Bachelor Of Atrs (B.A.)

About Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts focuses on subjects such as Humanities, Social Studies and Liberal Arts. There are a variety of specializations like History, English, Philosophy, Economics, Political Science, Geography, Sociology, etc to pursue in Bachelor of Arts. The average duration of a Bachelor of Arts ranges from 3 years for both regular and distance courses. Post completing a BA degree, students can choose to study further such as MA and Ph.D. in the same or relevant discipline. 
Advantages of B.A.

Learning Career Skills

Anyone who graduates with a bachelor's degree learns important job skills. No matter what the size of a college, the purpose of getting a bachelor of arts degree is to give the student a good background, which can prepare the student for many activities. These skills include effective writing, public speaking and critical thinking.

Learning Life Skills

College time is a time of transformation. During this time, the student learns the art of managing money, managing time, balancing work and health and having a commitment to himself in a negative environment like the real world. For example, a student who does not submit his / her paper at a time simply suffers from poor grade results. An employee who does not submit an important report may lose his or her job.

Communication Opportunities

During the college years, a student may come in contact with people from many different walks of life and with many different backgrounds ahead of them. This can lead to greater opportunities for communication.
BA Eligibility

Students who have successfully passed their higher secondary examinations (10+2) from a recognized education board with science, arts, or commerce stream can opt for a B.A course. Some of the colleges and universities conduct entrance exams for students to be eligible for the course. While other colleges require students to have scored a minimum of 50% in their 12th exams.

What is BA All About?

A Bachelor of Arts Degree or BA course is an undergraduate arts degree awarded to students, usually in a branch of the Liberal Arts. The Bachelor of Arts degree is one of the oldest and most popular programs globally. BA degree is a mix of many subjects that allows candidates to adapt to the changing demands of the employer and meet their needs. The BA course enhances the candidates’ communication, research, and analytical skills.

BA: Bachelor of Arts Course- Key Points

Following are the key points and Highlights of the BA course-

Types of Bachelor of Arts

Other than a regular Bachelor of Arts of 3 years duration, an aspirant can pursue BA in distance mode or online mode, designed as per the demands of individuals who want to pursue Bachelor of Arts from their homes, or along with their full-time jobs.

Full Time BA

• Full time Bachelor of Arts are the most widely available and the most in-demand type of BA Course in India. 
• CU, DU, MU and other top Colleges provide Bachelor of Arts. 
• Admission to full-time Bachelor of Arts is based on merit or entrance exams conducted by some universities.
• The average fees for Bachelor of Arts range from INR 3000 to INR 10,000. 
• Bachelor of Arts in Private Colleges have higher fees which range from INR 60,000 to INR 3,00,000. 
• Bachelor of Arts is available in various specializations such as BA Hindi, BA English, BA LLB, etc.

Distance BA

• Bachelor of Arts is also available in Distance mode. This is a boon for students who are working or have a shortage of time or money. 
• IGNOU offers a Distance Bachelor of Arts for 3 to 6 years. 
• To take admission to IGNOU’s degree program they have to pass its Bachelor’s Preparatory Programme (BPP) first.
• Other colleges that offer Distance BA are TNOU, KSOU, USOL, etc.
• The average Distance BA fee is INR 6,000 to 20,000.

Online BA

• Amity University provides a Bachelor of Arts (BA) Online degree which is UGC approved.
• A candidate who has passed class 12 from a recognized board is eligible for Online BA.
• Amity University offers Online BA for a duration of 3 years, at a course fee of INR 1,50,000.
• Apart from Amity University Online, Online BA courses are widely offered online by foreign universities such as Harvard University.
• The admission process requires no entrance exams, or other prerequisites; an aspirant can simply apply to the college website by submitting an application and starting the course.

Distance BA

Distance BA is a 3-6 years correspondence course. IGNOU, TNOU, Karnataka State Open University are the top BA distance education colleges in India. The syllabus is almost the same as a regular course and there are weekly classes that the student has to attend. 

See More: BA Distance Education Colleges in India

Distance BA: Admission 2023

Distance BA Admission is done on the basis of merit. The students will have to apply in the college the student is interested in and the students will be selected on the basis of marks obtained in Class 12. 

The documents that are required for the admission process of BA Distance Education are mentioned below:

• Marksheet of Class 12 Boards exam
• Pass Certificate of Class 12 Board Exam
• Self addressed stamped 3 envelopes.
• Community, Nativity and Income certificates in original (in the case of candidates belonging to SC/ST/OEC/OBC who are eligible for marks relaxation/fee concession)
• Self attested copy of the S.S.L.C/S.S.C page etc. showing the date of birth.
• Certificate from the employer, for availing relaxation in minimum marks in the case of teachers, Govt.employees, University employees etc.

