Top 10 MA Subjects & Specialisations

Confused about what subject to pick for your Master of Arts programme? Check out this list of the top 10 MA subjects and specialisations.

Top 10 MA Subjects & Specialisations - MA or Master of Arts is one of the most sought-after courses for candidates after completing their graduation. Candidates with a Bachelor of Arts degree often opt for a Master of Arts degree as their postgrad programme. Students can pursue an MA course in various disciplines like English, Hindi, History, Journalism, and Psychology. In this article, we will list the top 10 subjects and specialisations that are frequently picked by students across the country. Along with the list of these disciplines, you will also find the list of subjects that make up the syllabus of their two-year postgrad programme. Read further to learn more.

MA Course Eligibility Criteria

Before getting into the list of MA subjects and specialisations, let's understand the eligibility criteria to get into these programmes. Aspiring students can check the eligibility parameters for an MA course below:

Bachelor degree (preferably arts) holders of a minimum 3 or 4-year duration or its equivalent (10+2+3 or 10+2+4). The degree should be from a university that is recognised by the UGC (University Grants Commission) of India.
A minimum of 55% aggregate at graduation level (this figure may slightly differ from university to university. It must also be noted that while some universities offer admissions on the basis of merit, others conduct or consider the students' performance in popular entrance exams).
Candidates pursuing a three-year degree programme must clear all paper topics from 1st to 4th semester, while applicants pursuing a four-year degree programme must have attained passing marks in all the topics from the first to the sixth semester.

Also Read: Top 10 BA Subjects & Specialisations

MA Subjects and Syllabus

The top 10 MA subjects are listed below along with their syllabi. It must be noted that the syllabus for every MA programme may slightly vary from institute to institute. However, most topics remain similar across colleges. It also may be that colleges teach different subjects in different semesters when compared to other colleges. Let's go.

MA English

It is a two-year duration postgraduate course that deals with the study of English Literature and Language throughout the world. The MA English course helps candidates to pursue advanced literature research. The topics that are taught during the course of a 2-year MA in English programmes are listed below.

MA English
Introduction to Linguistics	Poetry III (Hopkins to Ted Hughes)
Poetry I (Chaucer to Blake)	Drama III (Twentieth Century Drama)
Drama I (Marlowe to Wilde excluding Shakespeare)	Literary Criticism & Theory 1
Prose	Indian Literature in English I/American Literature II
Linguistics and English Language Teaching	Fiction II
Poetry II (Wordsworth to Arnold)	Literary Criticism & Theory II
Drama II (Shakespeare)	Indian Literature in English II/American Literature II
Fiction I (Defoe to Hardy)	Indian Literature in Translation/New Literatures in English/Women Writing

MA Economics

The duration of an MA Economics course is of two years and four semesters. Students who wish to pursue an MA Economics course can opt for basic and elective subjects in Economics as well as a core subject. The MA Economics curriculum includes various topics such as banking, finance management, international economics, macroeconomics, monetary economics, quantitative theory, demand and supply, etc. Candidates can check the detailed syllabus of MA Economics in the table below.

MA Economics
Microeconomic Analysis	Economics of Growth
Monetary Economics	Public Economics
Elementary Statistics	Issues in the Indian Economy
International Trade	Economics of Industry
Optional Paper-I	Optional Paper-II
Theory of Pricing and Distribution	Growth Models in Economics
Macroeconomic Analysis	Indian Public Finance
Quantitative Methods	Selected Problems of the Indian Economy
International Finance	Economics of Agriculture

MA Political Science

Master of Arts in Political Science includes topics such as political theory, philosophy, critical analysis and ethics. It also covers a wide range of elective subjects such as Critical Traditions in Political Theory, Themes in Citizenship, The Modern State in Comparative Perspective etc. The MA Political Science course consists of both core and elective courses. After language and history, an MA in Political Science is the most popular choice among students. Check out the detailed syllabus below.

MA Political Science
Modern Indian Political Thought	Comparative Political Analysis
International Relations-Theory and Practice	Western Political Thought
Indian Politics-Major Issues and Debates	Seminar on Field Project
Contemporary Political Theory	Dissertation-I
Soft Skills	Teaching and Research Aptitude-I
Politics of Developing Countries	Departmental Elective 2
Contemporary Political Issues	Departmental Elective 3
Major Ideas and Issues in Public Administration	State Politics in India
Research Methods in Political Science	Dissertation-II
Departmental Elective 3	Teaching and Research Aptitude II

MA History

MA History is a two-year duration course that teaches topics like world history, Indian history, modern India, Indian government and politics, aspects of ancient India and Indian government and politics. MA History main subjects are History of World Civilisations, Colonialism and Nationalism in Modern India, Historiography, History of World Civilizations, International Relations, and Current Indian History, among others. MA History electives include History of Europe, History of Science and Technology, Islamic History and Culture, and History of Science and Technology. MA History syllabus is detailed in the table below.

