M.A. (Master of Arts)

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What is M.A. (Master of Arts)?

Full form of MA is Master of Arts. Master of Arts is a post-graduation level course which is usually of two years duration. Candidates who possess a graduation degree can only pursue an MA course.

MA is a specialised course in which aspirants are offered in-depth knowledge of the discipline they have selected. Candidates can pursue MA as a full time course or even as a part time course. MA courses are also offered by many colleges in the correspondence or distance mode.

Here we will be talking about MA courses offered in Humanities stream. Aspirants can pursue an MA course under various specialisations such as:

Different languages (English, French, German, Hindi, Spanish, Chinese/ Mandarin, Greek, Latin)	Economics
Political Science	History
Sociology	Rural Studies
Psychology	Geography
Philosophy	Literature
Social Work	Anthropology
Religious Studies	Library and Information Science
Archaeology	Linguistics

Apart from the above-mentioned courses, many colleges also offer MA degree under various streams like Design, Hospitality, Mass Communication etc.

Skills required for M.A

Candidates who look to pursue a course in Master of Arts, need to be dedicated and focused towards the subject opted. A master’s course requires greater will power and strength as compared to a bachelor’s course as a candidate has will have to do plenty of in-depth research.

Here are some of the key skills that an aspirant should possess in order to pursue an MA course as mentioned below.

Hard worker	Good writer
Organised	Logical
Fluent in language	Confident
Keen observer	Inquisitive
Self-motivated	Intellectually curious

M.A Eligibility Criteria

Candidates applying for admission in MA course will need to fit the eligibility criteria before applying. Aspirants who are ineligible will be rejected at any time of the admission process and will not be entertained further. The following points are the eligibility criteria which is to be met by the candidate.

Candidates should have successfully completed their Bachelor's degree (preferably arts) of a minimum 3 or 4-year duration with its equivalent (10+2+3 or 10+2+4). The bachelor's or master's degree should be from a university which is recognized by the UGC (University Grants Commission) of India.
The candidate needs to have a minimum of 55% aggregate at graduation level. The cut-off varies from college to college.
Before applying, candidates studying three-year degree programme will have needed to pass all subjects from the 1st to 4th semester, while applicants who pursued a four-year course, should have passed in all subjects from the 1st to 6th semester.
Candidates need to note that if the information provided on the application is incorrect or misleading at any point of the admission process, the candidate's admission will be cancelled. Universities, institutes also reserve the right to take any legal action as deemed fit.

M.A admission process & Entrance Exams

Candidates who wish to enroll themselves for admission in M.A courses, aspirants will have to appear and clear an entrance exam. Most universities and institutes conduct an entrance exam for M.A courses.
In some universities, an entrance exam result can provide direct admission, some universities conduct further rounds of selection such as group discussions, personal interviews to select candidates for the final admission.
Candidates will have to successfully clear the entrance exam conducted by the university/institute and on the basis of marks/ranks, candidates can move to the next round.

Some of the popular entrance tests conducted for M.A are as mentioned below:

TISSNET	IPU CET
PU CET	CUCET
TUEE	MGU CAT
AUCET	ITM NEST
JNUET	CPGET

M.A Course Curriculum

The subjects taught in an MA course vary as per the discipline selected by the student. Apart from this, slight variation in the syllabus can also be witnessed from one college to the other. Candidates can view the subjects that they would need to study as part of an MA course below:

MA English
Introduction to Linguistics	Poetry III (Hopkins to Ted Hughes)
Poetry I (Chaucer to Blake)	Drama III (Twentieth Century Drama)
Drama I (Marlowe to Wilde excluding Shakespeare)	Literary Criticism & Theory 1
Prose	Indian Literature in English I/American Literature-II
Linguistics and English Language Teaching	Fiction II
Poetry II (Wordsworth to Arnold)	Literary Criticism & Theory II
Drama II (Shakespeare)	Indian Literature in English II/American Literature II
Fiction I (Defoe to Hardy)	Indian Literature in Translation/New Literatures in English/Women Writing

