Arts Courses: List of Arts Courses, Check Eligibility, Fees, Colleges, Career & Scope

‘’Art’’ is a very common word for everyone in the world. We all have been familiar with this term since our childhood. But, what is the actual meaning of “Arts”. Art is a diverse range of one’s activities. Arts is a human expression influenced by the culture and driven by the human impulses. It can be characterised as visual arts, literary arts, performing arts, decorative art, and tangible arts. Arts courses are commonly referred to as a popular course option selected by candidates after Class 12th. Although there is a perception that only weak learners opt for arts courses, this is far from the truth. Contrary to this perception there are a lot of career opportunities available for art graduates right after their graduation.

Arts is a broad subject whose boundaries cannot be defined. The field of arts predominantly includes visual arts, literature, performing arts, including music, drama, film, dance, related media, etc. It's an area in which one seems closer to the social issues, people, emotions, environment, and everything connected with it. It helps in presenting an outlook that is there but not easily perceived. The professionals bring out that which cannot be seen or felt easily. Therefore its role is to provide opportunities for change in thought, appreciation, etc. of the message behind that particular art. The scope in art courses after 12th is very shining. There are numerous fruitful career opportunities available for the aspirants. This domain covers a wide array of subjects and the key among which include:

➢ History

➢ Languages

➢ Literature

➢ Law

➢ Philosophy

➢ Religion

➢ Performing Arts

➢ Anthropology

➢ Communication

➢ Sociology

➢ Psychology

Eligibility Criteria

For UG Level:

To be eligible to apply for UG course admission in the Arts stream aspirants should have cleared their Class 10+2 exam from a recognized board with at least 50% aggregate marks or passing marks.

For PG Level:

For admission in PG courses, the eligibility criteria which is set by the universities are aspirants should possess a graduation degree with a minimum of 50% of marks from a recognized university/college.

Admission Procedure:

The admission procedure for admission in UG and PG architecture courses is the same. Most institutes follow the merit-based admission process. Merit marks scored by the scholar in the entrance test and board examination are taken into consideration. Based on merit marks, seats are allotted to deserving applicants.

Programs -  Arts Courses

Numerous program which comes under Arts Courses is as follows.

Bachelor’s Courses in Arts

• Bachelor of Arts (BA):

Bachelor of Arts Degree or BA Degree course is an Undergraduate Academic Degree awarded for a course or program usually in a branch of the Liberal Arts, the Sciences, or both. BA is a degree program that generally lasts 3 to 4 years depending on the country.

The BA Jobs are generally found in Teaching and Lecturing, Law, defense and armed forces, etc.

Eligibility criteria:

• Students passing successfully out of their H.S.C. examinations (10+2) from a recognized Education Board with Science, Arts, or Commerce stream can opt for a BA course.
• All SC/ST applicants have a relaxation of 5% in the minimum aggregate marks.

Admission Procedure

Admission to BA courses program is conducted through both entrance examination and merit-based whereas many universities do offer both direct admission and entrance-based admission to the BA course program.

• Masters of Arts (MA):

Master of Arts (M.A Course) is a Postgraduate Degree offered in Arts Discipline. It is one of the oldest posttest graduate qualifications and the degree offers a wide range of specializations in the field of Arts, Humanities, and some areas of Social Science.

Eligibility Criteria:

• It is an ideal course for aspirants who have completed a Bachelor of arts degree from a recognized University. But BA is not a mandatory degree for applying to MA. The minimum mark to apply for this course is 50%.

Admission Procedure

• Most of the institutes shortlisted aspirants for the course depending on their performance in a relevant entrance test.
• The admission process will differ from college to college. Few institutions in the country also offer admission on the basis of the candidate’s merit scores at the level of graduation.

A few of such Entrance Exams are:

• Punjab University Common Entrance Test
• Indira Gandhi National Open University Entrance Test
• Netaji Subhas Open University Entrance Exam
• Mumbai University Entrance Exam
• Nalanda Open University Admission Exam

Bachelor of Arts + Masters of Arts (BA+MA):

The person is given a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in the same program but in less time. In this case, the degree awarded is an integrated title of Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degree. The duration of integrated BA+MA course is generally of 5 years depending on the Colleges and Universities

• Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA):

BFA is a 3 years undergraduate Fine Arts course. The course not only deals with fashion concepts but also is an amalgamation of scientific and engineering technologies which puts the course as one of the finest and acknowledged courses across the globe.

Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants who have passed their 12th with a minimum of 50% of marks from a recognized Board are eligible to take admission in this course.

Admission Procedure

• The aspirants have to go through several entrance exams which are being conducted by individual universities/colleges in accordance with the admission protocols.
• Candidates who are applying for the BA Fine Arts program should beforehand have their results from the respective Entrance Exams required by the selected/opted Universities.
• BA(Hons.):

Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) is an Academic Degree that is awarded to applicants who are graduating in the field of Arts. In India, the duration of the B.A . Hons Course is 3 years. The aim of the BA Hons is to guide candidates to become highly-skilled, versatile, independent, and critical thinkers with knowledge of research.

Eligibility Criteria:

• The basic eligibility criteria for pursuing B.A. (Hons.) degree is qualifying 10+2 or equivalent examination in any stream from a recognized educational board.
• Minimum marks required to take admission in BA (Hons.) course is 50%

Admission Procedure

• Several Universities and Colleges conduct entrance exams on their own and selections are based on an aggregate of final graduation marks an entrance exam.

Distance B.A Degree:

A Distance B.A. Degree or Bachelor of Arts Degree in distance mode is an Undergraduate Academic Degree awarded for a course or program usually in a branch of the Liberal Arts Courses, the Sciences, or both. A distance BA degree program generally lasts 3 to 4 years depending on the country.

Eligibility Criteria:

Candidates who have cleared their 12th  from a recognized Education Board with Science, Arts, or Commerce stream can opt for a distance BA degree.

Admission Procedure-

The applicants should qualify for the Entrance Exams which are conducted by the Individual University/College in accordance with the admission procedure.

Masters Courses in Arts

• M.Phil

Human science, research findings, and a mixture of both being practical and theoretical are some of the concepts which are being taught to the Master of Philosophy professional. The course duration for this course is 2 years. The professional has to be completely trained so that in the next few months they can do research on the next step towards their profession.

Eligibility Criteria:

• The basic eligibility for M.Phil is to have a master's degree in the subject chosen by the applicants with minimum marks of 55% in the respective subject.
• Entrance Exams are held all over India by various institutions and universities for admission in the course. National Eligibility Test (NET), Symbiosis Entrance Test (SET), and other equivalent national level exams are some of the examples for the entrance exam.

Admission Procedure

Aspirants have to qualify for the Entrance exam conducted by the university/college for admission procedure. Personal interviews and counseling are usually the next procedures.

• Masters of Performing Arts (MPA):

Master of Performing Arts is a postgraduate Arts course. The duration of Master of Performing Arts is two years which is divided into four semesters. Master of Performing Arts is a postgraduate art course. M.P.A Course focuses on drama, dance, music, and video technology in order to provide hands-on training combined with the valuable theory that can help performers to succeed in their chosen industry.

Eligibility Criteria:

• The eligibility criteria for pursuing a Master of Performing Arts degree is a Bachelor Degree in Arts or equivalent degrees with a minimum of 50% marks.
• Candidate with B.Com, B.Sc Course, BA, or equivalent degree is eligible for admission in the course. Candidate with stage experience is given special preference.

Admission Procedure

Universities conduct an entrance examination to select the candidates. The entrance exam is followed by a group discussion and a personal interview round.

Colleges for Pursuing Arts Courses:

• Lovely Professional University, Punjab
• Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Aligarh
• College of Arts (University of Delhi), Delhi
• Amity University, Noida
• Kurukshetra University, Haryana
• Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College, Delhi
• Visva-Bharati University, West Bengal
• Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi
• Government College for Girls, Punjab
• Sri Sri University, Odisha

Career Prospects

On completing a course after class 12 in the Arts stream aspirants have a plethora of job opportunities before them. After pursuing the Arts/ Humanities stream at the Class 12 level, aspirants can either opt to pursue a pure Humanities course or they can even make a future in the field of design, mass communication, hospitality, law, aviation, teaching, and the likes.

The most popular career choice for the Arts stream aspirants is to take up the teaching profession in the field or subject of their specialization. Similarly, aspirants can also explore other career options depending upon the further study option that they opt for. These include business managers, musicians, dancers, lawyers, artists, actors, businessmen, economists, statisticians, architects, fashion designers, writers, historians, and archaeologists.

Apart from the aforementioned career options, many students from the arts stream can also opt for government jobs in diverse departments and ministries. The UPSC civil services exam which is the qualifying exam for IAS, IPS, IFS, and other high-level bureaucrats is also a preferred career option among the Arts stream scholars. Alternatively, they can also appear for Banking sector recruitment exams, SSC CGL Exam / Staff Selection Commission Exams, or State PCS exams to join the bureaucracy.

Remuneration Package:

• Salary is a negotiable aspect of an artist’s career. It depends on aspirants' ability, keen witness, creativity, skills, and enthusiasm.
• In India, a fresher can get the 2 to 3 lakh per annum (per annum).
• After gaining the experience of 2 to 3 years the salary may range from 5 to 8 lakhs per annum (approx).