Master of Arts Eligibility, Syllabus, Books, Jobs, Salary, Scope, 2024

Master of Arts

MA or Master of Arts is a postgraduate degree that is awarded when a student passes an integrated course of the  study in subjects of humanities and social sciences. MA degree is also awarded for subjects which are normally considered within other domains. Master of Arts course duration is two  years.

Master of Arts admission mostly takes place merit based. Some colleges like a TISS, JNU, Calcutta University and Jadavpur University take Master of Arts admission through Entrance Examination. 

Top MA colleges included are  LSR New Delhi, Miranda House, Hindu College, Hansraj College etc. The course fee offered ranges from INR 15,500-35,000. Miranda House and Hindu College are also among the list of Top-Ranked MA Colleges that offer a median salary of INR 1-6 lakhs. Students can study MA in IIT where courses such as MA Program in Development Studies and English Studies, MA in Society and Culture, MA in Development Studies etc are available. Students can also study MA from the TISS which is located in Mumbai. Check: Arts Courses

Students can study MA in distance mode. Students can study MA from IGNOU which is a pioneer for distance education in India. The average fees for MA in the distance ranges from INR 9,500 to INR 22,500.

About Master of Arts

Master of Arts is a two years postgraduate degree course pursued by students after completion of a Bachelor’s degree in  the any relevant specialization. The top MA courses opted by students include MA in English, MA in History, MA in Political Science, MA in Economics, etc. Entrance examinations are conducted for students to enroll in the various MA courses which include JNUEE, IPU CET, DUET, PU CET, etc. The students get are enrolled on the basis of merit as well in some colleges.

Why study Master of Arts?

Master of arts degree helps students to enhance there are subject-specific knowledge. It provides an in-depth knowledge of the discipline they have selected.

They also get an opportunity to attend Guest are lectures and seminars by professionals in the academic circle or the business environment.

Postgraduate courses have a larger curriculum and are more & autonomous than UG courses. Students are required to put more effort into a learning the entire process by developing new skills. The Masters’ degree instills the powers of inquiry, logical reasoning and critical analysis.

Students can get a good position with their UG degree but for further advancement in the industry field, a Master’s degree is a real turning point.

Who Should Pursue a Master of Arts?

Candidates who have a Bachelor’s degree in art course or any special course with 55% marks(45% for reserved category), should pursue M.A degree.

Candidates who want to pursue a Ph.D degree can opt for an M.A course.

Students must be serious about their careers.

The specialization chosen will help to choose the best career as students want.

Master of Arts: Admission Process

Most of colleges conduct entrance exams for MA admission. Some top of  universities also conduct a second round of selection process for admission to MA courses by arranging WAT and PI

MA Eligibility

The eligibility criteria of MA consists of candidates being in graduates with a valid percentage of marks and must have cleared 10+2. Following are the eligibility criteria of the some reputed colleges across India:

Before applying for an Master of Arts one should be aware of the eligibility criteria as prescribed by the colleges and universities. Below mentioned are the details for the eligibility to a MA course,

Candidates should have completed their Bachelor of Arts with a minimum of three years duration or its equivalent degree from a recognized university.

They have to score at least 50l5% in the relevant subjects.

MA Entrance Examination Preparation

Students should be well versed in the subject they have chosen for Master of Arts. They can divide the syllabus into separate are modules to make the learning process easy.

Literary theory and criticism on respective subjects are equally important for entrance examination preparation.

Students have to practice how to deal with factual questions.

They can revise previous papers and sample papers of the respective entrance examination for better understanding

Master of Arts Syllabus

M.A syllabus is an academically oriented syllabus that includes theory and the practical lessons, internships, research projects, and  assignments. The syllabus and the course curriculum are a different for every specialization. The core subjects that are taught in the first year of the curriculum.

There are different types of the elective courses that students can choose in the second year. Some of the special disciplines for M.A course are – English, Bengali, History, Economics, Sociology, Political Science, Hindi and Philosophy, etc. Below mentioned tables will discuss separately the subjects and syllabus for the various Master of Arts courses

Master of Arts: Specializations

M.A courses have a variety of specializations which give the opportunity of the exploring in-depth knowledge about that subject. MA or Master of Arts is a huge field of study, thus the lines of the specializations are also huge and are subject to radical changes depending on the course and its core structure.

MA English

MA English is a two years PG course that deals with the study of concepts and topics of grammar and literature. MA English Syllabus covers various English poetry, fictions, Indian verses, English Dramas and Research methodology for English Language and Literature. The top MA English colleges in the  India include Loyola College Chennai, Fergusson College Pune and Presidency University Kolkata. The average MA English Fees can be between INR 45,000 – 55,000 annually. There are plenty of MA English Jobs like Journalist, Teacher, Editor, Script Writer etc. with average annual salary between INR 3.5 – 6 LPA.