IGNOU BA

• IGNOU admits students to its distance BA program from both formal and non-formal schemes. The non-formal stream consists of those students who have not cleared 10+2 or equivalent exams. 
• To take admission to IGNOU BA program, they have to pass its Bachelor’s Preparatory Programme (BPP) first.
• Learners who successfully complete 48 credits in any one discipline will be given a BA Major Degree, whereas others will be awarded a BA General Degree. 
• Students have to select at least 8 credits from the Application-Oriented Courses group.

Distance BA From DU

• Delhi University has DU SOL which provides Distance BA courses in English, Political Science and General BA program.
• Admission to the Distance BA program from DU is based on the applications received from the candidate if they fulfill the eligibility criteria.
• To be eligible for Distance BA from DU, an applicant must score at least 45-65% marks in class 12 with the specialization subject in class 12.
• The average course fee to pursue distance BA from DU ranges between INR 3,400-3,600.

Distance BA in Nalanda Open University

• NOU Patna offers Distance BA in various specializations such as Geography and Home Science for a duration of 3 years.
• An aspirant should hold an intermediate degree in any stream to be eligible for distance BA at NOU Patna.
• The admission process is merit and application based at NOU Patna. The applications are open till the month of September 2023.
• The average fee to pursue Distance BA in Nalanda Open University is INR 2,400.

BA Syllabus

BA syllabus depend upon the course taken, but following are the common BA subjects taught throughout the course duration, along with electives:

BA Subjects

BA Elective Subjects

Some of the BA Course electives are tabulated below:

BA Specializations

The specialisation under BA Course are mentioned below. Bachelor of arts has a lot of specializations to choose from like BA Hindi, BA English, BA LLB, BA Psychology, etc. 

BA Hindi

• BA Hindi is a 3 year long undergraduate level bachelor degree course in the Hindi language. 
• This course covers topics like communication skills, Communication skills in other languages, Reading literature, Translation theory and practice, Linguistics, history of Hindi literature, contemporary Hindi literature, etc. 
• Top colleges for BA Hindi include Miranda House, Hindu College, Madras Christian College etc. 
• The average fees range from around INR 15,000 to INR 35,000. 

BA Hindi IGNOU

BA English

• B.A. English is a 3-year UG Course that deals with the various parts of English as a language, both written and spoken. 
• BA English admissions take place on the basis of merit of the student’s 12th standard marks obtained. 
• Some institutes do hold entrance examinations to admit students. 
• BA English is an excellent choice for careers in teaching, media, and advertising, writing, and publishing.

BA English IGNOU

BA LLB

• BA LLB is a professional integrated law course which is suitable for students who want to become a lawyer. 
• BA LLB Syllabus contains both Arts subjects and Law subjects. 
• Law Entrance Exams are available for students who wish to pursue this course. 
• Average BA LLB Course Fees can be around INR 1.5- 7 Lakhs, but in colleges like KIIT, the fee may be upto INR 15 Lakhs.

Check Out: BA LLB Colleges

Top BA Specializations

Top BA Colleges in India

Top BA colleges in India are centered around major cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, etc. The tables below will discuss the top BA colleges across 5 metropolitan cities in India,

BA Colleges in Mumbai

BA Colleges in Delhi

BA Colleges in Kolkata

BA Colleges in Bangalore

BA Colleges in Pune

Top BA Colleges Abroad

Aspirants can find top BA colleges in US, UK and Canada to pursue various specializations in BA courses.

BA Colleges in USA

BA Colleges in UK

BA Colleges in Canada

BA Colleges in Australia

BA Scope

• BA degree holders become eligible to work in both government and private sectors with an average salary ranging from INR 4-7LPA.
• Educational Institutes, Economic Development, Export Companies, Foreign Affairs, Law Firms, Lobbying Firms, Media Houses, etc. are some of the main domains for these candidates to work.
• Bachelor of Arts students with less than 1 year of experience can expect a minimum salary of around INR 18,000- 25,000. In cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, etc., you can expect a minimum salary of INR 22,000- 28,000. 
• In other cities, the minimum salary can start from INR 15,000- 18,000 but it largely depends upon the job profile and the company.
• Deloitte, ITC Hotels, NIIT, Byju’s, Toppr, BCG, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, KPMG, Accenture, etc. are some of the top recruiting companies for Bachelor of Arts.