MA French
History of French Literature from its Origin upto XIXth Century	Introduction to Linguistics
French Novel & French Poetry (20th Century)	Use of French
Introduction to Literary Analysis of Fiction and Poetry	Linguistic Approach to Translation
History of France	French Drama (20th Century)
Origin of Literature in French (Study of Text)	Evolution of French Poetry and Novel as genre
Comparative Literature	Study of Literary Schools or Movements
Didactic of French as a foreign language	Canadian Literature
History of Art in France	Introduction to Translation Studies
MA dissertation	Viva-voce
Introduction to Francophone Literature	Interpretative theory of translation

MA German
An introduction to the Study of Literature – I	The development of Drama from Lessing to Hebel – I
Introduction to Modern German Linguistics – I	Poetry of classical periods
India in German Literature - II/German Literary Trends (Realism & Naturalism)	The development of Drama from Hebel to Brecht -II
An introduction to the study of literature – II	Training of oral interpretation skill
Introduction to modern German linguistics - II	Major Elective Course

MA Chinese / Mandarin
Advanced Chinese	Intensive Readings in Chinese Literature I
Advanced Chinese II	Modern Literary Trends and Criticism
Readings in Literary Chinese I	Readings in Sino-Indian Interaction
Advanced Readings in Political and Economic Documents in Chinese I	Twentieth-Century China
Advanced Chinese III	Women in Chinese Literature
Advanced Chinese IV	Seminar in Modern Chinese Language, Literature and Culture
Readings in Literary Chinese II	Interpretation and Methods of Teaching
Advanced Readings in Business and Scientific Documents in Chinese II	Modern Chinese Literature in Translation
Literature of People’s Republic of China	Intensive Readings in Chinese Literature II
Political and Cultural History Pre-modern China	Intensive Readings in Chinese Literature III
Readings in Comparative Literature	Advanced Study in Chinese Grammar

MA Economics
Microeconomic Analysis	Economics of Growth
Monetary Economics	Public Economics
Elementary Statistics	Issues in the Indian Economy
International Trade	Economics of Industry
Optional Paper-I	Optional Paper-II
Theory of Pricing and Distribution	Growth Models in Economics
Macroeconomic Analysis	Indian Public Finance
Quantitative Methods	Selected Problems of the Indian Economy
International Finance	Economics of Agriculture

MA Econometrics
Basic Mathematical Methods	Human Resource Development
Micro Economics - I	Money and Finance
Statistics for Econometrics	Macro Economics - II
Women and Economy	Advanced Econometrics
Information Technology	Growth Economics
Soft Skill	Contemporary Indian Economic Issues
Mathematical Economics	Financial Econometrics
Micro Economics - II	Public Economics
Basic Econometric Methods	Applied Econometrics
Macro Economics - I	Panel Data: Theory and Application

MA Political Science
Modern Indian Political Thought	Comparative Political Analysis
International Relations-Theory and Practice	Western Political Thought
Indian Politics-Major Issues and Debates	Seminar on Field Project
Contemporary Political Theory	Dissertation-I
Soft Skills	Teaching and Research Aptitude-I
Politics of Developing Countries	Departmental Elective 2
Contemporary Political Issues	Departmental Elective 3
Major Ideas and Issues in Public Administration	State Politics in India
Research Methods in Political Science	Dissertation-II
Departmental Elective 3	Teaching and Research Aptitude-II

MA Public Administration
Concepts and Ideas of Public Administration	Comparative Local Government: Nature and Significance
Administrative Theories and Thinkers: Classical Era	Comparative Administration
Public Personnel Administration: Theory and Practice	Public Policy
Evolution and Framework of Indian Administration	Financial Administration in India: Concepts and Structure
Citizen and Administration: Concepts and Issues	Fundamentals of Computers/International Public Administration – I
Principles and Practices of Public Administration	Comparative Local Government: Process and Issues
Administrative Theories and Thinkers: Modern Era	Development Administration
Public Personnel Administration: Concepts and Issues	Theory and Practice of Management
Indian Administration: State and District Administration	Financial Administration in India: Processes
Contemporary Information Technology/Administration/International Public Administration – II

MA International Relations
Contemporary Political Theory	Theory and Practice of Diplomacy
Modern Political Thought	Energy Politics in International Relations
Theory of International Relations – I	Indian Foreign Policy: Post-Cold War Era
Thinkers in International Relations	Research Dissertation – I
Indian Political System	International Political Economy
Gender in Global Politics	National and Global Security in Contemporary World
Theory of International Relations-II	Research Methodology
Geopolitics in International Relations	Research Dissertation – II
Comparative Political Analysis	Electives
International Organizations and Global Governance

