Choosing a career path after 10+2 is probably one of the most critical decisions a student has to make in his/her life. However, despite all the misconceptions, opting for a career in Arts or Humanities is one of the most versatile decisions one can make. There are a number of career opportunities that students can choose from once they graduate with a degree in Arts or Humanities.
There are plenty of subjects to choose from while pursuing a career in Arts or Humanities like law, literature, linguistics, psychology, sociology, etc. Courses like BA in Ancient History, BA LLB, BA in Economics, BA in Sociology, etc. are some of the courses that are both in demand and exciting to pursue. There are also courses like BA in Fine Arts and BDes whose curriculum includes fine arts, design, etc., and are greatly sought after. There are multiple diploma courses as well like the Diploma in Education, Diploma in Event Management, Diploma in Multimedia, etc. that offer a good career path.
Although many institutes grant admission to candidates based on their 10+2 board marks, there are a number of entrance tests that the candidates have to appear for to gain admission in the most prestigious universities pursuing the most prestigious courses. These entrance exams include the BHU UET, JNUEE, Jamia Millia Islamia Entrance Exam, UCEED, CLAT, etc.
There is a wide range of career opportunities that graduating students can delve into.
After completing the degree in an Arts or Humanities stream candidates can explore their career in diversified fields like journalism, law, aviation, fashion design, criminology, psychology, and many others.
Read More: Top Arts Colleges in Major States of India:
Top Arts Colleges in Tamil Nadu
Top Arts Colleges in West Bengal
The students need to pass their 10+2 board examinations and apply for admission to the institutes to pursue their choice of courses in Arts or Humanities. Most of the institutes provide admission to the courses based on merit, i.e., the marks obtained by the candidates in their board examinations. There are, however, entrance exams conducted to provide admission in some of the coveted institutes.
Below is a list of the most popular courses that a candidate can opt for while choosing a career in Arts or Humanities.
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Ancient History
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Astrology
Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Law (BALLB)
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Bengali
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Education
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English Literature
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Fine Arts
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Hindi
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in History
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Journalism and Mass Communication
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Kannada
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Malayalam
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Philosophy
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Rural Development
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Social Work
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Sociology
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Tamil
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Telugu
There are a number of sought-after courses that provide a degree in BA (Hons) as well apart from the ones mentioned above. The difference between a degree in BA and a degree in BA (Hons) is that in the latter there will be a particular specialization that needs to be studied during the entirety of the course whereas the former does not offer any specialization.
The top courses under BA (Hons) include the below-mentioned.
Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Law (BALLB) (Hons.)
Bachelor of Arts (BA) (Hons.) in Bengali
Bachelor of Arts (BA) (Hons.) in Economics
Bachelor of Arts (BA) (Hons.) in Education
Bachelor of Arts (BA) (Hons.) in English
Bachelor of Arts (BA) (Hons.) in Geography
Bachelor of Arts (BA) (Hons.) in Hindi
Bachelor of Arts (BA) (Hons.) in History
Bachelor of Arts (BA) (Hons.) in Journalism
Bachelor of Arts (BA) (Hons.) in Philosophy
Bachelor of Arts (BA) (Hons.) in Political Science
Bachelor of Arts (BA) (Hons.) in Psychology
Bachelor of Arts (BA) (Hons.) in Social Work
Bachelor of Arts (BA) (Hons.) in Sociology
Apart from those mentioned above, there are courses in B.Des which are in popular demand. These courses are offered by institutes specifically offering courses in design. Some of the most sought-after courses in this category are listed below.
Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) in Communication Design
Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) in Exhibition Design
Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) in Fashion Design
Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) in Game Design
Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) in Graphic Design
Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) in Interaction Design
Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) in Interior Design
Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) in Jewellery Design
Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) in Product Design
Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) in Textile Design
Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) in User Experience Design
Read More:
Top Fashion Design Colleges in India
Top Interior Design Colleges in India
Both the BA and BA (Hons) courses are offered for a duration of 3 years with the exceptions of BALLB and BALLB (Hons) which are offered for a duration of 5 years.
