Bachelor of Arts is the most sought-after undergraduate course in India as of now. Moreover, BA from reputed institutions offers improved career prospects.
BA is a three year long under graduation course in the field of arts. Different universities across India offer full-time, distant, and open BA courses. Students can select the mode of study accordingly to their Comfort and convenience. Any student who has completed their plus two with a minimum of 50% marks from an authorized board can pursue BA. BA Economics, BA English, BA History, etc., are some of the popular BA specialisations.
Not only this but courses from various streams of knowledge can also be taken as specialization. After a Bachelor of Arts, candidates usually opt to go for MA (Master of Arts), which would enable the person to have a post-graduation in the respective field of study. The candidates select research or other professional areas after this.
Many candidates choose to pursue MBA after BA since the career prospects are attractive following its completion. In addition, some candidates seek government exams like UPSC as the career options after it.
Why should we study Bachelor of Arts?
The career options for a person who has completed BA are extensive and diverse compared to other courses. BA courses are rather general in nature. There is no such particular focus as the science graduate courses. Most sectors, including management, healthcare, business, finance, commerce, and many more, employ people with BA degrees.
Bachelor of Arts’ subjects are comparatively less difficult to study and pass. So those who want to seek government jobs in which the minimum educational qualification is graduation will opt for comfortable BA courses. Since they could prepare for the exam, they seek to crack alongside the BA course being done. BA courses generally necessitate a cultural and social approach from the students, which is not the case for any other courses. Thus studying BA would improve the soft interpersonal skills and the emotional intelligence of the students.
Who should study for a Bachelor of Arts?
Those interested in studying things more subjectively rather than with scientific objectivity should prefer choosing BA. Students who want to know more about the society in which they live, and the day-to-day operations of daily life could also get insightful ideas and methods from studying BA. Interests in language and culture could also be catered by the BA courses in the respective fields. Journalism, social work, psychology, teaching, and management enthusiasts should also opt for studying BA.
What is the appropriate time for doing a Bachelor of Arts?
Any student who has completed their 12th with the required marks could go for BA. However, the premier colleges offering BA in India have their cutoffs higher up to 95%. So the students interested in studying at such institutions should score as much as marks in their 12th itself. The admission process usually takes place in June in almost all the institutes of the country.
Admission Process
Some institutes have their admission process based on merit, while some have it through entrance examinations. Colleges admitting students based on merit publish their cut-off marks details, and those who are eligible apply. Premier colleges like Hindu College, Miranda House, Lady Shriram, etc., conduct their admission procedure this way.
While some institutes like the Regional Institute of education, JNU, and EFLU admit their Bachelor students through entrance examinations, the syllabus for which gets published on the respective institutions’ website and aspirants should prepare for the entrance using them and the previous year question papers. Those students who have not scored enough marks in the 12th sufficient for admission in the reputed institutions should try appearing in the entrance examinations.
Types of Bachelor of Arts
Universities across India offer BA courses under various specialisations. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the types and specialisations of BA is necessary.
BA Honours
The fundamental difference between BA and BA Honours is that BA Hons. will be more specialized on the respective subject. The approach will be rather more particular compared to the standard approach of regular BA courses. The syllabus will be more detailed and vast in BA Hons compared to that of BA. The career prospects of BA Hons courses also have a slight comparative edge over ordinary BA courses.
Distance BA
Students who are not comfortable with going to the institution for academics daily can opt for Distance BA. Working people can also choose to have a distance BA. This could help them improve their working profile. IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University) is offering BA through Distance Education in India. The candidates can complete the course in 3 to 6 years. A Bachelor’s Preparatory Programme is mandatory to have been passed before taking admission there. Materials and Curriculum for the learning will be provided for the candidates by the respective universities. The fees usually range from INR 6000 to INR 20000.
Online BA
Some Universities offer the learning process through online modes. In this mode of education, though the candidate doesn’t have to go daily to the institution physically, she/he will have to regularly attend classes online, unlike distance education. The classes will have a fixed schedule, not necessarily on ordinary universities’ conventional time frames. Online BA is a convenient method by which Indian nationals can get BA courses from universities abroad; for example, the university of Harvard is offering online BA courses.
Some Important BA Specialisations
BA English
It is one of the most sought-after BA specializations. Most often, the syllabus of BA English offered by universities encompasses English Literature, Literature History, and language. In addition, teaching, media, writing, publishing, and advertising are some of the Career choices offered by this specialisation.
BA Economics
This Undergraduate BA course typically has Macro and Micro Economics, Financial Economics, and Economic Statistics as their core subjects. The important institutions which offer BA Economics are Presidency College, St. Xavier’s college, etc. Since deep understanding is enabled of finance, markets, and resource management, candidates having completed BA Economics have a wide range of career options to pursue.
BA History
World Politics, Ancient History, and European History alongside Indian History are some of the thrust areas of BA History. The institutions of repute which offer BA History include Presidency University, St. Stephens College, and Jadavpur University. Successful completion of the course enables the candidates to pursue their careers as Archaeologists, Historians, and Teachers.
BA Sociology
Different social and cultural relations operating inside the society are what are mainly studied under this BA discipline. Christ University, Mount Carmel College are some of the important institutions offering BA Sociology. After completing the course, the students can pursue their careers as Sociologists, Social analysts, Counsellors, etc.
BA Geography
The different features and phenomenons of the earth is sought to be studied in BA Geography. The syllabus also includes portions about climate, vegetation, soil etc. Chennai Loyola College, Delhi University are premier institutions that offer this course. Working as Cartographer, Land Analyst, Demographer are some of the career options after completing BA Geography.
BA Political Science
The key areas of this BA discipline are different theories of politics, political behavior, and its various dimensions and studies about the political system. Fergusson College Pune, Hindu College Delhi are the top colleges. Jobs are mostly available in areas like Public Service, Media, Education, etc.
BA LLB
Students who like to become lawyers can choose BA LLB as their graduation course. The areas covered by the syllabus include Arts subjects as well as Law subjects. Most of the institutions admit students through entrance examinations. Career options include practicing as Lawyers, Legal advisors, etc.