Bachelor of Arts [BA]: Full Form, Subjects, Courses List, Duration, Fees, Admissions

BA is a three-year-long undergraduate program that deals with humanities and social sciences. There are many BA specializations available for students to choose from. There are many job opportunities available to graduates after the completion of a BA course. Some of the popular roles that the students start with include Executive Assistant, HR Manager, Content Writer, Operations Manager, Marketing Manager, etc.

About BA

BA courses are composed of many artistic disciplines and offer various subject combinations to candidates to choose from apart from compulsory subjects. The BA syllabus covers all the related topics for the field and gives rigorous training to the students. The BA course full form is Bachelor of Arts. According to Wikipedia, “Bachelor of Arts is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, science, and commerce. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally for a duration of three or four years, depending on the country and institution.” 

Table of Contents

• BA Eligibility Criteria
• BA Admission Process
• BA Courses
• Popular BA Entrance Exams
• Top BA Colleges
• Why Choose BA?
• BA Fees Structure
• BA Syllabus and Subjects
• Preparation Tips for BA
• Scope of Higher Education for BA
• BA Salary
• BA Career Options
• Skills to Excel

Eligibility Criteria for BA

For BA course admission, it is essential for the students to know about the eligibility criteria and all the BA course details. BA course eligibility includes students having to successfully pass their higher secondary examinations (10+2) from a recognized education board with any stream. Many 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. There is no age limit to apply for this course.

How To Get Admission for BA?

BA admission is possible through both entrance examination and merit-based selection. Many universities offer both direct admission 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 mentioned 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 Admissions Office of the university. An interview can be conducted by some of the exams before admissions to check if students have good communication skills. Candidates who are applying for the Bachelor of Arts program should have all the necessary documents before giving the entrance test, such as class 12 results and I.D 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.

BA Courses

The BA courses list PDF can be downloaded from the college website for the students who are unsure about which specialization to pursue. A student can easily map their Bachelor of Arts course as per their future aspirations with options ranging from Psychology, Anthropology, History, Literature, Political Science, Philosophy, Foreign languages, Foreign Studies, Tourism, Public Relations, Sociology, and more. Popular BA courses are listed below: 

• BA English
• BA Sociology
• BA Journalism & Mass Communication
• BA Psychology
• BA Economics
• BA History
• BA Political Science
• BA Philosophy
• BA LLB
• BA Hons

Other Popular BA specializations are listed below:

BA Courses List
BA Bengali	BA Journalism
BA Bengali Hons	BA Kannada
BA Computer Applications	BA Criminology
BA LLB Hons	BA Marathi
BA Economics Hons	BA Mathematics
BA Education	BA Music
BA Hons Education	BA Music Vocal
BA English Hons	BA Hons Philosophy
BA English Literature	BA Physical Education
BA in Fine Arts	BA Foreign Languages
BA Political Science Hons	BA Functional English
BA Geography	BA Psychology Hons
BA Geography Hons	BA Public Administration
BA Hindi	BA Sanskrit
BA Hindi Hons	BA Sanskrit Hons
BA Hindi Literature	BA Hons Sociology
BA History Hons	BA Statistics
BA Home Science	BA Tamil
BA Tamil Literature	BA Urdu

Popular 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. There are many popular colleges around the country, who 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 are higher than the seats available for students. 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 he BA course details by going to the official website of the college that they are interested in applying for. The specialization plays an important role in the college's approach towards the entrance exam. Below listed are some of the general guidelines of the BA entrance examinations: 

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

Top 10 BA Colleges in India

Below is the list of the 10 best BA Colleges in the country:

BA Colleges

Sl.No	Name of the College
1	Lady Shri Ram College for Women
2	Loyola College Chennai
3	Christ University
4	St. Xavier's College Mumbai
5	Miranda House Delhi University
6	Hans Raj College Delhi University
7	Shri Ram College of Commerce New Delhi
8	Hindu College Delhi University
9	Ramjas College Delhi University
10	St. Stephen’s College Delhi University

Fee Structure for BA

The BA course fee is not fixed and depends on many factors. Some of the factors which affect the BA fees include location, faculty, demand, infrastructure, and the facilities available to the students. The average BA course fee in India is around INR 10,000 - 1.5 LPA.

