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#Admissions2022: Course Profile – B.A. Programme

By DU Beat October 8, 2022

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

#Admissions2022: Course Profile – B.A. (Hons.) Sociology

By DU Beat October 6, 2022

Here’s everything you need to know about the B.A. (Honours) Sociology 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. However, it helps to know what the course has looked like up till now.

What Did the Course Structure Look Like?

B.A. (Honours) Sociology was divided into six semesters, two every year. The first two semesters had Introduction to Sociology – 1, Sociology of India-1, Introduction to Sociology-2 and Sociology of India -2. The second and third semesters consisted of Political Sociology, Sociology of Religion, Sociology of Gender, Economic Sociology, Sociology Of Kinship, and Social Stratification. The last two semesters consisted of Sociological Thinkers, Sociological Research Methods, Sociological Thinkers-2, and Sociological Research Methods-2.

How High Were the Previous Cut-offs?

Cut-offs ranged from 98.75% in Miranda House College and Lady Shri Ram College for Women to 91% in Bharati College for Women in 2021.

Refer to the links below for detailed cut-offs:

What Career Choices are Available After This Course?

Academics
Social Work
Law
Management
Policy Making
Human Resource Development
Research
Civil Services

Which Colleges Offer This Course?

Colleges that offer B.A. (Honours) Sociology course include Shree Venkateshwara College, Lady Shri Ram College, Miranda House, Hindu College, Kamla Nehru College, Jesus and Mary, Janki Devi Memorial College, Maitreyi College and Bharati College.

What Do Students Think About This Course?

Studying sociology in Delhi University is a dream come true. It has made me think about situations and things in a very different way than before. Sociology of gender in the 3rd semester is one such paper which has been the most enriching and interesting for me personally. It has made me think analytically about the concept of gender itself.

Anonymous

Are there any Notable Alumni from B.A. (Honours) Sociology?

Dipankar Gupta (Professor and Author of Redefining Caste in India)
Deepak Mehta (Professor at Ashoka University, Researcher)
Jit Uberoi (Author of Science and Culture)
Amita Baviskar (Professor at Ashoka University)
Gopa Sabharwal (Professor at Lady Shriram College)

Featured Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Devanshi Panda

Course Profile: B.Com (Honours)

By DU Beat June 20, 2019

Here’s all the information you might be looking for about the B.Com (Honours) course.

What is the course about?

B.Com (Honours) or Bachelor of Commerce is a highly demanded course, especially by commerce students. It trains students about various aspects of business and finance.

Some of the core papers offered by University of Delhi (DU) for this course are Financial Accounting, Business Law, Corporate Law, Income Tax Law and Practice, Auditing and Corporate Governance, etc. Among various others, the electives include Banking and Insurance, Fundamentals of Investment, International Business, and Corporate Tax Planning.

What are some top colleges for this course?

Many DU colleges are famous for their B.Com courses. Among these are, Shri Ram College of Commerce, Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Hindu College, Hansraj College, Ramjas College, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Jesus and Mary College, Sri Venkateswara College and SGTB Khalsa College.

What are some good career options?

Students of B.Com (Honours) have multiple career options that they can pursue later on. A lot of the students go on to become Chartered Accountants (CA), or Company Secretaries (CS), or study M.Com or MBA. Many others take up banking jobs or become accountants, auditors or financial analysts and get employed in investment banking, mutual funds, legal firms, finance companies, and the public sector.

Many Indian and foreign institutes offer certifications that are considered highly valuable. Among these are Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Financial Risk Manager (FRM) and others.

Some go on to study law and get into the field of corporate law. Yet others can pursue civil services, academia or financial journalism. Hence, there is no dearth of options for a B.Com student.

Are there any notable alumni?

A glimpse of the many famous people who studied B.Com Hons at Delhi University as youngsters include:

AK Sikri, Former Supreme Court Judge
Arun Jaitley, Former Union Minister and lawyer
S. Bassi, Former Commissioner of Police of Delhi
Naveen Jindal, Industrialist and former Member of Parliament

What do students say about this course?

According to Aradhita Tuli, a first-year B.Com student at SRCC, “B.Com (Honours) is a course with a vast variety of subjects from business-related laws to taxation. It coincides with the syllabus prescribed for CA (exams). It has an interesting and understanding-based syllabus.”

