BA Honours Course- Full Form, Admissions, Eligibility, Entrance Exam, Syllabus, Colleges, Salary, Jobs and Scope

Updated October 18, 2022

BA Honours, full form, Bachelor of Arts (Hons) is a three years undergraduate degree course belonging to the field of humanity. It is the most pursued undergraduate course in India after 12th grade. It is offered in various specializations such as Political Science, History, Hindi, English, Psychology, Sanskrit, and many more that come under the umbrella of humanity.

There is one more course under the Umbrella of Bachelor of Arts that is BA regular. In many aspects, BA regular is similar to BA Honours, and Students often get confused. However, there are some differences, too, as the former offers a more extensive curriculum and more papers for each specialization than the latter one. 

Candidates who want to pursue this UG course must fulfill specific eligibility criteria. They must have cleared their 12th-grade examination from any recognized educational board with a minimum of 50% marks. The admission offered to the program at a certain institution is based on entrance exams result. So, students may also require to appear and qualify for the entrance test.

BA Honours Course Details

The table below highlights the most vital details about the Bachelor of Arts (Hons) program. So check out below to get the overviews on the Bachelor of Arts Course.

Course NameBA Honours
Full Form            Bachelor of Arts with (Hons)
Education levelUndergraduate
Course DurationThree Years
Exam PatternSemester-wise
Admission processEntrance and Merit based
Average Fees ExpensesINR 5K to 1 Lakh Per Annum
Average Salary OfferedINR 3 to 5 Lakh per annum
Employment RolesContent Writer, Primary School Teacher, Executive Assistant, HR Manager, Operations Manager, Graphic Designer, Marketing Manager, Computer Operator, Customer Service Representative (CSR) etc.
Top RecruitersTimes of India Group, Accenture, Oracle, Genpact, UnitedHealth Group, Inter Globe Technologies, HDB Financial Services Ltd, Concentrix Corporation etc.
Higher studies optionsMBA (Master in Business Administration), MA (Master in Arts) , PG Diploma in Social work, etc.

BA Honours Eligibility Criteria

There is a specific parameter that aspirants need to meet for applying to any course, and the same goes with the BA Honours program too. Listed below are the minimum eligibility criteria for the Bachelor of Arts program.

  • The Aspirants must possess a high secondary level degree with a minimum of 45% marks.
  • They must have obtained their higher secondary level degree from a recognized educational Board.
  • If aspirants want access to elite institutions like Delhi University, Mumbai University, etc., the minimum marks requirement maybe 90%.

B.A. Honours Admission Process

Admission to BA Hons is either made based on the Merit of the candidates in their Higher Secondary board examination or entrance exam result. Discuss below are the different processes involved in the admission to the Bachelor of Arts program.

  • Merit-Based Admission: Institutions that follow the Merit-based admission procedure provide direct admission to the BA Honours program considering the 12th board marks of the candidates. Colleges such as Hindu College, St. Stephens College, etc., admit the candidates to the program via merit-based admission procedures.
  • Entrance Based Admission: In cases where candidates are admitted to the program via the entrance examination admission procedure, the shortlisted candidates are asked to appear for counseling and personal interview for allocating admission seats after qualifying entrance tests. Institutions like BHU and a few more provide admission to the course based on marks obtained in the entrance tests conducted by the universities.

BA Honours Entrance Exams

Universities/ colleges that follow entrance-based admission procedure conducts entrance examination for admitting the candidates to BA Honours Program. Listed below are some of the popular entrance tests for the Bachelor of Arts honors Program.

  • DUET (Delhi University entrance test)
  • NPAT (National Test for Programs After Twelfth)
  • CUET (Central Universities Common Entrance Test)
  • IPU CET (Indraprastha University Common Entrance Test)
  • JNUEE (Jawaharlal Nehru University Entrance Examination)
  • PUBDET (Presidency University Bachelor’s Degree Entrance Test)
  • BHU UET (Banaras Hindu University Undergraduate Entrance Test)           

Top BA Honours Colleges in India

Colleges/Universities that offer BA Honours programs are large numbers across India. Listed below are some of the top institutes for the Bachelor of Arts program.   

  • Loyola College, Chennai
  • Jain University, Bangalore
  • Doon University, Dehradun
  • Christ University, Bangalore
  • Presidency College, Chennai
  • Vishwakarma University, Pune
  • Chandigarh University, Chandigarh
  • Jawaharlal Nehru College, New Delhi
  • Sri Venkateswara College, New Delhi
  • Sri Guru Govind Singh College, Chandigarh
  • Lady Shri Ram College for Women, New Delhi

Bachelor of Arts Hons Syllabus

The BA Hons syllabus comprises various vital subjects and topics. The course subjects are mainly divided into two categories, namely core and elective subjects. However, it may vary slightly depending on the university/college. The BA Hons course is designed to ensure that the students understand the subject matter in-depth. The semester-wise break-up of the syllabus for BA Honours courses is as follows.