BA Course Fees

Sl. No.	Name of the College	Total Fee Structure
1.	St Stephens College, Delhi University, New Delhi	INR 1 LPA
2.	Miranda House, Delhi University	INR 36,000 Per Annum
3.	Madras Christian College, [MCC] Chennai	INR 56,000 Per Annum
4.	Loyola College, Chennai	INR 13,000 Per Annum

Syllabus and Subjects for BA

The course syllabi included in the curriculum of some of the most important and 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:

• Contemporary Literature
• Political Theory - Concepts and Debates
• Classical Political Philosophy
• Social Formations and Cultural Patterns of the Ancient World
• Social Formations and Cultural Patterns of the Medieval World

Read More About BA Syllabus and Subjects

Why Choose BA?

When students decide to pursue the BA qualification, they should research BA course details to ensure that they are aware of the course they are enrolled in. Some of the common queries that students come across 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:

What is BA All About?

Bachelor of Arts Degree or BA course is an undergraduate arts degree awarded for students usually in a branch of the Liberal Arts. The Bachelor of Arts degree is one of the oldest and most popular programs in the world. 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.

What Does a BA Graduate Do?

Students have the opportunity to select the subjects of their choice depending on their interest in job prospects available in the specific field. Since graduates with a Bachelor of Arts degree possess skills in a variety of subjects, there are career opportunities available in multiple fields for them. There are many responsibilities that graduates of this role have to undertake, which makes the role very dynamic and diverse.

Teaching: One of the popular roles undertaken by graduates of the BA course is teaching. Since students gain a deeper understanding of a specific subject when they study BA, it helps them pursue teaching as a career.

Reasons Why BA Can Fetch You a Rewarding Career?

BA course is a very introspective and interesting stream of education. The intrinsic worth of a BA course can be gauged from the fact that it offers more avenues of employment opportunities than any other stream. Thus, the BA job scope is forever widening and appealing.

Diversity in Job roles: There is a diverse range of job roles which are available for the graduates of this course. Since the specializations available to the students are very flexible, it enables the students to pursue a wide range of roles in their careers.

Read More About BA Jobs & Scope

Preparation Tips for BA

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

Improve Vocabulary: Improvising vocabulary is very necessary as the BA course deals with a lot of writing and reading activities. So having excellent communication and writing skills are a plus for the student studying the BA course.

Read and Practice More: Being up to date with the syllabus every day is very important. Practicing and reading more will help the student to be thorough with the syllabus and do well in the exams.

Have Intrinsic Knowledge and Interest In Subjects: Having intrinsic knowledge about the subject and having the same amount of interest in the subject will keep the student motivated to learn more than what's in the syllabus.

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.

Scope For Higher Education

There are many specializations under BA that students can pursue in their BA degree. There are also many higher study options available for graduate students after a BA degree, which can help them better understand the subject. Also, gaining more education can help the students pursue a career in research if they are interested in it. Listed below are some of the popular higher education options available for students:

• Ph.D
• MBA
• MA
• M.Phil

Salary of a BA Graduate

The BA salary for the graduates can differ according to the specialization that the aspirants decide to pursue. Other factors which can affect BA salary in India include experience, geography, and industry that they are working in. Graduates can increase their salary by doing internships and work placements as it would add to their experiences. The average BA jobs salary for graduates is around INR 2.5 - 3 LPA [Source: PayScale].

Read More About BA Job Salary

Career Options After BA Graduation

There are plenty of jobs available for students looking for a career in Humanities and Social Sciences. The job roles will differ based on the specialization that one has opted for. BA graduates have abundant job opportunities with good salary packages that include the following fields:

• Advertising
• Law
• Broadcast
• Library and Information Science
• Business Process Outsourcing Units
• Policing
• Civil Services
• International Relations
• Social Work
• Journalism and Mass Communication

Skills That Make You The Best BA Graduate

There are many hard and soft skills that BA graduates need to possess to be successful in their careers. These are not necessarily skills that students can get in a classroom setting, instead, these are skills that are learned through experience. Therefore, students should always put the effort to go out of their comfort zone and gain as much experience as they can. Some of these skills include:

• Quantitative Analysis Skills
• Research Skills
• Analytical Skills
• The Ability to Work Under Pressure
• Interpersonal Skills