Feature Image Credits: Money Control

Prateek Pankaj

[email protected]

Course Profile: Cluster Innovation Centre

By Kartik Chauhan June 12, 2019

The Cluster Innovation Centre (CIC) is an institution of University of Delhi, established in 2011. Based on interdisciplinary learning, it has been designed to seek and derive answers to the real world problems in all spheres, and look for innovative solutions for problems of the society.

It is a Meta College as well as a Meta University concept with an innovative curriculum, which is more project-oriented and tailored to the need of the society and industry.

Located in the quaint premises of Rugby Sevens Building, University Stadium in North Campus, it is a promising course for students who wish to seek the connect of research with its practical application.

COURSES OFFERED AT CLUSTER INNOVATION CENTRE:

Currently there are three courses offered at CIC-

B.A. (Honours) Humanities and Social Sciences
B. Tech (IT and Mathematical Innovations)
M.Sc. (Mathematics Education)

SEAT MATRIX FOR B.A. AND B. TECH COURSE:

In 2019 – 20 there will be 44 seats each in both the courses. They are distributed as:

General Category – 20 seats

EWS – 2 seats

OBC Category – 12 seats

SC Category – 7 seats

ST Category – 3 seats

Apart from these there are 6 supernumerary seats distributed as:

PwD Category – 2 seats

CW Category – 2 seats

Foreign Nationals – 2 seats

B.A.(Honours) Humanities and Social Sciences

This is an off-beat course compared to other regular honours programmes offered by University of Delhi. It is based on interdisciplinary learning, which presents an opportunity to the student to design his/her own degree.

This course is divided into four streams:

Journalism
Counselling
Historical Tourism
Art & Design

Based on these four streams a student can study a variety of subjects offered in different colleges of University of Delhi in semesters two to five, and study some basic courses at the centre itself in semester one and six. Apart from the core papers, the distinctive aspect of the curriculum is the hands-on research project, which gives the students a grass-root level experience of the functionality of the society.

One can schematically study Political Science at Hindu College in one semester and Economics at SRCC in another! The interdisciplinary nature of the course gives a holistic view in the field of humanities and social sciences.

Commenting on the course, Rishabh Gogoi, a third year student of CIC says, “It’s unlike any other course in the country, and a much needed alternative in an otherwise restrictive education system. We all know the efforts of the University of Delhi to enhance the flexibility of its course structure through the Credit Based Credit System (CBCS). The course at CIC takes the same concept several steps ahead to present its scholars an absolute freedom to design their own degree. Although there are a number of nuances associated with the aforementioned “freedom”, but regardless, the B.A. course at CIC is undoubtedly the best decision any indecisive student can make who wants to study humanities and/or social sciences.”

Niharika Dabral, an outgoing student of CIC reminisces her experience at CIC as, “I would never change my experience at CIC for anything. It’s a college experience like none other. Since I’ve survived the project presentations I think I can survive anything. It has been intense.

There are so many things that have to improve, but that University stadium is comfort. Four colleges in six semesters is bound to make one like a nomad, but today I’m more independent than ever.”

However, a person may feel detached and have a certain sense of instability due to changing colleges in each semester, from semester two to five. It may not be the best fit option for students not willing to feel so. But this rigorous course would surely develop leadership qualities and improve one’s perspective towards humanities and social sciences.

B. Tech (IT & Mathematical Innovations)

Cluster Innovation Centre offers a four-year B.Tech. programme in Information Technology & Mathematical Innovation.

According to the official website of CIC, “The B. Tech course offered is a unique programme, is designed to inculcate an innovation mind-set as part of the curriculum and pedagogy. Building strong analytical skills through Mathematics and application skills of Information Technology (IT), this course encourages students to recognize the connectedness of various disciplines.”

The streams offered in the B. Tech programme are-

Robotics and Embedded Systems
Economics and Management
System Biology

The innovation lab known as the “Engineering Kitchen” is the place where students carry out hands-on projects, experiments and model implementations which are linked to the curriculum.