Particulars of BA Honours Syllabus

Semester ISemester II
Foundation Course in HindiUnderstanding Prose
Foundation Course in Science and TechnologyUnderstanding Poetry
Foundation Course in Humanities and Social SciencesEnglish for Practical Purposes
Foundation Course in English-I or Foundation Course in Hindi-II
Semester IIISemester IV
TranslationUrdu Fiction
Secretarial PracticeUrdu Poetry
Society and ReligionUrdu Literature
Human EnvironmentOperations Research
Administrative TheoryHistory of Urdu Language
Nutrition For the CommunityHistory of Urdu Literature
Organizing Child Care ServicesWomen in Urdu Literature
Foundation Course in English-IElements of Urdu Literature
Foundation Course in AssameseSocio-Cultural Forms in Urdu
Entrepreneurship and MarketingPolitical Ideas and Ideologies
Office Organization ManagementGovernment & Politics in India
India From 8th to 15th Century A.D.Government and Politics in East
India: Earliest Times to 8th Century A.D.Modern Indian Political Thought
India From 16th to Mid-18th Century A.D.Government and Politics in Australia
Semester VSemester VI
Public PolicyEthics
Financial AdministrationMetaphysics
Environmental ChemistryEpistemology
Personnel AdministrationSociety in India
Fundamentals of EconomicsThe Study of Society
National Income AccountingSociological Thought
Development AdministrationReligions of the World
Integrated Pest ManagementSocial Problems in India
Industrial Development in IndiaIndian Philosophy: Part I
Agricultural Development in IndiaSociety and Stratification
Economic Development: ComparativeIndian Philosophy: Part II
Modern Europe: Mid 18th to Mid-20th CenturyLogic: Classical and Symbolic
Elementary Statistical Methods and Survey TechniquesModern Western Philosophy
Indian Economic Development: Issues and PerspectivesPhilosophy of Human Persons
Elementary Mathematical Methods in Economic DevelopmentAncient and Medieval Philosophy
Contemporary Western Philosophy
Philosophy of Science and Cosmology

Scope after BA Honours Course

BA Hons program has a vast scope. After completing the course, the avenues for the graduates are not restricted to the job role of only a teacher. The BA Honours graduates can also aspire to be a Journalist, Political analysts, Banking officials, Content writers, Authors, Archaeologists, etc.

After completing Bachelor of Arts Honors, career Options for the candidates range from being a teacher of any arts subject to exploring as a Media Aspirant, Political Analyst, communicator, etc.

Apart from this, post pursuing the program, the graduates can also opt for higher studies in the related field. Options, in this case, are MBA (Master in Business Administration), MA (Master in Arts), PG Diploma in Social work, etc. These higher degree courses bring more opportunities to the candidates regarding higher Job positions and salaries.

Top Profiles in BA Honours Jobs

Post Pursuing the program, candidates have numerous career opportunities. Below listed are some of the top roles BA Honours graduates can aspire to.

  • Historian
  • Counselor
  • Author/ writer
  • Event manager
  • Content writing               
  • Academic professional  

Graduates in BA Honours Salary              

The average salary offered to the BA Honours graduates ranges between 3 to 6 lakh per annum, depending on their Job roles experience, skill set, recruiter, and college of education. Below are some of the top profiles after Bachelor of Arts Hons with their average salary.

  • Historian:- INR 6 Lakh Per Annum
  • Counselor:- INR 4 Lakh Per Annum
  • Author/ writer:- INR 5 Lakh Per Annum
  • Content writer:- INR 3 Lakh Per Annum  
  • Event manager:- INR 3 Lakh Per Annum
  • Academic professional:- INR 5 Lakh Per Annum

FAQs on Bachelor of Arts Hons Program

Q. Is BA Hons higher than BA?

Ans:- No, both BA regular and BA (Hons) are undergraduate courses but have some differences. The significant differences between them are that BA Hons offers you specialization in one particular subject, so you’ll have more papers on that subject. Also, the syllabus for the BA(Hons) courses is challenging compared to the B.A course.

Q. What is the difference BA and BA Honours?

Ans:- Both are similar, if we compare BA regular with BA Honours in terms of duration, eligibility, admission process, and average fee. The basic difference between them is that BA Hons offers students to study a particular subject as a specialization, but BA regular doesn’t.

Q. Can I do BA Hons after 12th?

Ans:- Yes! after completing higher secondary education, students can pursue a BA Hons program. However, the eligibility criteria for the program may differ from institution to institution in terms of the minimum required percentage of marks in 12th grade. Usually, the minimum marks needed at common institutions can be 45 to 50%, but the leading colleges consider students with more than 95% in class XII for admissions BA Hons courses.

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