Courses After BA

• Candidates after Bachelor of Arts courses can go for professional courses like MBA, LLB, B.Ed, etc as well. 
• Apart from these, there are several professional diploma courses also like photography, language studies (French, Spanish, etc.), graphic designing, digital marketing, etc. which will help you get better jobs in the market.
• Students with a BA degree can do an MBA Course. The eligibility criteria for MBA is to have a bachelor course with more than 50%. 
• Students will have to take preparation for MBA Entrance Exams in order to study MBA after BA. 
• Since there is no bar on the age of the student to study LLB, studying LLB after BA is not a problem anymore. 
• Students with a bachelor degree can study LLB which will last 3 years.

You can pursue MA in various specializations like:

BA Jobs

After doing a Bachelor of Arts, you have a wide array of options of industry jobs, higher education and government sector jobs.

BA Jobs: Top Recruiters

Top BA Job Profiles

After BA Government Jobs

Many Bachelor of Arts students give exams like UPSC, IAS, SSC, etc. to get a job with a higher pay scale in the government sector. You can also clear the bank exams and get employment as a manager or senior executive in a bank.

BA Salary

Below are the major Bachelor of Arts jobs with role description and average salary offered:

How To Get Admission for BA?

BA admission is possible through both entrance examination and merit-based selection. Many universities offer direct and entrance exam-based admission to the BA course. Candidates applying for the BA degree should have their results from the respective entrance exams boards required by the selected/opted universities. Though the admission process varies from college to college, below are the steps that one should generally go through to get admission.

How to Apply?

The BA degree course applications are available either online from the University website or offline by visiting the university's Admissions Office. In addition, some colleges may conduct interviews before admissions to check if students have good communication skills. Candidates applying for the Bachelor of Arts program should have all the necessary documents before the entrance test, such as class 12 results and ID verification.

Selection Process

The selection process for the courses under BA in India is usually the same irrespective of the specialization. Generally, once the application for the course is received, colleges decide on the final selection of the candidates based on the marks obtained by them in the entrance exams. Additionally, the merit obtained by the candidates in their undergraduate degrees also plays an important role.

Eligibility Criteria for BA

• Students must complete 10+2 from a recognized board. He/she should score more than 50% marks in class 10 and class 12 exam.
• Some colleges offer a 5% relaxation in the aggregate score for SC/ST/PWD.
• Some colleges require students to have English as a mandatory subject in class 10 and class 12.

Entrance Exams for BA

Entrance exams are a common and popular means for some colleges to have a screening to decide which student must be admitted to the course. Many popular colleges around the country have made a name for themselves by conducting internationally acclaimed research projects. These colleges often conduct Entrance exams, as the demand to enter these colleges is higher than the number of seats available. Listed below are some of the popular exams:

• IPU CET
• BHU UET
• JSAT
• TISS NET
• DU JAT

A Quick Glance at the BA Entrance Exams

Students can access the BA course details by going to the college's official website to which they are interested in applying. The specialization plays a vital role in the college's approach to the entrance exam. Below listed are some of the general guidelines of the BA entrance examinations: 

1. The exam pattern includes English, Logical Reasoning, Analytical Thinking, and subject-specific questions according to the specialization.
2. The papers are objective and MCQ-based.
3. The syllabus, mode of examination, and question pattern may change according to a university/conducting body.

Preparation Tips for BA?

There are many tips that students must note when deciding to pursue a BA degree. Some important preparation tips are listed below to ensure that the students crack the course and pass the exams without any hurdles. 

1. Improve Vocabulary: Improving vocabulary is very necessary as the BA course deals with many writing and reading activities. So having excellent communication and writing skills are a plus for the student studying the BA course.
2. Read and Practice More: Being up to date with the syllabus every day is very important. Practising and reading more will help the student be thorough with the syllabus and do well in the exams.
3. Have Intrinsic Knowledge and Interest in Subjects: Having intrinsic knowledge about the subject and having the same interest will keep the student motivated to learn more than what's in the syllabus.
4. Revise Methodically: Revising from time to time can be a key to scoring well in the final exam. Keep revising regularly and understand the subject properly. Revision is the key to scoring good marks.

Why Choose BA?

When students decide to pursue the BA qualification, they should research BA course details to ensure that they know the course they are enrolled in. Some of the common queries that students encounter are, "What is BA" and "Why BA?". To understand the answer to these questions, we can make it simpler by breaking it down into the following three short questions:

Syllabus and Subjects for BA.

The course syllabi included in the curriculum of some of the most popular BA courses are tabulated below. The crux of the syllabus is maintained throughout most colleges across the nation, although minor deviations may be observed for a few colleges. Listed below are some subjects that the students get a chance to study:

1. Contemporary Literature
2. Political Theory - Concepts and Debates
3. Classical Political Philosophy
4. Social Formations and Cultural Patterns of the Ancient World
5. Social Formations and Cultural Patterns of the Medieval World