Yatharth Rai, a third year student from B. Tech. says, “The curriculum, although hectic, is quite flexible. The three minor streams grant a clarity. There is a focus on practical applications, rather than theoretical expertise. Each paper in the semester has an accompanying project. I personally find these projects extremely beneficial as they provide an outlet to the theoretical concepts learnt during the semester paper.”

The B.Tech course offered is comprehensive with a special emphasis given on practical learning. In last semester of the course i.e. 8th semester, the programme is based on industrial internship to give students the necessary work experience.

Unlike other B. Tech courses, a student of Arts or Commerce having Mathematics and English can apply in the B.Tech (IT and Mathematical Innovations) course on the condition that he/she fulfils the eligibility criteria as laid down by the Cluster Innovation Centre.

M.Sc. (Mathematics Education)

It is a meta-university concept, which offers a two year post graduate programme jointly offered by University of Delhi and Jamia Milia Islamia. The course is developed to give students theoretical as well as hands-on experience of mathematics education.

There are total 20 seats in the programme distributed as:

University of Delhi: 10

Jamia Millia Islamia: 10

Seat Matrix:

Source: www.ducic.ac.in

All the three courses offered at Cluster Innovation Centre are uniquely designed and promote hands-on learning in addition to building theoretical concepts. Therefore, these courses offer a different experience of academics altogether.

Selection to these courses is based on an entrance test which is to be conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) this year.

The entrances for the Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes are to be conducted between 30th June, 2019 – 6th July, 2019.

Feature Image Credits: www.ducic.ac.in

Sriya Rane

Course Profile: B.A. (Honours) Political Science

By DU Beat June 8, 2019

Here’s more insight on the course offered at the University of Delhi (DU).

What is the course about?

Another very popular course for students of humanities, Political Science is offered at some very prestigious colleges and is sought by some non-humanities students as well.

The curriculum includes various aspects of political theory, contemporary political processes, public policy, and others. With core papers like Political Process in India, Global Politics, Perspectives on Public Administration, Modern Political Philosophy, Indian Political Thought, and electives such as Feminism: Theory and Practice, India’s Foreign Policy in a Globalizing World, Human Rights in a Comparative Perspective and others, the course is a vast one encompassing elements of both theory and practice.

What are some top colleges for this course?

Some of the best colleges that offer Political Science Honours are Hindu College, Miranda House, Ramjas College, Kirori Mal College, Sri Venkateswara College, Gargi College and so on.

What are some good career options?

Similar to History Honours, many students opt for Political Science in their undergraduate studies to aim for civil services as it is considered a scoring paper and helps in the General Studies paper for UPSC.

Many students who wish to get involved in fields like politics, policymaking, international relations, law, journalism, social service, and academia also choose Political Science as their course.

Are there any notable alumni?

DU has produced some very popular and accomplished alumni in a variety of different professions. Many of them studied Political Science as undergraduate students. Following is a small glimpse of such notable alumni:

Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor of Myanmar and Nobel Laureate
Indu Malhotra, Supreme Court Judge
Meenakshi Gopinath, Political Scientist and Academic

What do students say about this course?

“I became more aware of my rights as a citizen, understood the functioning of various government institutions, learned what my constitution stands for and by doing so, got an insight regarding what democracy in my nation stands for, realised the significance of diplomatic relationships and international treaties, analyzed the methods and impacts of policy making and decision making”, says Nikita Bhatia, a first-year student at Jesus and Mary College about the impacts of this course.

The 2018 cut-off lists for different colleges can be viewed here: Click

Feature Image Credits: Sciencespo

Prateek Pankaj

Course Profile: B.A. (Hons.) Economics

By Anoushka Sharma June 8, 2019

Read on to get more insight into the course of Economics Honours provided in the University of Delhi.

What is the course about?

B.A. (Hons.) Economics is one of the most sought-after courses, in both exclusively commerce colleges and those that offer other courses as well. It boasts of some of the highest cut-offs each year.

In terms of its syllabus, the course includes various papers on Microeconomics,Macroeconomics, and others like Development Economics, Indian Economy, Introductory Econometrics, Mathematical Methods for Economics.

On the other hand, papers such as Political Economy, Applied Econometrics, Financial Economics, International Economics, Environmental Economics, and others form the diverse range of electives.
The course has a special requirement that applicants must include Mathematics as one of
their best of four subjects.

