CUET-PG MA Syllabus 2026: Download Latest Syllabus PDF

It is expected that the CUET PG 2026 exam will be conducted from the first week of March 2026 to the fourth week of March 2026. The application form and information bulletin are likely to be released by the first week of January 2026. The detailed syllabus of CUET PG 2026 MA subjects will be released there. 

The following table provides the structure of the expected CUET PG MA 2026 question paper.

Candidates must note that the Language Comprehension/Verbal Ability section is compulsory. The General Test also has to be taken by candidates opting for all test papers except Education (PGQP01).

CUET PG 2026 Detailed Exam Structure (Expected)

Below is the table mentioned for the detailed CUET PG examination pattern for all the subjects for which the examination will be conducted:

Note

•  Candidates can choose a maximum of 20 test paper codes in all.
•  Each question paper will have 100 MCQ Questions.
•  Candidate has to choose the language English or Hindi at the time of registration for Part A. (Choose carefully)
• In case of Shiksha Shastri and Shiksha Acharya, the entire 100 questions of the question paper would be in the Sanskrit language only.
• Part B of the Question Paper will be in Sanskrit only for Acharya courses except Hindu Studies (English and Hindi) and Baudha Darshan/Buddhist Studies in English, Hindi and Sanskrit.
• In case of language papers, Part B of the Question Paper will be in the specified language. 

Candidates can check the table below for all the CUET PG 2026 MA Subject Courses for which the examination will be concluded. The MA subject course code is also mentioned, which will be helpful for the aspirants while downloading the previous year's question paper and choosing the subject course while filling out the CUET PG application form.

Also Read: 

Here is the expected CUET 2026 examination syllabus for the courses which come under Humanities domain:

Syllabus for Ancient Indian History, Culture & Architecture (HUQP01)

Ancient Indian History, Culture & Architecture

Political History of India from circa 600 B.C. to 1200 A.D., Political History of India (circa 600 AD to 300 AD) Political, Political History of India (circa 300 AD to 750 AD) Political History of, North India (circa 750 AD to 1200 AD)Political History of South, India (circa 750 AD to 1200 AD)
Prehistory and Protohistory of India
 Ancient Indian Social and Economic Life Institution, Religion and Philosophy of Ancient India, Vedic and Pure Religions - Jainism and Buddhism
Early Indian Art and Architecture- From Beginning to Gupta Period
Medieval India
Ancient Indian Paleography and Epigraphy, Ancient Indian Numismatics, Ancient Civilization
India's Cultural Contacts with South East Asia
History Writing and Historiography of Ancient India, History of Science & Technology in India

Syllabus for Anthropology (HUQP02)

Physical Anthropology/Biological Anthropology

Theories of Biological Evolution - Lamarckism and Neo-Lamarckism, Darwinism and Neo–Darwinism, Synthetic Theory of Evolution; Cell Structure, RNA, DNA Structure and Function; DNA Replication; Protein Synthesis; Human Chromosomes; Chromosomal Aberrations; Human Blood Group Systems ABO and Rh Mendel’s laws Linkage and Crossing Over, Inheritance Pattern;
Population Genetics; Evolutionary forces-Mutation, Genetic Difference, Administrative, Natural Selection,
Cell Divisions: Mitosis, Meiosis.
General Characteristics of Primates. New World Monkeys and Old World Monkeys: Anatomical Changes in Becoming a Biped – Vertebral Column and Skull, Pelvis and Birth Canal, Leg, Foot, Arm; Morphological
differences between apes and man.
General Characteristics of Early Hominids – Australopithecus, Homo Erectus, Neanderthal Man, Archaic Homo Sapiens.
Human variation and Adaptation: Racial Classification, Human Skeleton, Anthropometry – Somatometry, Osteometry, Craniometry; Human Growth and Development. Human health and ecology.
Methods of Basic Data Analysis- Central tendency, Dispersion, Normal distribution, Chi-square test.