MA Politics
Political Theory	Elective - I
Indian Government and Politics	Elective - II
Public Administration	Elective - III
International Relations	Elective - IV
Political Theory II	Elective - V
Comparative Politics, Indian Constitution	Interdisciplinary/Cross-Disciplinary Course
Approaches and Emerging Issues in International Relations	Skill Enhancement Course

MA Public Policy
Law, Governance and Institution	Political Philosophy for Public Policy
Statistical and Data Analysis	Policy Action Workshop
Qualitative Research Methodology	Social and Cultural Theory
Introduction to Public Policy Process	Public Finance and Administration
Academic Writing Workshop	Program Design and Evaluation
Economics for Public Policy I	Pre Dissertation Workshop
Economics for Public Policy - II (Macro)	Electives

MA History
Principles of History	Contemporary World (Part-II : 1945-2003)
Contemporary World	Indian National Movement (1905-1947)
Ecology & Environment in History	Environmental Crisis and World Religions
Major currents in Historical Thought	Research Methodology and Historical Investigation
Indian Nationalism (Socio-religious and other protest movements) up to1905.	Optional Papers

MA Sociology
Social Anthropology	Theories of Group Interaction
Methodology of Social Sciences	Theories of Group Interaction
Group Processes and Dynamics	Sociological Reviews and Viva-Voce
Classical Social Thinkers	Modern Sociological Theories
Sociology of Environment	Advanced Sociological Theories
Tribal Economy and Society	Sociology of India
Social Statistics	Continuity and Change In India

MA Psychology
Advanced Biological Psychology	Minor Elective: Basic Psychological Processes	Psychology of Adolescence
Advanced Cognitive Psychology	Applied Social Psychology	Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
Advanced Research Methodology and Design	Community Psychology	Animal Models of Human Behavior
Advanced Social Psychology	Counselling Psychology	Cognitive Neuropsychology of Attention and Memory
Practical: One practical from each of the above papers	Psychodiagnostics	Cross-Cultural Psychology
Applied Psychological Assessment	Genetics, Environment and Behaviour	Drug and Behaviour
Motivation and Emotion Advanced Biological Psychology	Methods of Cognitive Neuropsychology	Environmental Psychology
Advanced Cognitive Psychology	Military Psychology	Forensic Psychology
Advanced Research Methodology and Design	Neuropsychology	Human Factors
Advanced Social Psychology	Organizational Behaviour	Neuroergonomics
Practical: One practical from each of the above papers	Organizational Development and Change	Organizational Communication
Advanced Statistics	Cognitive Aging	Positive Psychology
Applied Psychological Assessment	Psychopathology	Psychology of Late Adulthood
Motivation and Emotion	Psychopharmacology	Health Psychology
Psychology of Personality	Psychobiology of Emotion and Health	Rehabilitation Psychology
Stress Management in organizations	Therapeutic Techniques	Human Resource Management

MA Philosophy
Classical Indian Philosophy - I	Indian Heritage and Axiology
Greek and Medieval Philosophy	Epistemology
Social and Political Philosophy – I	Contemporary Indian Philosophy - I
Indian Culture and Ethics	Contemporary Western Philosophy - I
Logic and Scientific Method	Moral Philosophy
Classical Indian Philosophy – II	Contemporary Indian Philosophy - II
Modern European Philosophy	Contemporary Western Philosophy - II
Social and Political Philosophy - II	Applied Ethics

MA in English and Comparative Literature
Poetry I	Comparative Literature
Drama I	Literary Theory I
Literary Criticism I	New Literatures in English
Fiction I	English Language Teaching
English for Specific Purposes	Philosophy and Literature
Indian Literature in English	Indian Novel in English Translation
Literary Criticism	Writers of the Diaspora
Poetry of the Nineteenth Century	Literary Theory II
Creative Writing (Inter - disciplinary)	American Literature II
Twentieth Century Literature in English	Linguistics
Poetry of the Nineteenth Century Science and Literature (Interdisciplinary)