What are some top colleges for this course?

Some of the most prestigious colleges for the course include Shri Ram College of
Commerce, St Stephen’s College, Hansraj College, Lady Shri Ram College for Women,
Hindu College, and Miranda House.

What are some good career options?

Many students who opt for B.A. Economics (Hons.) go on to pursue higher studies in Economics or
apply for Masters in Business Administration . Some go into academia. Many students are placed successfully in consultancy firms or public sector undertakings.

A large number of Economics (Hons.) graduates are also hired as statisticians, financial
analysts and in fields of public policy, banking and financial services. Actuarial sciences are
also an emerging field open to Economics students.Other allied fields that students of Economics can pursue include corporate law and financial journalism. Some also appear for civil service examinations.

Are there any notable alumni?

The course boasts of a network of highly accomplished and notable alumni. Many of
them have gone on to occupy important positions in a wide range of fields and professions.
Some of these include-
1. Arun Shourie, Economist, Journalist and former Union Minister
2. Gita Gopinath, Economist and Academician
3. Kaushik Basu, Economist
4. Naina Lal Kidwai, Former Group General Manager of HSBC India and Former
President of FICCI
5. Vinod Rai, Former CAG of India

The 2018 cut-off lists for different colleges can be viewed on http://www.du.ac.in/cut-off.html

Course Profile: B.A. (Honours) History

By DU Beat June 6, 2019

With 90 colleges and 87 departments, the Delhi University (DU) provides a plethora of courses. Some of these are constantly in high demand by students. In this series, DU Beat looks at some of these courses.

B.A. (Honours) History

What is the course about?

A highly popular course, History Honours is constantly in demand across colleges.

Its curriculum covers various aspects of both Indian and world histories in with respect to chronology, with core papers including History of India, Social Formations and Cultural Patterns of the Ancient and Medieval World, Rise of the Modern West, History of Modern Europe among others. The electives including History of the USA, History of the USSR, Gender in Indian History, Modern Southeast Asia and so on.

What are some top colleges for this course?

History Honours is offered at many colleges. Some of the most sought after ones include St. Stephen’s College, Ramjas College, Hindu College, Hansraj College, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Miranda House, among others.

What are some good career options?

Many students choose History as their undergraduate course with an aim to clear civil service examinations. History is considered a very important and scoring paper for the highly coveted Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams.

Others who are interested in the subject take it up to pursue museology, archaeology, academia and the like. Yet other options include law, journalism and media, art history, social service and policy making.

Are there any notable alumni?

Many former students who had studied History at DU have gone on to become accomplished personalities in multiple fields. Some of them include:

Atishi, Politician
Huma Qureshi, Actor
Ranjan Gogoi, Chief Justice of India
Ravish Kumar, Journalist
Shashi Tharoor, Lok Sabha MP and former diplomat

What do students say about this course?

According to Nandini Pillai, a first-year History Honours student at Hindu College, “If you’re keenly devoted to the subject, it is one of those subjects that will make you an excellent researcher. Considering how we live in an era of fake news, gaslighting, post-truth politics, the significance of the skills that history as a subject equips you with, has increased.”
Sharvi Maheshwari, an outgoing student of Miranda House says, “The way the course is structured not only teaches us about what happened at a certain point in time, but also makes us understand why it is relevant in today’s times. Furthermore, History Honours in DU is a veritable multi-disciplinary course which combines principles of Sociology, Political Science, etc., and has non-generic papers to make the study more holistic.” Maheshwari also adds that the faculty takes special care to organise field trips and is very informed in their subject.

The 2018 cut-off lists for different colleges can be viewed here: Cut-offs 2018

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Prateek Pankaj
[email protected]

Course Profile: B.A. (Honours) in English

By DU Beat June 2, 2019

Here’s a look at one of the most popular courses offered at the University of Delhi (DU).

What is the course about?

With one of the highest cut-offs year after year, English Honours is one of the most popular and sought-after courses across DU colleges.

The curriculum spans over the entirety of the history of the subject, coming to modern times. English Honours doesn’t just cover English Literature, Proper; but has works of literature of various languages translated to English. A few of the core papers are Indian Classical Literature, British Poetry and Drama, British Romantic Literature, Women’s Writing and Postcolonial Literature. The electives, on the other hand, include Literary Theory, Literary Criticism, Partition Literature, Science Fiction and Detective Literature and multiple others.

