MA (Master of Arts): Admission 2025, Entrance Exam, Cutoff, Jobs, Salary

Aparajita Debnath

MA stands for Master of Arts and is a 2-year PG degree program that allows students to deepen their understanding of the humanities, social sciences, and arts. It's a popular master's degree that can lead to a variety of career paths. MA course offers several specializations like MA Linguistics, MA Public Administration, MA Comparative Literature, MA Economics, MA Education, MA English, MA Environment & Development, MA Film Studies, MA History, MA Philosophy, MA Sanskrit, MA Sociology.

More than 3,922 colleges offer MA in India. Among them 2,383 are private that offer MA courses, and 652 governments colleges offer MA courses. Some of the top colleges are Banaras Hindu University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi University (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University, etc.

MA admission process majorly depends on entrance exams such as CUET-PG. CUET-PG exam will be conducted in the month of March 2025. Some popular MA colleges in India include Banaras Hindu University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jadavpur University conducted their own university admission test. Some of the colleges offer direct admission based on merit like Amity University, Chandigarh University, SRM IST Chennai, Chandigarh University, etc.

After completing MA course, you can get jobs in various sectors like corporate sector, educational consultant, entrepreneurship, Management, Digital marketing, etc. Some of the popular MA jobs profiles are Counsellor, Political Analyst, Event planner, Digital Marketer, Corporate trainer, Art Curators, Translator, Consultant, Content Writer, Journalist, Social Worker with an average salary ranges between INR 8 LPA- INR 26 LPA

Why MA?

You can get numerous benefits for studying MA in India. The major reasons for choosing MA in India are as follows:

After an MA in India, you can find great employment opportunities in various job portals. LinkedIn offers 20,000+, and Naukri has around 10,2926 MSc jobs in India.
You will have a promising career in various job positions, such as Content Writer, Journalist, Social Worker, Teacher, Consultant, Administrative Officer, Journalist, Counsellor, Political Analyst etc.
You will earn high salary between INR 7-12 lakhs
After MA, you can get job offer from several top companies like Agnitio, Deloitte, ISB, GSI, RMS, Infosys, Applied Research International, State Bank of India

MA Entrance Exam

For admission to an MA degree, many universities and colleges, including Jadavpur University, Jamia Millia Islamia, conducted their own university entrance exams. Most India's public and private universities accept the CUET PG, one of the most common entrance exams. The table below brings the list of other top entrance exams for MSc courses along with their registration and examination dates:

Entrance Exam	Entrance Exam Cutoff	Registration Deadline
Common University Entrance Test- Postgraduate (CUET PG)	98 percentiles	January 25, 2025 (Tentative)
Panjab University Common Entrance Test- Postgraduate (PUCET PG)	Varies subject wise	May last week, 2025 (Tentative)
Indraprastha University Common Entrance Test (IPU CET)	NA	April 15, 2025 (Tentative)

MA Specializations

MA offers several specializations. Some of the most demanding and popular specializations are mentioned below:

List of Specializations
MA Language (English, French, German, Hindi, Spanish, Chinese/Mandarin, Greek, Japanese and Latin	MA Economics
MA Political Science	MA History
MA Psychology	MA Communication Studies
MA Philosophy	MA Archaeology
MA Sociology	MA Religious Studies
MA Geography	MA International Relations
MA Library & Information Science	MA Linguistics
MA Bengali	MA in Legal Studies
MA social work	NA

Colleges wise MA Specializations

Various collages have various MA specializations like Jadavpur University offers many specializations such as MA Linguistics, MA Bengali, MA Comparative Literature, MA Economics, MA Education, MA English, MA Environment & Development, MA Film Studies, MA History, MA Philosophy, MA Sanskrit, MA Sociology. Some of the top colleges with them specializations are mentioned below:

University Names	MA Specialization
Calcutta University	MA History MA Arabic & Persian MA Archaeology MA Bengali Language & Literature MA Buddhist Studies MA Economics MA French MA Political Science MA Urdu
Jamia Millia Islamia	MA (Comparative Religions) MA (International Studies -Arab-Islamic Culture) MA (Sanskrit) MA (Applied Psychology) MA (Arabic) MA (Conflict Analysis and Peace Building) MA (Economics) MA (Education) MA (English) MA (Hindi) MA (History) MA (Political Science) MA (Media Governance)
Jadavpur University	MA Linguistics MA Bengali MA Comparative Literature MA Economics MA Education MA English MA Environment & Development MA Film Studies MA History MA Philosophy MA Sanskrit MA Sociology
Delhi University (DU)	MA in Sociology MA Sanskrit MA Political Science MA Psychology MA Philosophy MA Tamil MA Urdu MA Hindi MA History MA German MA Geography MA English MA Bengali MA Arabic MA French MA Japanese

MA Colleges in India

around 3,922 colleges offer MA in India. Among them 2,383 are private that offer MA courses, and 652 governments colleges offer MA courses. Students who are interested in taking admission in MA courses need to pay average ranges INR 216- INR 9,000 (per year). Here some of the top MA colleges are mentioned with their course fees and eligibility.