MA in Comparative Literature and Translation Studies
Translation: Principles and Theories	Fundamentals of Translation
Linguistics and Translation	Translation: Comparative Approach and Evaluation
Comparative Literature: History, Principles & Methods	Genres of Translation
Comparative Literature: Kannada and Tamil	Comparative Literature: Western Classics
Comparative Literature: Kannada and Telugu	Media and Translation
Translation: Techniques and Methods	Translation in Kannada: Historical Survey
Technical Translation: Science and Humanities	Kannada as Language of Administration
Comparative Literature: Indian Literature	Comparative Poetics
Comparative Literature: Kannada and Hindi	Comparative Literature: African and Caribbean
Comparative Literature: Kannada and Telugu	Comparative Literature: Latin American Literature

MA Anthropology
Introduction to Social Anthropology	Theories of Social Structure
Physical Anthropology	Applied Anthropology and Tribal Welfare
Archaeological Anthropology	Indian Society
Quantitative Research Methods	Anthropology of Complex Societies
Qualitative Research Methods	Theories of Culture

MA Social Work
History and Philosophy of Social Work	Statistics and Computer Application
Psychosocial Dynamics of Human Behavior	Dynamics of Socio-Political Institutions and Organisations
Methods of Working with People: Micro-Approaches	Social Policy and Planning
Social Welfare Administration	Demography and Population Studies
Research Methodology	Communication and Social work Practice
Man & Society	Labour Problems and Labour Welfare
Approaches and fields of Social Work	Dynamics of Social Development
Human Growth and Development	Social Ecology and Management of Environment
Methods of working with People: Macro Approaches	Counselling and Social Work Practice
Management of NGO’s and Disaster Relief Services	Labour Legislation and Social work Practice

MA in Social Work in Community Organization and Development Practice
Foundation Course	Rural Development and Governance
Philosophy of Research	Sustainable Development and Livelihood
History and Perspective of Social Work	Field Work
Social Case Work	Social Policy and Planning
Social Group Work	Socio-Legal Dimensions in Development Practice
Research Methods I	Urbanization, Governance and Informal Work
Theoretical Perspectives for Community Practice	Social Action, Advocacy and Movements
Elective Foundation	Business Plan Development for Social Sector
Community Organization	Program Planning and Management
Critical Perspectives on Social work: Introduction to Social Theories	Disasters and Development
Research Methods II	Disciplinary Elective

MA Linguistics
Phl. Underpinnings of Modern Linguistics	Field Linguistics
Phonetics and Phonology I	Language Universals and Language Typology
Morphology	Semantics
Syntax I	Computational Linguistics
Syntax II	Elective Courses I, II
Phonology II	Historical Linguistics
Cognitive Linguistics	Sociolinguistics

MA Archaeology
Foundations of Social Anthropology	Social Ecology
Archaeological Anthropology	Anthropology of Peasant Societies
Ethnology and Comparative Ethnography	Anthropology of Urban and Complex Societies
Practical – Archaeological Anthropology	Theories of Culture and Social Structure
Indians Overseas	Human Biology
Qualitative Methods and Research	Economic Anthropology
Physical Anthropology	Political Anthropology
Methodology of Anthropological Research	Minorities, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
Applied Anthropology	Anthropology of Folklore
Practical – Physical Anthropology	Project, Field work, Dissertation and Viva-Voce

MA Rural Development
Rural Development- Indian Context	Communication and Extension in Rural Development
Rural Development Programmes	Rural Social Development
Rural Development- Planning and Management	Voluntary Action in Rural Development
Research Methods in Rural Development	Land Reforms and Rural Development
Rural Health Care	Entrepreneurship and Rural Development

MA Rural Studies
Principles and Practices of Rural Development	Resource Economics
Economic Analysis for Rural Management - I	Operations Research Techniques
Management Accounting and finance	Environment & Energy management
Quantitative Analysis for Rural Management	Project Management-I: Planning and Implementation of Rural Development Programmes
Agribusiness, Agripreneurship and Skill Development	Rural Product Marketing
Rural Livelihood Systems	Geographical Information systems for Rural Development
Research Methodology for Rural Studies	Rural Development Interventions
Computer Applications for Rural Management	Rural Development Programmes and policies
Economic Analysis for Rural Management - II	Business Budgeting
Social Policy, Planning and Development	Science and Technology for Rural Development
Trade Liberalization and Global Business Logistics	Co-operative Thoughts and Collective Action
Risk Management & Rural Insurance	Finance Management
Introduction to Bionomics	Social Corporate Responsibilities
Project Management – II: Monitoring and Evaluation of Rural Development Programmes

MA Job Profiles

After completing an MA degree course candidates can either pursue an MPhil/ PhD course or they can even consider opting for a job. However, candidates need to note that they would be offered a job after completing their MA course depending on the discipline they have studied. Some popular job profiles that candidates can pursue after completing their MA course are as mentioned below:

Job Profile	Description
Teacher	In such a job profile one needs to prepare lectures as per the course curriculum and thereafter ensure that the environment of the classroom is conducive for learning. A Teacher also needs to mentor students on a regular basis so that they not only learn their curriculum but also become responsible individuals.
Administrative Officer	In this job profile one acts as the point of contact for all company employees and provides administrative support as well as manages queries of employees. An administrative officer manages office stocks, prepares reports on expenses as well as office budget and also organises the records of the company.
Social Worker	In such a job profile one needs to identify and thereafter help people cope with the problems at hand.
Journalist	In such a job profile an individual is expected to work under different beats such as Politics, Sports, Crime, Education, Entertainment etc. A Journalist is expected to research, write, and present the events/ news in an honest, unbiased and ethical manner.
Counsellor	In such a job profile one needs to speak to individuals who are facing personal or professional difficulties and help them overcome their problems and thereafter make appropriate changes in their life.

Popular M.A. (Master of Arts) Colleges in India

Following are the most popular M.A. (Master of Arts) Colleges in India. Learn more about these M.A. (Master of Arts) colleges (Courses, Reviews, Answers & more) by downloading the Brochure.

JNU - Jawaharlal Nehru University

Mehrauli, Delhi

Admissions 2019

M.A. in Political Science

Total Fees: ₹ 609
|
2 years
|
Full Time

IGNOU - Indira Gandhi National Open University

Saket, Delhi

Admissions 2019

M.A. in Political Science

Total Fees: ₹ 10,800
|
2 years
|
Distance/Correspondence

Hindu College

North Campus, Delhi

Admissions 2019

M.A. in Political Science

2 years
|
Full Time

St. Stephen's College

North Campus, Delhi

Admissions 2019

M.A. in English

2 years
|
Full Time

Lady Shri Ram College for Women

Lajpat Nagar, Delhi

Admissions 2019

M.A. in Psychology

Total Fees: ₹ 35,952
|
2 years
|
Full Time

View All Popular Colleges

Top Rated Courses

Following are the top-rated M.A. (Master of Arts) courses, based on alumni reviews. Explore these reviews to choose the best course in M.A. (Master of Arts).

Popular M.A. (Master of Arts) Specializations in India

Following are the most popular M.A. (Master of Arts) Specializations . You can explore the top Colleges offering these Specializations by clicking the links below.

Popular Specializations

Public Administration
96 Colleges
Ancient History
22 Colleges
Clinical Psychology
17 Colleges
Applied Psychology
15 Colleges
French
15 Colleges
International Relations
15 Colleges
Public Policy
14 Colleges
Women Studies
14 Colleges

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Ask & Answer (Showing 5 of 5K Q&A)

Q.From where I can get bhu M.A. Economic last 6 years entrance question with solution?

You can search online an find the relevant papers as per you.

Answered bykanu vashisht Scholar-Level 16

Q.I want to take admission in M.A. (political Science) in private college In Agra.

Yes pratap you can
MA Political Science: Eligibility
Bachelor's degree in any stream preferably Arts and Humanities. Students with a graduate degree in other streams can also apply. Minimum marks required vary from 45% to 55% in graduation and may vary for different universities.

Answered bySaket Raj Sahu Guide-Level 14

Q.New sllaybus of M.A. Economics entrance exam at B. H. U.

https://www.shiksha.com/humanities-social-sciences/economics/course/m-a-in-economics-banaras-hindu-university-varanasi-263347.

Answered bykanu vashisht Scholar-Level 16

Q.How can I prepare for M.A. Economics entrance exam at b h. u in three months?

Its all upto you, how you can prepare for the same.

Answered bykanu vashisht Scholar-Level 16

Q.Hi I want to do M.A. Psychology. Is there any college where I can get admission now. AMD fee should b less.

https://studyabroad.shiksha.com/canada/universities/university-of-toronto/master-of-arts-in-psychology.

Answered bykanu vashisht Scholar-Level 16

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