What are some top colleges for this course?

English Honours is offered in more colleges than most other courses. Some of the most sought-after colleges, which also have had very high cut-offs include Lady Shri Ram College for Women, St Stephen’s College, Miranda House, Jesus and Mary College, Hindu College, Hansraj College, Ramjas College and Kamala Nehru College.

What are some good career options?

English Honours students have a variety of fields open to them ranging from creative writing, blogging and content writing, publishing, journalism, public relations, advertising, social media marketing and academia.

Some others also go on to choose fields like civil services or law.

Are there any notable alumni?

Because skills acquired in studying a course like English are so diverse, the course opens up many professional possibilities. Doubtless, many DU alumni who studied English have gone on to make a name for themselves and contribute to varied fields. Just a fraction of these include:

Anita Desai, Writer and academic
Ashok Lavasa, Election Commissioner of India and retired IAS officer
Barkha Dutt, Journalist
Urvashi Butalia, Writer
Vinod Dua, Journalist

What do students say about this course?

Haris Khan, an outgoing student of Ramjas College, says, “English honours teaches you not just the language but a worldview. It teaches you the subtle beauty and nuances of those who used the language to paint a picture of their reality, and most importantly of all it teaches you to do the same.”

The 2018 cut-off lists for different colleges can be viewed on http://www.du.ac.in/cut-off.html
Feature Image Credits: Pinterest

Prateek Pankaj
[email protected]

Campus Central

Course Profile: Psychology Honors

By DU Beat June 13, 2018

Psychology Honors is a degree which allows you to find meaning everywhere. One can relate to these psychological theories, question them, and observe their relevance every day.

Did the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs kept you at the edge of your seat? Did Psycho change your life forever? Do you wish to help people struggling with mental health issues and emotional difficulties? If you wish to understand people, their conduct, and the relationships between them, Psychology might just be the right subject for you. “What pushed me to study this subject was The Psychosexual Theory by Sigmund Freud, though after gaining more knowledge I have a disagreement with this theory now”, says Ananya Tripathi, a second-year student from Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women.

The University of Delhi offers Honors in Psychology in many of its colleges like Aryabhatta College, Bharti College, Daulat Ram College, IP College for Women, Jesus and Mary College, Kamala Nehru College, Keshav Mahavidyalaya, Mata Sundri College for Women, Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women, and Zakir Husain Delhi College.

The previous year cut-off for general category students was 98.5% to 88.5%, for OBC it was 97% to 69%, for SC it was from 96.5% to 60% and for the ST it was 96.5% to 57%.

Psychology (H) covers many psychological and scientific principles. The core subjects under it include Introduction to Psychology, Statistical Methods for Psychological Research, Biopsychology, Psychology of Individual Differences, Development of Psychological Thought, Psychological Research, Social Psychology, Understanding Psychological Disorders, Applied Social Psychology, Understanding and Dealing with Psychological Disorders, Developmental Psychology, Organizational Behavior, and Counseling Psychology.

Psychology helps you become wiser with words and develop your communication skills. It hones your listening skills which a lot of people lack. It makes you non-judgmental. It helps to develop empathy too. “Empathising just doesn’t mean understanding the other person but understanding it from the other person’s view, putting yourself in their place and understanding”, says Kaveri Sehgal from Jesus and Mary College. “You start understanding the dynamics of your relationships with others on a deeper level and try to avoid conflicts as much as possible”, adds Aditi Roy Choudhury, a third-year student from IP College for Women.

The future prospects of a Psychology graduate are tremendous and exciting. One can work as a counsellor in school/college. One can also venture into HR, research, advertising, market research, social work in NGOs. It offers students to become a psychotherapist, sports psychologist, fashion psychologist, a developmental psychologist, child psychologist, clinical psychologist, or chartered psychologist.

Overall, Psychology is a vivid subject, one must go to depths to develop interest. Once you start reading it, things would start making sense which would help to provide an explanation for a lot of things.

Feature Image Credits: MAA Montreal
Disha Saxena
[email protected]