#Admissions2022: Course Profile

Here’s everything you need to know about the B.A. Programme course offered at DU!

With the introduction of the NEP and the FYUP for the 2022-23 session, courses are bound to face a drastic shift. Still, it helps to know what the course has looked like up till now.

What Did the Course Structure Look Like?

Like an honours course, the syllabus of B.A. Programme was divided over a span of 3 years and 6 semesters. A student pursuing this degree appeared for 4 examinations in each semester. What makes the B.A. programme unique is the liberality of choices: a student may combine any two courses of their choice. This allows a wider scope of exploration in case a candidate is confused about the way forward after 12th.

A B.A. Programme course emphasises interdisciplinary studies rather than a single subject-based specialisation. Some colleges, like Stephen’s, also offer general coursework of B.A. Programme where the students are taught a number of humanities disciplines together and are not required to choose combinations for themselves.

The foremost components of a B.A. Programme degree were the two core courses: these are the discipline specifications that form the base of the degree. Each student was required to choose two discipline-specific courses. Colleges at DU offer a very wide range of options for the same and there is no dearth of combinations. In the first 4 semesters, a student had to sit for a total of 12 core-based examinations.

The next component was an AECC (Ability Enhancement Compulsory Course) paper for the first year of graduation. It varied from one semester to the next: usually being a language of choice in the first and environmental science in the next. Most colleges allowed the students to choose amongst at least 3 languages for this paper. The third component of a B.A. Programme degree was an SEC (Skill Enhancement Course) paper for the second year of graduation. The aim behind the introduction of the SEC was to give some vocational education in their chosen graduate subject to the students. DU uptill now has offered a range of choices here, but this is usually pre-decided by college administration according to the availability of faculty.

Some of the combinations of B.A. programmes offered by colleges include:

Combinations of History, Political Science, Psychology, Geography, Sociology, Philosophy, etc. being very popular choices.
Combinations of Foreign languages/a wide range of Indian languages including Sanskrit with History, Geography, etc.
Combination of the above-mentioned disciplines with vocational subjects such as nutrition, entrepreneurship, advertising, etc.

How High Were the Previous Cut-offs?

Cut-offs for B.A programmes have varied widely, depending on the college and the course combination. They have varied from 88% in Motilal Nehru College(evening) to 99.25% in Miranda House College in the first cut-off.

Refer to the links below for the detailed cut-off sheets :

What Career Choices are Available After This Course?

Academics
UPSC
MBA
Business Analytics
Data Science
Digital Marketing
LLB, etc.

What Do Students Think About This Course?

If you do not want to limit yourself to one subject or discipline, or if you are very indecisive like me and would rather keep the options open, then BA Prog. is the only way to go. – Manasvi, B.A( History+ Political Science) Programme student from LSR

Manasvi admits that the divide between Hons. and Prog. still exists where Hons. is seen as better and more demanding by the students and the faculty alike. The way her experience has been,B.A Programme usually ends up getting the worse end of it in terms of faculty as well as other amenities.

It does open you up to interdisciplinary education, but that also means that you have two subjects asking you to prioritise them and you just end up juggling between them, prioritising none, and getiing overwhelmed. – Manasvi added

Featured Image Credits: DU Beat

Devanshi Panda

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