University Name	Accepted Entrance Exam	Course Fees	Eligibility
Banaras Hindu University	CUET-PG	INR 2857 (per year)	Applicants must have passed BA(hons) or BA under 10+2+3 pattern
Calcutta University	Merit based admission	INR 1200 (Per year)	Be an honors graduate from the current or previous year from any recognized university in India
Delhi University	CUET-PG	Varies colleges wise and subject wise Average ranges from INR 10,770 - INR 1.47 Lakh	least 60% marks in the aggregate or First Division or equivalent CGPA for any graduate/post-graduate degree in any subject from the University of Delhi or any Indian University recognised by the University of Delhi.
Mount Caramel College	Based on Merit	Varies subjects wise Average fees range from INR 91,700-INR 1,35,200 (per year)	must have passed BA (hons)
Chandigarh University	CUET-PG	Varies subjects wise Average fees range INR 59000-INR 74000	a bachelor's degree with a minimum of 40-55% aggregate Pass an entrance exam such as CUET-PG
Jadavpur University	JU entrance exam	NA	Varies subjects wise. Common eligibility are 60% marks in the 3-year B.A (Honours/ Major) for Gen. Candidates and 45% marks for SC/ ST
Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi	JMI	Varies subjects wise Average fees ranges from INR 7,400-INR 9,000 (per year)	B.A with not less than 50% marks in aggregate and at least 55% marks in the subject concerned.
Jawaharlal Nehru University	CUET-PG	Varies subjects wise Average fees INR 216.00 (per semester)	The Candidate must hold a bachelor's degree in the relevant subject under the 10+2+3 pattern of education by scoring at least 55% marks.
Lucknow University	PGET	Varies subjects wise Average fees INR 4120- INR 15080 (per year)	Eligibility vary program wise, but common eligibility are you must pass graduation degree with 50% marks

Governments Colleges for MA

About 652 government colleges offer MA courses. Among them Banaras Hindu University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi University (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University, etc. colleges offer MA degree. Some of government colleges are mentioned below:

List of governments Colleges
Banaras Hindu University	Jadavpur University
Calcutta University	Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi
Delhi University	Jawaharlal Nehru University
Lucknow University	Madras University

Private Colleges for MA

About 2,383 private colleges offer MA courses. Amity University, Chandigarh University, Mount Carmel College, Parul University, etc. colleges offer MA degrees. Some of private colleges are mentioned below:

List of colleges name
Amity University, Noida	Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar
Christ University, Bangalore	Mount Carmel College, Bangalore
Chandigarh University (CU)	Mithibai College of Arts, Mumbai
Galgotias University	Parul University, Vadodara
Loyola College, Chennai	St. Xavier's College, Mumbai

Distance Colleges for MA

Several colleges and university in India offer MA course in distance mode. For admission to MA courses in distance mode does not take any entrance exam, they offer direct admission based on merit. Some of the colleges are mentioned below:

List of MA Distance Colleges
School of Open Learning, University of Delhi	Tamil Nadu Open University
IGNOU	School of Distance Education, University of Kerala

MA Syllabus

MA has several specializations, and syllabus depends upon the specializations taken. But some common MA subject's syllabus like English, Political Science, History, Economics are mentioned on the below table:

MA English Syllabus
Introduction to Linguistics	Popular Fiction
Linguistics	Women's Writing
Indian Literature in English	Literary Criticism & Theory
MA Economics Syllabus
Microeconomics	Economics of Growth
Monetary Economics and Economics of Industry	Public Economics
International Trade	Issues in the Indian Economy
MA Political Science Syllabus
Modern Indian Political Thought	Politics of Developing Countries
International Relations-Theory and Practice	Western Political Thought
Indian Politics-Major Issues and Debates	Contemporary Political Theory
MA History Syllabus
Principles of History	Major Currents in Historical Thought
Contemporary World	Indian National Movement (1905-1947)
Ecology & Environment in History	Environmental Crisis and World Religions
MA Social Work Syllabus
History and Philosophy of Social Work	Social Welfare Administration
Psychosocial Dynamics of Human Behavior	Dynamics of Socio-Political Institutions and Organisations
Demography and Population Studies	Social Policy and Planning

MA Admission Process

The admission to MA, you need to take an entrance exam. Some of the colleges also offer direct admission based on your academic merit. Here step by admission process are mentioned below:

Merit-Based MA Admission: Top colleges like Amity University, Chandigarh University, Chandigarh University, etc colleges take admission based on your previous year academic merit.
Entrance Exam Based Admission: Most of the government's colleges like Banaras Hindu University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi University, Jadavpur University, etc colleges take admission based on entrance exam CUET PG, state level entrance exam.

MA Eligibility

For admission to MA course there are some requirements. You need to have some important eligibility criteria for admission to this course. Here in details eligibility criteria are mentioned below:

MA Eligibility Criteria	Details
MA Academic Qualifications	You should have completed Class 12 or an equivalent qualification from any stream. And graduation degree.
Marks Criteria	You must get 50-60% marks in graduation degree.
Appearing Criteria	Those students appearing in their final year and those who have completed graduation are eligible.
Entrance Exam	CUET PG, State Level Entrance exam and University admission test

MA Scholarships

To study in this course, you can get scholarships based on your academic performance. Maximum colleges offer various scholarships like Delhi University (DU) college offer V.K.R.V. Rao Endowment Book-Grant Scholarships; Chandigarh University offer CUET UG exam scholarships, etc. Here some colleges with scholarships are mentioned below:

Scholarships Name	Eligibility	Award
Delhi University (DU), Dr. V.K.R.V. Rao Endowment Book-Grant Scholarships	1st year of 2-year degree course students are eligible.	INR 24, 600
Amity University, Merit Scholarship	Candidates need to get 1^st class in graduation	50% tuition fees
Jadavpur University, Swami Vivekananda Merit-Cum-Means Scholarship	All PG students from WB are eligible	INR 18000 (per year)
Chandigarh University, CUET PG exam scholarships	Candidates need to get 85-89.99 on CUET PG entrance exam	30% of semester fees

MA Placements

After completing this course, you can get jobs offers from various companies like Agnation, Deloitte, ISB, GSI, RMS, Infosys, Applied Research International, State Bank of India in various positions such as Content Writer, Journalist, Social Worker, Teacher, Consultant, Administrative Officer, Journalist, Counsellor, Political Analyst, Event planner, Digital Marketer, Corporate trainer, Art Curators, Translator, Consultant. Here some companies with salary are mentioned below:

University Names	Jobs Role	Top recruiters	Saraly
Jamia Millia Islamia	Content Writer, Journalist, Social Worker, Teacher, Consultant, Administrative Officer, Journalist, Counsellor, Political Analyst, Event planner, Digital Marketer, Corporate trainer, Art Curators, Translator, Consultant	Rivigo, Zomato, Honda, TCS, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Swiggy	NA
Delhi University (DU)		Agnitio, Deloitte, ISB, GSI, RMS, Infosys, Applied Research International, State Bank of India	Average package INR 11.78 LPA
Amity University, Noida		Airtel, HCL, EY, IBM, Cognizant, Yamaha, Wipro, Nokia,	Average Package INR 19 LPA
Chandigarh University (CU)		Amazon, Zomato, Google, Dell, Deloitte, HCL, Asian paints, IBM, Cipla	Average Package INR 54.75 LPA
Banaras Hindu University		ACC CEMENT, ACCENTURE, ACCOLITE, ADANI, ADITYA BIRLA, GLOBAL ANALYTICS, GOLDMAN SACHS, GOOGLE	Average package INR 8 LPA

A Master of Arts (MA) degree focuses on liberal arts, humanities, social sciences, languages and culture, and fine arts. It's a postgraduate degree that prepares students with critical thinking and communication skills. To get admission to Master of Arts (MA) program, you'll need to meet certain eligibility criteria and go through the admission process, that are you must have passed 12^th board exam with 50% marks. After this course you can get job offers from various top companies with high salary packages.

FAQ - M.A

Ans: The full form of MA is a Master of Arts. Master of Arts is a postgraduate course that generally takes two years to complete. Graduate candidates can only take an MA course. MA is a professional course that gives students a comprehensive knowledge of the topic they have selected

Ans: There is a high demand for MA English graduates in the government sector. Some of the best government jobs after MA English are government executive, clerk, teaching assistant, librarian, lecturer, news editor, airport executive, research associate, typist, and public relations manager.

Ans: The MA degree is offered in various specializations in different colleges and universities in India and abroad. The most popular MA specializations include MA in English, MA in Political Science, MA in Economics, MA in Psychology, etc.

Ans: Some of the key roles that an MA degree holder can take up as journalists, academia, and government positions or in a corporate environment. This article will give an insight into some of the top career opportunities to take up after completing a master's in arts.

Ans: Bachelor's degree holders with a minimum of 3-4 years of duration from a UGC recognized university. Minimum 55% aggregate in graduation. Candidates in their 3-year graduation must have cleared all papers from 1st to 4th semester.