Social and Cultural Anthropology

Major branches of Anthropology
Social and Cultural Anthropology: Concept, Definition and its Scope, Ethnology and Ethnography.
SOCIETY - Social Group, Definition and characteristics of society, Social Institutions, Pre-literate Societies, Complex societies.
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION - Age, Caste, Class, Gender, Division of Labour, Varna and Caste System in India.
SOCIAL CHANGE - Theories, factors of social change, Industrialisation, modernisation and developments.
MARRIAGE - Forms of Marriage, ways of acquiring a mate, Functions of Marriage, Endogamy, Exogamy, Residence after Marriage, Preferential forms of marriage in traditional societies.
KINSHIP - Function, Consanguineal and Affinal, Kinship Terminology and Kinship Behaviour, Lineage, Clan.
FAMILY - Nuclear, Joint and Extended, Characteristic and Functions. Theories on the origin of the Family, Patriarchal and Matriarchal Family.

RELIGION - Origin of Religion, Animism, Animatism. Magic or primitive science. Types of Magic – Contagious, Imitative, Black and White Magic.
ECONOMY - Hunting and Gathering, Subsistence economy, Reciprocity, Barter system, Redistribution, Kula Ring, Potlatch.
POLITY - State and Stateless Society, Chiefdom, Political organisation in pre-industrial society, power and dispute settlement, Norms, Mores and Penalty measures, oaths and ordeals in Customary law.
CULTURE- Definition and characteristics of culture, material and non-material culture, Rites and rituals, Rites de passage, Sacred Complex, Sanskritization and Westernisation, Little and great tradition, Enculturation, Acculturation, Assimilation, Cultural lag.
THOUGHT AND THEORIES IN SOCIAL-CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Social Evolution – Classical, Neo-evolution and cultural ecology, School of Diffusion, Functionalism, Neo-Functionalism, Structural-Functionalism, Structuralism, Culture pattern, Ethnocentrism, Historical, Particularism and Cultural Relativism.

Contribution of Social-Cultural Anthropologists:
E.B. Tylor, L.H. Morgan, Julian Steward, Leslie White, B. Malinowski, Radcliffe Brown, Franz Boas, Margaret Mead, Ruth Benedict, Levi Strauss, Edmund Leach, M.N. Srinivas, L.P. Vidyarthi, S.C.Dube, D.N Majumdar, N.K Bose, G.S. Ghurye. Concept of Tribe and Constitutional Safeguards to scheduled tribes
Linguistic Anthropology: Structure of language- Phoneme, morphemes, sentence, grammar, script.Linguistic classification of the Indian population.
Role of applied anthropology in administration, policy and public health.
Fieldwork tradition in Social Anthropology Fieldwork – Rapport building, Primary and secondary data, questionnaire and schedule, observation, case study method and Interview History and growth; Aims, scope.
Prehistoric Culture – Definition and bases of classification;
Major stages – Pleistocene and Holocene, Plio-Pleistocene boundary; Major environment and climatic changes of Pleistocene - glacial, pluvial
Dating –Relative dating - Stratigraphy, Pollen analysis, Absolute Dating methods - Radiocarbon-14, Potassium-Argon, Dendrochronology, Thermoluminescence. Limitations of Relative dating and Absolute Dating methods.
Prehistoric Lithic tool typology and technology - Lower Palaeolithic- pebble tools, chopper and chopping tools, hand axes and cleaver; Middle Palaeolithic – Clactonian, Levalloisian and Mousterian flakes, scrapers, points; Upper Palaeolithic –knife, borer, burin, points; Mesolithic – microlithic; Neolithic –
celt (axe, adze), ring stone, grinding stone. Block on block or anvil technique, direct percussion or stone hammer technique, cylinder or hollow hammer technique, Clactonian technique, Levalloisian technique, discoid core or Mousterian technique, blade or fluting technique, pressure flaking technique, step flaking technique, retouch, grinding and polishing.
Pleistocene and Holocene prehistoric cultures – Lower palaeolithic – pebble and Acheulian tool culture (Oldowan, Sohan, Madrasian, Attirrampakkam, Choukoutien); Middle palaeolithic – Mousterian (Belan valley, Bhimbetka, Nevasa); Upper palaeolithic – (Birbhanpur, Bagor, Adamgarh, Sarainahar Rai);
Mesolithic –Langhnaj & Bhimbetka; Neolithic –Burzahom, Brahmagiri, Sangakallu, Daojali Hading.

As the CUET PG 2026 exam dates are not out yet, candidates preaparing for CUET PG 2026 examination can expect the dates somewhere around the dates mentioned below (CUET PG 2025 exam dates).

Here are some FAQs on CUET PG MA Syllabus: