MA – Full form, Eligibility Criteria, Entrance Examination, and Top Colleges

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Akansha Negi Content Curator

The MA is a two-year, full-time postgraduate degree course. The MA's full form is the Master of Arts. Candidates can pursue an MA after completing the BA degree.

The University Grants Commission offers an MA postgraduate degree in arts subjects such as English, Hindi, History, and Geography.

Unlike a Bachelor of Arts, the Master of Arts is a specialization program that provides the candidate with the overall knowledge of a specific subject. CUET PG is the entrance test for admission to the MA program.

We have mentioned below some popular specialization subjects that UGC offers MA degree in –

  • MA English
  • MA Hindi
  • MA Rural Studies
  • MA Education
  • MA Journalism
  • MA Psychology
  • MA Linguistics
  • MA Philosophy
  • MA Anthropology
  • MA in Political Science
  • MA Spanish
  • MA History
  • MA International Relations
  • MA Sociology
  • MA Geography
  • MA in Economics
  • MA HR Management
  • MA Social Work

There are various benefits of doing the post-graduation MA degree course, which are mentioned below: – 

  • Gives you good command over a specialized subject.
  • It is a beneficial PG degree for emerging content writers.
  • The MA degree helps you gain a good vocabulary.
  • It helps in developing a critical thinking and problem-solving attitude.
  • The degree program provides you with a promising career scope.
  • The MA course gives you a deep analysis of the subject matter.
  • It is a good career choice for those wanting to join academics and research. 

Table of Contents

 MA Highlights

Eligibility Criteria for MA

Entrance Examination for MA

Admission Procedure of MA

Top Colleges/ Universities offering MA program

MA program Fee Structure

MA Syllabus

MA Career Prospects

Average Salary of MA Graduates

Top Recruiters of MA Graduates

Conclusion

FAQs about MA

MA Highlights

Specialisations

Details

MA Full form

The MA full form is Master of Arts

Duration of course

2 years

Level of Course

Post-Graduation degree course

Minimum Eligibility

Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 50% marks.

Admission Criteria

Merit based and entrance examination

Entrance Examinations

CUET PG

Top Colleges/ Universities

University of Delhi, Banaras Hindu University, St. Xavier’s College, Loyola College, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Presidency College, Madras Christian College, St. Stephen’s College, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia University, etc.

Admission procedure

Registration followed by entrance and councelling/interview

Fees range

INR 10,000 –  INR 3 lakhs

Specialisations

English, Hindi, Rural Studies, Education, Journalism, Psychology, Linguistics, Philosophy, Anthropology, Political Science, Spanish, History, International Relations, Sociology, Geography, Economics, HR Management, and Social Work.

Job Profiles

  • Teacher/Professor
  • Research Scholar
  • Career Counsellor
  • Content Writer
  • Author
  • Private Tutor
  • Translator
  • Language Expert
  • Social Worker
  • Psychologist
  • Therapist
  • Journalist

Average Salary

INR 2.5 – 3 LPA

Highest Salary

INR 7 – 8 LPA

Top Recruiters
  • Government and private Universities
  • Schools 
  • Language teaching Institutes
  • Social Media Companies  
  • New Channels
  • Newspapers
  • Coaching Institutes
  • Various Government Departments 
  • E-commerce Companies 

Eligibility Criteria for MA

The qualification for the Master of Arts varies for each specialization subject. Every college also has its criteria for admission to the Master of Arts. We have mentioned below some general qualification requirements for admission to the MA degree –

  • The candidate must have passed the Bachelor's degree from any recognized college/university.

  • The candidate must have scored at least 50% marks in the Bachelor's degree. This may vary from college to college.

Entrance Examination for MA

The National Testing Agency conducts the CUET PG (Common University Entrance Test PG) entrance examination for admission to postgraduate courses.

The CUET PG examination is held every year. The test is a computer-based test. The hundred Multiple Choice Questions are asked in the CUET PG test. The registration for CUET PG starts in the month of January, and the examination is conducted around the month of March.

Admission Procedure of MA

There are two ways to get admission to an MA degree. These ways are mentioned below –

  1. Merit-based admission

To secure admission based on the merit of a Bachelor’s degree, the aspirant must follow the steps given below –

  • Go to the official university/college website where you want to pursue the MB program.
  • Fill out the application form from the institution and attach a scanned copy of the required documents.
  • Submit the registration fee and appear for the interview/counselling (if conducted by the institution).
  • After selection, pay the fees for the first semester of the MA program.
  1. Entrance exam-based admission 

If you are interested in pursuing an MA program from a prestigious institution, then you have to appear for the entrance examination for the course. The following are the steps to get admission through the entrance exam score –

  • Fill out the application form for the entrance examination for an MA course like CUET PG.
  • Prepare for the examination and score a good score.
  • Appear for counselling for the MA program at the desired institution.
  • Once selected, submit all required documents to secure admission to the MA course.

