Top 11 Bachelors of Arts Specializations and Their Career Scope

BA (Bachelor of Arts) is one of the most in demand bachelor’s degree opted by students who are inspiring for a career in arts and related disciplines. Students who find their area of interest in field of Liberal Arts, Science or both opt for this course.

The course generally spans for 3 to 4 years depending on college, specialization, country and many other factors. Various universities and institutes conduct their own entrance exam for admission to BA courses. The course is offered by various institutions in two forms, i.e. BA and BA Honours.

BA course comprises of five subjects with combination depending on the specialization opted by a student. BA is a broad concept and is home to many specializations such as Education, Journalism and Mass Communication, Politics, Psychology, Computer Science, English Language and English Literature. This is full-time course but can also be done through distant learning program.

The minimum eligibility criteria for admission to BA courses is 10+2 with 50% aggregate marks from a recognized board. Students from science, commerce or arts can apply for different courses in Bachelor of Arts. It is to be noted that eligibility criteria vary from university to university.

BA is a study of subjects that investigates human things and behaviour. This subject deals with the deep study of sociological aspects, geographic contexts, linguistic, theatre, religions etc. In this article, we have listed few BA courses along with their scope.

There are various specialization that one can opt for under Bachelor of Arts domain. To give you a brief about some prominent and most sought after specializations, we have listed down some courses along with their brief elucidation:

• Bachelors of Arts [BA] Education

BA in Education is a 3 years undergraduate academic degree course. This course is related to education and meant for future educationist and education administrator. There is no other specialization paper in this course. It also focuses on other sections like philosophy and psychology. BA in Education is often confused with B.Ed. due to the term ‘Bachelors in Education’. However, both the degree courses are different in terms of content, curriculum, Syllabus etc.

• Bachelors of Arts [BA] Journalism and Mass Communication

It is an undergraduate journalism course that covers the study of features like newspaper, magazines, cinema, film, radio, television etc. BA in Journalism and Mass Communication course is entitled to the study of various forms of communication that disseminate information to a large segment of society. The duration of the course is 3 years and like all other professional courses, BA in Journalism and Mass Communication also provides job opportunities.

• Bachelors of Arts [BA] Politics

BA in Politics is the three-year undergraduate course. It is the study of theory and practice of political behavior. It further describes national and international political system. BA Politics includes the study of a wide variety of historical and political system, public administration, governmental policies, international relations and public affairs. Candidates those have interest in political issues and want to process the research work can apply for this course.

• Bachelors of Arts [BA] Psychology

This is a Psychological course that involves the study of mind psychology. This means that students will study mind process, crisis management, motives, feelings, reactions, group thinking, motivation and nature of mind. Those people who are flexible in working with all kind of culture/social environments can opt for this course. BA Psychology is a 3 years duration course with curriculum divided into three parts add-on with modules.

• Bachelors of Arts [BA] Computer Science

Duration of this course is three years. In this course, students pursue the study of computer information technology. BA Computer Science course involved typical technical aspects to study software applications such as Word, spreadsheets, media players and data applications. It is a fully career-oriented course as the computer is dominating every small aspect of life. The course is of 3 years of duration with six semesters.

• Bachelors of Arts [BA] English Language and Literature

This is a program that offers the study of English Language. This includes linguistic approach of studying grammar and one can easily do specialization as well. Candidates can further pursue their Master’s course or can set their job in the field of creative writing, teaching, and journalism etc. BA English Language and Literature course is suitable for those people who are interested in studying an ancient form of English Literature. Duration of the course is of three years. This degree course includes lessons on the best writers such as Shakespeare, Chaucer, Swift, Milton, Jane Austen and many more. The students learn about the chapters of English literature and writing in a chronological manner.

• Bachelors of Arts [BA] Arts

This course defines a broad division of culture composed of the much expressive division of culture and art. Bachelor of Arts (BA) course can be done correspondence or regular depending on the choice of the students. Students pursuing this course can choose their discipline in linguistics, sociology, philosophy etc. as add-on subject. This course is not limited only to one subject. This allows the students to choose their interest accordingly.

What is the difference between BA and BA Hons.?

The course is divided into two:

1. BA
2. BA (Honors)

BA – It is general BA course that includes subjects like English, Political Science, History, and Sociology etc. including the second language like Hindi, Bengali, and Urdu etc. according to the student choice.

BA Hons. – This includes specialization in specific subjects that one has opted for. Eg. – English Hons, History Hons, Geography Hons etc. The course includes paperwork/dissertation submission process that one has to submit during the final year.

Below mentioned are the few BA (Hons.) courses offered by various universities:

• Bachelors of Arts [BA] {Hon} English

This degree holds the curriculum about the existence of English Literature and Language. This course highlights many aspects of English through Drama, Poetry, Novel, Play etc. BA English Honours course is for three academic years and syllabus is being provided on both semester and non-semester basis. This course is valuable in India respective to job prospects.

• Bachelors of Arts [BA] {Hon} Geography

This is an undergraduate geography course that focuses on the study of different aspects of land, water, air and all geographical internal and external formations. The duration of the course is 3 years. BA Geography Honours course is best for the people who are willing to pursue their career as geologist, professor or teacher.

• Bachelors of Arts [BA] {Hons} History

This course is related to study of history. It is basically a study of human affair that happened in past. It also highlights the facts and figures of ancient, medieval and contemporary India. The students also learn about the social, economic, political and cultural aspects while studying this course. BA History Honours is a career-oriented course with the duration of 3 years. The course is also suitable for those who are willing to choose teaching as a career option.

How to get Admission to BA Courses?

The admission process of BA courses is based on the merit list. Some universities conduct their own entrance examination for BA course. Few arts colleges provide admission to students on the basis of merit list. BA degree can be attained via distance learning mode as well. Students can apply for BA degree course after his /her 10+2 examination.

Bachelors of Arts Fee Structure

Below mentioned is a Fee structure of BA and BA (Hons.) of colleges under Delhi University. It is to be noticed that fee structure varies in private colleges.

Advantages of pursuing different Courses in Bachelors of Arts

• It is a flexible Degree course that is open for all streams.
• Students are not limited to a particular unit. They can choose their interest of study.
• Pursuing the course will develop communication, research, and analytical skills.
• Offers many career and postgraduate options.

What after BA Courses?

The job options after Bachelors in Art courses are wide and attractive. One can become economist, historian, Archeologist, Educationalist, Philosopher, Writer etc. One can get 15-25k initially after doing any course in arts.  Mention below is an employment area which one can set their roots and can earn well. These are:

• Banks
• Business House
• Consultancies
• Fire department
• Educational Institute
• Foreign Affairs
• Foreign Embassy
• Law Firm
• Management
• Public Works
• Tourism ‘
• Lobbying Firm
• Export companies
• Multinational Companies
• Police
• Political Organization.

Types of Jobs

After graduating with Bachelors of Arts in different streams one can be in respected designation like

• Administrative officer
• Business Administrator
• Social Worker
• Policy analyst
• Political Manager
• Journalist
• Teacher /Professor
• Writer
• Information system manager
• Pollster
• Human resource manager

Courses related to Bachelors in Arts are not just a course, it gives you holistic development in terms of understanding our society and subdivision in terms of culture, art, law politics etc. We are just a guide, ultimately you know the best in terms of choosing your course in Bachelors of Arts.