MA History
Principles of History	Contemporary World (Part II: 1945-2003)
Contemporary World	Indian National Movement (1905-1947)
Ecology & Environment in History	Environmental Crisis and World Religions
Major Currents in Historical Thought	Research Methodology and Historical Investigation
Indian Nationalism (Socio-religious and other protest movements) up to1905.	Optional Papers

MA Social Work

MA in Social Work subjects includes social work themes. Some of the syllabus includes Human Growth and Development, Micro Financing, Ethics of Social Work, Ideology and Poverty Reduction, Micro Businesses, Labor etc. MA Social Work course includes theory and practical lectures, projects, and assignments. This MA course is the ideal choice for students who aim to work with NGOs, NPOs and other welfare organisations.

MA Social Work
History and Philosophy of Social Work	Statistics and Computer Application
Psychosocial Dynamics of Human Behavior	Dynamics of Socio-Political Institutions and Organisations
Methods of Working with People: Micro-Approaches	Social Policy and Planning
Social Welfare Administration	Demography and Population Studies
Research Methodology	Communication and Social Work Practice
Man & Society	Labour Problems and Labour Welfare
Approaches and Fields of Social Work	Dynamics of Social Development
Human Growth and Development	Social Ecology and Management of Environment
Methods of Working with People: Macro Approaches	Counselling and Social Work Practice
Management of NGO’s and Disaster Relief Services	Labour Legislation and Social Work Practice

MA Psychology

MA Psychology students have numerous career options to choose from. They can go on to become educators, counsellors, social workers, human resource personnel, etc. The subjects that are taught during the course of an MA Psychology programme are provided in the table below.

MA Psychology Syllabus
Social Psychology	Experimental Psychology
Historical and Theoretical Foundations of Psychology	Psychological Assessment
Psychology of Individual Differences	Development Psychology
Criminal or Forensic Psychology	Indian Psychology
Biological Basis of Behaviour	Cognitive Psychology
Sports and Health Psychology	Environmental Psychology
Basics of Guidance and Counselling	Psychodiagnostics
Clinical and Abnormal Psychology	Corporate and Organisational Psychology

MA Sociology

It has been observed that a lot of college graduates choose Sociology for their MA programme in the country. By pursuing an MA in Sociology, they have career opportunities in various sectors like healthcare, policy-making, media, education, etc. During the course of this programme, students are taught the following subjects -

MA Sociology Syllabus
Sociology of Indian Society	Rural Society in India
Principles of Sociology	Sociological Theories
Social Research and Statistics	Population Studies
Urban Sociology	Medical Sociology
Social Psychology	Human Resource Management

MA Public Administration

Just like any other MA programme, the MA in Public Administration course is also a two-year long course which opens up many opportunities for its graduates. They can go on to become Government administrators, program managers, policy analysts, social and community services managers, public admin consultants, etc. The subjects that are taught during this course are

MA Public Administration Syllabus
Indian Administration	Financial Administration
Rural and Urban Government in India	Administrative Thought
Public Policy and Analysis	Personnel Administration and Human Resource Management
Administrative Theory	Environmental Adminisitration
Office Management and Administrative Improvement	Research Methodology
Public Sector Management in India	Organisational Behaviour
Administrative Law	Development Administration

MA Philosophy

This MA specialisation is for students who hold a passion for philosophy. Potential job roles after an MA in Philosophy include Human Resource Managers, Business Executives, Content Writers, Journalists, Professors, etc. The subjects taught during this course are tabulated below.

MA Philosophy Syllabus
Ethics	Nature of Thinking
Theories of Knowledge	Conceptual Foundations of Indian Philosophy
Conceptual Foundations of Western Philosophy	Philosophy in Modern India
Philosophical Methods	Philosophy of Language
Philosophy of Social Science	Philosophy of Natural Science
Political Philosophy	Philosophy of Mind
Philosophy and History	Philosophy of Films
Philosophy of Technology	Philosophy of Religion
Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics	Feminist Philosophy and the Subaltern
Philosophy in Translation

MA in Journalism and Mass Communication

Undoubtedly, the most popular MA course in the country, MA in Journalism and Mass Communication is opted by lakhs and lakhs of students each year. The career opportunities are extremely diverse for MAJMC graduates. They can go on to become journalists, PR professionals, advertisers, copywriters, photographers, videographers, editors, ADs, and whatnot. The subjects taught during the two years of this programme are mentioned in the table below.

MAJMC Syllabus
Print Media	Principles of Mass Communication
Development of Media	Electronic Media Production
Advertising and Public Relations	Environmental Communication
Media Laws and Ethics	Media Management
Communication Research	Indian Culture and Human Values
New Media	Photojournalism
Business Communication	Intercultural Communication
Theatre and Folk Communication

MA Specialisations

Other MA subjects and specialisations are listed in the table below.

MA Specialisations
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 Literature
MA Library & Information Science	MA Linguistics
MA Teaching Education	MA International Relations

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