Top Colleges/ Universities offering MA program

The top colleges for MA courses are mentioned in table below –

College Name

Location

University of Delhi

New Delhi

Banaras Hindu University

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

St. Xavier’s College

Mumbai, Maharashtra

Hindu College, Delhi University

New Delhi

Loyola College

Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Jawaharlal Nehru University

New Delhi

St. Xavier’s College

Kolkata, West Bengal 

Presidency College

Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Presidency University

Kolkata, West Bengal

Madras Christian College

Chennai, Tamil Nadu 

St. Stephen’s College

Delhi

St. Stephen’s College

Ranchi, Jharkhand

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Mumbai

Jamia Millia Islamia University

New Delhi

MA program Fee Structure

The fees for the MA degree are comparatively less in government-funded colleges than in private colleges. The fee structure for the MA also varies from institution to institution—generally, the fees for the MA degree range between INR 10,000 to INR 3 lakhs.

The MA degree in subjects like English, Hindi, and Sanskrit costs less, but the MA in practical subjects like Geography costs more.

MA Syllabus

The syllabus for the MA in English is mentioned below –

MA English Syllabus for Semester 1

  • Structure of Modern English – Communication, Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, Semantics
  • English Fiction – Jonathan Swift: Gulliver’s Travels, Henry Fielding: Joseph Andrews, Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice, Charles Dickens: David Copperfield, George Eliot: Middlemarch
  • Traditional English Drama – Ben Jonson: Volpone, Christopher Marlowe: Dr Faustus, William Congreve: The Way of the World, Sheridan: The School for Scandal, William Goldsmith: She Stoops To Conquer
  • Indian Verses (Elective) – Background to Indian English Poetry, Nissim Ezekiel, Arun Kolatkar – Jejuri, The Old Playhouse and Other Poems – Kamla Das
  • English Language and Literature Teaching (Elective) – Methods and Approaches to Language Teaching, Teaching of Grammar, Dimensions of Research in English Language and English Literature, Teaching of Language Skills, Approaches to Teaching of Literature, Teaching of Poetry, Drama, Fiction
  • Research Methodology (Elective) – What is Research, Constructing Research Design, Research Process, Dimensions of Research in English Language and English Literature, Development, Hypothesis and Preparation of Research Proposal, Research Process, Parts of the Dissertation, Presentation of Research, Major Concerns in the Thesis

MA English Syllabus for Semester 2

  • The Structure of Modern English – Language and Society, Distinctive Features of British, American and Indian English, Pragmatics, English in India, Introduction to Stylistics
  • English Fiction – Thomas Hardy: Jude the Obscure, Joseph Conrad: Lord Jim, D. H. Lawrence: Sons and Lovers, Graham Greene: The Power and the Glory, EM Forster: A Passage to India
  • Modern English Drama – GB Shaw: Candida, TS Eliot: Murder in the Cathedral, Samuel Beckett: Waiting for Godot, Harold Pinter: Home Coming, John Osborne: Look Back in Anger
  • Indian Prose Works (Elective) – Background to Indian Prose, Kanthapura, Lokmanya Tilak – Essays from Bal Gangadhar Tilak, RK Narayan: An Astrologer’s Day, Rohinton Mistry: A Fine Balance

MA English Syllabus for Semester 3

  • Literary Theory and Criticism – Aristotle: The Poetics, Philip Sidney: An Apology of Poetry, Dr Johnson: A Preface to Shakespeare, William Wordsworth: A Preface to Lyrical Ballads, Matthew Arnold: The Study of Poetry
  • English Poetry – John Milton: Paradise Lost Book 1, John Donne: The Sun Rising, Andrew Marvell: To His Coy Mistress, Alexander Pope: The Rape of The Lock, William Blake: From Songs of Innocence
  • English Language and Literature Teaching (Elective) – Methods and Approaches to Language Teaching, Teaching of Grammar, Relationship between Psychology and Teaching of Language, Teaching of Language Skills, Approaches to the Teaching of Literature, Teaching of Poetry, Drama and Fiction

MA English Syllabus for Semester 4

  • Literary Theory and Criticism – T.S.Eliot: Tradition and the Individual Talent, F.R.Leavis: Literature and Society, Northrope Frye: The Archetypes of Literature, Ronald Barthes: The Death of the Author, Elaine Showalter: Feminist Criticism in the Wilderness
  • English Poetry – Coleridge: The Rime of Ancient Mariner, William Wordsworth Poetry, Tennyson Poetry, Robert Browning Poetry, W. B. Yeats Poetry
  • Shakespeare – King Lear, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Measure for Measure, Tempest
  • American Literature (Elective) – Background Topics, Arthur Miller: The Death of a Salesman, Edward Albee: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, John Steinbeck: Of Mice and Men, Poetry

Syllabus for the MA in Hindi is mentioned below –

1st Year Syllabus

  • Hindi Sahitya ka Itihas
  • Prachin evam Madhyakalin Kavya
  • Kathetar Sahitya
  • Bharatiya Sahitya
  • Adhuni Kavita
  • Katha Sahitya

2nd Year Syllabus

  • Bhasha Vigyan avam Hindi Bhasha
  • Prayojanmulak Hindi
  • Nai Media and Hindi
  • Hinditar Pradesh – Hindi Bhasha avam Sahitya
  • Anuvad Vigyan
  • Bhasha Prodhyogiki

Syllabus for the MA in History is mentioned below –

1st Year Syllabus

  • Social And Cultural History Of India from A.D 1526 till A.D 2000
  • Social And Cultural History Of Tamil Nadu From Sangam Age To A.D 1565
  • Modern World 1800 - 1920 A.D.
  • Contemporary World 1920- 200 A.D
  • Historiography
  • Modern Chhattisgarh 
  • Evolution of Ideas and Institutions in Ancient India
  • Evolution of Ideas and Institutions in Medieval India

2nd Year Syllabus

  • History of World Civilizations (excluding India)- Ancient Period 
  • History of World Civilizations (excluding India) Medieval and Modern Period 
  • Colonialism and Nationalism in Modern India
  • India's Foreign Policy – Since A.D 1947
  • Society and Culture of Medieval India (c.1200 to 1540)
  • Political and Administrative History of Modern India (1858 - 1964)
  • Economic History of Medieval India (1200-1540) 
  • Economic, Social, and Cultural History of Modern India (1858 - 1964)
  • Indian Polity and Economy in the Sultanate Period (1200 - 1526 A.D.)
  • Economic History of Modern India till 1947-II
  • Society and Culture in the Sultanate Period (1200 - 1526 A.D.)

Syllabus for the MA in Geography is mentioned below –

1st Year Syllabus

  • Geomorphology
  • Economic Geography
  • Nature of Geography
  • Quantitative Techniques and Digital Data Processing
  • Soil -Water Analysis, Surveying and Field Report
  • Climatology and Soil Geography
  • Geographical Thought
  • Biogeography
  • Geohydrology and Oceanography
  • Cartographic Techniques and Map Projection
  • Thematic Mapping and Geographical Information System
  • Historical and Political Geography

2nd Year Syllabus

  • Regions and Regional Entity of India and West Bengal
  • Social, Cultural and Settlement Geography
  • Population and Human Development
  • Applied Statistical Techniques in Geography
  • Regional Planning and Development
  • Resource Planning and Development
  • Land use Planning and Rural Development
  • Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System

MA Graduates Career Prospects

The career prospects of the Master of Arts are mentioned below –

  • Teacher/Professor
  • Research Scholar
  • Career Counsellor
  • Content Writer
  • Author
  • Private Tutor
  • Translator
  • Language Expert
  • Social Worker
  • Psychologist
  • Therapist
  • Journalist

Average Salary of MA Graduates

The salary for the MA graduates may vary as per the job profile they opt for. In the following table, we have mentioned the salary range for some typical jobs after the MA degree -

Job Profile

Average Salary 

Teacher

INR 5 - 5.5 LPA

Content Writer

INR 5 - 6 LPA

Social Worker

INR 6 - 6.5 LPA

Psychologist

INR 7 - 8 LPA

Top Recruiters of MA Graduates

The MA graduates are recruited by the following organisations –

  • Government and private Universities
  • Schools 
  • Language teaching Institutes
  • Social Media Companies  
  • New Channels
  • Newspapers
  • Coaching Institutes
  • Various Government Departments 
  • E-commerce Companies 

Conclusion

The PG degree of MA is a suitable degree for those who want to gain deep knowledge of any specialization subject. The MA degree gives the candidate a competitive edge in academics and research work.

There is a good career scope after completing the Master of Arts. One can also pursue research work like a Ph.D. and MPhil after completing an MA degree.

FAQs about MA

Ques – What is the MA full form?

Answer – The MA full form is Master of Arts.

Ques – What are the qualification requirements for the MA PG degree?

Answer – The qualification requirement for an MA is that the candidate must have passed the Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 50% marks from any recognized university.

Ques – What is the duration of the MA degree?

Answer – The duration of the MA degree is two years.

Question – Which entrance examination is conducted for the MA admission?

Answer – The Common University Entrance Test PG (CUET PG) is conducted for admission to the MA degree.

Question – Can I pursue the PhD after completing the MA?

Answer – Yes, a Ph.D. can be pursued after completing the MA degree.

Question – How can I pursue a PhD after completing the MA?

Answer – You can pursue the Ph.D. after passing the National Eligibility Test (NET) that is conducted by UGC.

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