Psychology at Work |
| Dealing with Psychological Disorders | Developmental Psychology |
| Positive Psychology | Human Resource Management |
| Organisational Behaviour | Counselling Psychology |
| Health Psychology | Community Psychology |
| BA Economics | |
| Introductory Microeconomics | Mathematical Methods for Economics |
| Ability Enhancement Compulsory Course | Generic Elective |
| Introductory Macroeconomics | Mathematical Methods for Economics |
| Ability Enhancement Compulsory Course | Intermediate Microeconomics |
| Statistical Methods for Economics | Skill Enhancement Course |
| Intermediate Microeconomics & Macroeconomics | Introductory Econometrics |
| Skill Enhancement Course | Indian Economy |
| Development Economics | Discipline-Specific Elective |
| Indian Economy | Development Economics |
| BA Archaeology | |
| Methodology and Perspectives of Social Science | History of Art and Architecture in India |
| Basics of Archaeology | Introduction to Sociology |
| Cultural Transition in Pre-Modern Kerala | Methods of Archaeology |
| History of Folklore | Development of Sociological Theory |
| Making of Modern Kerala |
| BA Sociology | |
| Methodology and Perspectives of Social Science | History of Art and Architecture in India |
| Basics of Archaeology | Introduction to Sociology |
| Cultural Transition in Pre-Modern Kerala | Methods of Archaeology |
| History of Folklore | Development of Sociological Theory |
| Making of Modern Kerala | Informatics |
| Basics of Indian Numismatics | Introduction to Political Science |
| Understanding the Past | Early Societies in India |
| Development of Numismatics in India | Governmental Machinery and Processes |
| Growth of Indian Archaeology | Introduction to Archives and Records |
| Archaeological Sites and Monuments in India | Archival Conservation and Reprography |
| BA Geography | |
| Geomorphology | Climatology |
| Cartographic Techniques | Geography of Population |
| Concurrent – Qualifying Language | Analytical Physical Geography |
| Oceanography | Thematic Cartography (Practical) |
| Geography of Settlements | Concurrent – Credit Language |
| Economic Geography | Environmental Geography |
| Remote Sensing (Practical) | Urban Geography |
| Concurrent – Interdisciplinary | Geography of Natural Resources |
| Spatial Dimensions of Development | Statistical Methods in Geography |
| Geography of India | Evolution of Geographical Thought |
| Social Geography | Regional Planning: Case Studies |
| Field Techniques | Disaster Management |
| Geographical Information System | Optional: Agricultural Geography, BioGeography, Political Geography, Geography of Tourism, Contemporary Environmental Issues and Rural Development |
| BA Anthropology | |
| Introduction to Social Anthropology | Introduction to Biological Anthropology |
| Archaeological Anthropology-I & II | Technical Writing & Communication in English/ Computational Skills |
| Anthropology of Kinship | Biostatistics and Data Analysis |
| Theories of Culture and Society | Human Genetics |
| Primate Biology / Cell Biology-I | Molecular Biology-I & II |
| Tribes and Peasants in India | Anthropology of religion, politics & economy |
| Biodiversity & Indigenous Knowledge / Cell Biology II | Anthropology of India |
| Human Ecology: Biological Dimensions | Biological Diversity in Human Populations |
| Human Ecology: Social and Cultural Dimensions | Genetics & Genomics |
| Field work dissertation | Fundamental of Human Origins and Evolution |
| Genomic Diversity in Human Populations | Anthropology In Practice |
Scope of higher studies after B. A (Bachelor of Arts)
A student after the completion of the graduate degree can opt to study further. A B. A (Bachelor of Arts) graduate can pursue an MBA in Human resources. Recruiters find this combination ideal for the HR team. Students can also pursue their post-graduation in law by doing LLB. students with B. A – Psychology and with an LLB degree turn out to be good lawyers. These students understand the client’s psyche better. Students who complete B. A degree in linguistics opts for the B. Ed course to become an excellent teacher. Students can also pursue M. A in their choice of specialisation.
Career opportunities and salary expectations after completing B. A program
After completing the graduate degree the roles offered are as follows:
- Content writer – Graduates with B. A in linguistics makes great content writers. This is possible due to their command of the language. A content writer earns a salary of around 3-4 LPA
- Academic writing and editing – These professionals help in rewriting articles and help in completion of research articles. An academic writer earns a salary of 4 LPA.
- Political consultant – Graduates of B. A in History or political science can become political consultants as they have a great understanding in politics. Salary of 7-8 LPA can be earned.
- Authors/writer – Due to exemplary command over languages, many graduates become writers. They earn a salary of around 5 LPA.
- Psychologist – Graduates with B. A – Psychology becomes excellent trainer and counselor. This is due to their inherent knowledge in Psychology. Graduates can either work at various institutions like hospitals or schools. Some opt for private practice. Salary expected is 3.4 -4 LPA
- Foreign language expert – These graduates help to overcome the barriers in spoken and written communication. Salary expected is 4 LPA
- Archaeologist – Archaeology is the study of historic and prehistoric eras. Graduates with B.A in Archaeology help in understanding the prehistoric era better. Salary expected is 4 LPA.
FAQs
A candidate with excellent communication skills, management skills, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills would make an ideal candidate. It is also imperative that the candidate is inquisitive, goal-oriented, and has the power to work under stressful conditions. Few branches, like political science, Psychology, and Hospitality demand analytical thinking too.
Both the degrees are of 3-year duration. The eligibility criteria too is the same for both degrees. The major difference is B. A offers no specilisation under its program. On the other hand B. A (Hons) gives the graduate one specialisation. So when we hear B. A with political science, it is actually B. A (Hons) – Political science.
The fees range from around 3 thousand to 10 thousand per year. In few private colleges, the fees may be in the range of 60 thousand to 3 Lakhs. Distance learning fees are comparatively low. IGNOU fees are around 3 thousand.
The program is a 5-year integrated course. The course can be pursued directly after the 12th standard. At the end of 5 years, the graduate is a lawyer and can practice. The course is integrated with subjects of both arts and law. This program has become most sought after by Arts faculty students.
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