There are plenty of courses offered in different other specializations as well under Arts and Humanities. Students can also apply for a diploma degree in any of the following courses among many others.
Diploma in 3D Animation
Diploma in Education
Diploma in Event Management
Diploma in Fashion Designing
Diploma in Interior Design
Diploma in Multimedia
Diploma in Photography and Videography
Diploma in Retail Management
Diploma in Travel and Tourism
The diploma courses are offered for a duration of 2 years although there are certain courses which are offered for a duration of 1 year.
The above-mentioned courses are just a glimpse of what the courses under Arts and Humanities offer. There are a number of courses available which are not mentioned above which provide substantial career opportunities to students.
There are a number of colleges in the country providing courses in Arts and Humanities. They are equipped with the necessary infrastructure to impart relevant knowledge and skills to the students. Below is a list of some of the premier and sought-after institutes for Arts and Humanities.
Fergusson College(Autonomous), Pune
Shanmugha Arts Science Technology & Research Academy, Thanjavur
There are some institutes and universities that have also been declared as Institutes of National Importance by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India.
Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development
The candidates should keep in mind that the above-mentioned institutes do not comprise an exhaustive list of premier institutes, rather there are a number of institutes affiliated with a number of universities throughout the nation that offer the courses. The candidates must understand their passion and choose a course in an institute that suits them.
The average course fee for pursuing a degree in Bachelor of Arts is around INR 4000 to INR 65,000 per annum and it depends upon the institutes and the course being pursued. Candidates pursuing a degree in Bachelor of Arts (Honours) would need to pay a fee of INR 20,000 to INR 80,000 per annum. For students to pursue a degree in BA LLB, an annual fee ranging from INR 45,000 to INR 15 lakhs is required.
Explore other top arts colleges in major cities of India:
Top Arts Colleges in Delhi NCR
Top Arts Colleges in Kolkata
Top Arts Colleges in Bangalore
Top Arts Colleges in Chennai
Eligibility
Students who want to pursue Arts and Humanities in their graduation degree must fulfil certain criteria before applying to the institutes offering the courses.
The aspirants must pass their 10+2 board examinations from a recognized board or council in India.
The aspirants must score a minimum of 50% marks in their 10+2 board examinations. Some institutes set a minimum criteria of 45% marks in the 10+2 board examinations for reserved category candidates.
Although many of the institutes offer admission to the candidates based on their merits, i.e., their marks in their 10+2 board examinations, there are a number of institutes that offer admission based on an entrance examination. There are multiple entrance examinations that are conducted on a central level or state level or university level. Some of the prestigious examinations are mentioned below.
Students should consider taking sufficient preparation before appearing for these examinations and should aim to score high to increase their chances of securing a seat in the reputed institutes.
Aspiring candidates should also hone their non-academic skills to stand out of the crowd while pursuing a career path in Arts and Humanities. They should be/have:
Good communication skills
Interpersonal skills
Ability to work under pressure
Goal-oriented
Problem-solving skills
Inquisitive
Management skills
Intellectually curious
Analytical thinking
Organization skills
Career and Scope
The career path after pursuing a degree in Arts and Humanities is quite varied. Individuals can choose any of the following career paths.
Journalist
Reporter
Content Writer
Editor
Public Relations Associate
Clinical Social Worker
School Social worker
Mental Health Social worker
Child & Family Social Worker
Historian
Interpreter
Civil Services
International Relations
Event Planning
Public Administration
It would be worth noting that there are multiple other jobs and sectors offering a varied range of jobs for graduates with a degree in Arts and Humanities. A few of the many sectors that a graduate in Arts and Humanities can look for are:
Educational Institutes
Media Houses
Foreign Affairs
Export Companies
Law Firms
Human Resources
Administrative Departments
Archaeology
In general, the average salary of a fresher graduate in Arts and Humanities is INR 2.5 LPA to INR 5 LPA, with an average salary of around INR 4 LPA.
The students can also pursue higher studies like a post-graduation degree and a Ph.D. degree thereafter as well.