MA History

MA History covers a wide range of topics of Indian as well as Foreign History in the field of arts and humanities. MA History Syllabus imparts knowledge about Ancient, Mediaeval and Modern History of India in terms of the social status, culture, events, etc. The best MA History colleges in India are Miranda House College Delhi, Hindu College New Delhi, Loyola College, Chennai, etc. The average MA History fees can range between INR 15,000 – INR 45,000 in private while INR 500 – INR 2,600 in MA History government colleges. MA History Jobs include historian, archivist, archaeologist, etc. with the average earnings around INR 3.71 – 7.87 LPA.

MA Political Science

MA Political Science or Master of Arts in Political Science is a two years PG course which offers specialised knowledge in the field of Indian and the International Politics. MA Political Science Syllabus covers subjects or the topics related to Political Theory, Political Sociology, International Relations along with several texts of the philosophers. The best MA Political Science colleges in India include Hindu College New Delhi, St. Xavier’s College Kolkata, Presidency College Chennai and the many others. MA Political Science average fees range between INR 10,900 to 25,800. Graduates can find various MA Political Science jobs like Political Consultant, Activists, etc. with annual salary between INR 4-6 LPA.

MA Economics

MA Economics is a two years PG course that imparts knowledge about several aspects of Economics, banking, Marketing and many other concepts related to the Economics. MA Economics Syllabus covers a broad range of topics such as econometry, macroeconomics, and microeconomics, international and financial economics and many more. MA Economics Fees into the top MA Economics colleges in the India like Loyola College Chennai, Miranda House New Delhi, Christ University Bangalore, etc. can range between INR 16,000 – 50,800. Research Analyst, Data Analyst and Economist are some high profile and the reputable MA Economics Jobs with average annual salary between INR 3 – 6 LPA.

MA Colleges in India

Many popular colleges in India offer a M.A in various  Specializations. Almost all the top five metropolitan cities of the India have famous colleges that teach various MA courses. Some of the famous colleges of these cities are mentioned below,

MA Colleges in Delhi

Check out some of the best MA colleges in Delhi along with their average annual fees structure: 

Colleges Name

Average Annual Fees

Lady Shri Ram College for Women – [LSR], New Delhi

INR 17,897

Miranda House, New Delhi

INR 14,589

Hindu College, New Delhi

INR 18,780

Hansraj College – [HRC], New Delhi

INR 13,769

Jesus and Mary College – [JMC], New Delhi

INR 17,076

Sri Venkateswara College – Delhi, New Delhi

INR 13,561

Shri Ram College of Commerce – [SRCC], New Delhi

NA

Indraprastha College for Women – [IP], New Delhi

NA

IIT Delhi – Indian Institute of Technology – [IITD], New Delhi

INR 20,900

Jawaharlal Nehru University – [JNU], New Delhi

INR 374

 

What after MA

After completing MA students can opt for to further studies such as M.Phil or PhD in their relevant subjects. The eligibility criteria for M.Phil and PhD are different however students have to sit for an entrance examination for both the degrees, as there are no merit-based selection criteria when it comes to the pursuing an M.Phil or PhD.

Apart from further studies, students can also choose to join corporates and the other organizations to kick start their professional careers. Or, they can prepare for the various government jobs and exams.

Course after M.A

Students can choose to pursue M.Phil or PhD post completing MA in relevant subjects or can also choose to pursue Diploma degrees in the  various professional courses. The below-mentioned table will discuss the various courses one can choose after the  completing MA.

M.Phil Courses

Phil or Master of Philosophy is a postgraduate academic research degree course that are tends to research the nature of ideas and the circumstances in a specific field of study. The eligibility criteria for pursuing M.Phil are,

Students should score a minimum of 56% aggregate marks in the relevant subject for their MA degree course from a recognized university.

Should sit for the entrance exam and clear the minimum cut-off as selected by the University

M.A Jobs

Post completing MA, students are offered a wide set of job profiles, starting from teachers to part-time professors, managerial positions to owning a start-up. The below-mentioned table will discuss the various job profiles a candidate can be  offered good post completing an MA degree in relevant subjects.

MA Salary in India

Keeping the various job of profiles that are offered to an MA graduate, these range of salaries along with their designated positions are tabulated below for your reference, 

Job Profile

Average Salary

Content Writer

2.85 LPA

Journalist

3.468LPA

Social Worker

3.86 LPA

Teacher

5.4LPA

Consultant

5.3 LPA