What Are Popular After-Graduation Courses In The Arts?

Updated 25 July 2023

A bachelor's program in arts includes subjects like English, sociology, philosophy, political science, history, psychology, education, journalism, social work and fine arts. Students in their final years can either continue their studies or pursue a job after completing the programme. If they decide to study further, they can choose from a wide range of courses in the arts after graduation. In this article, we examine some popular after-graduation courses in arts and discuss their eligibility criteria and career prospects.

What Are The Popular After-Graduation Courses In Arts?

The most popular after-graduation courses in arts increase employability and aid a student in pursuing advanced studies or research. Students typically opt for post-graduate courses in an area related to a BA (Bachelor of Arts) degree or courses that can improve their performance in competitive exams. Since thousands of students complete BA programmes every year, post-graduate courses in arts add value to a student's resume and give them a competitive advantage.

Who Can Consider After-Graduation Courses In Arts?

Most students take a break from academics after graduation to pursue a job. Some candidates may have clearly-defined career goals and may want to equip themselves with the basic qualifications for senior-level or more advanced careers.

Professionals may also want a change in careers after a couple of years of experience and may look at work opportunities in new domains. If you have already completed an undergraduate arts programme, a post-graduate degree can be a valuable addition to your list of qualifications. If you have an academic background in an unrelated field, you can still pursue a post-graduate programme in arts to start a career in the field.

Degrees To Study After Graduation In The Arts

For a student pursuing a BA degree, completing a master's degree in the same discipline or a related discipline can be a natural progression for advanced studies. If you are looking to change over to a career in management, public service or government jobs, you can choose an MA (Master of Arts) programme accordingly. Post-graduate education can be mandatory for pursuing doctorate and fellowship programmes. If you are interested in pursuing a professional course after graduation, you may consider the following options:

1. Pursuing an MA in your focus discipline

You can continue to pursue a specialised MA degree in the same major as your BA or in a related field. You can learn the subject in detail and expand your knowledge by pursuing a post-graduate course. It is ideal for students keen on pursuing PhDs and fellowship programmes or for those who want to enter academia. If a college offers a BA degree, they are most likely to offer an MA in the same or a related subject. You can also apply to other colleges and universities that offer specialised MA programmes.

For a student of BA in History, some options for a major in MA are:

Ancient Indian history and archaeology
History of Indian art and culture
History and culture
Ancient history
History of fine arts
Visual history of art

For a student of BA in Sociology, some options for a major in MA are:

Sociology
Social work
Rural work
Organisational development

For a student of BA in Psychology, some options for a major in MA are:

Psychology
Clinical psychology
Organisation psychology
Counselling psychology
Health psychology

For a student of BA in Journalism, some options for a major in MA are:

Media and communication
Photojournalism
Public relations
Mass communication
Convergent journalism
Mass communication and journalism
Broadcast journalism

For a student of BA in Fine Arts, some options for a major in MA are:

Applied arts
Fine arts
Visual arts
Animation

2. Pursuing a law degree

The duration of a BA LLB (Bachelor of Arts and Legislative Law) law degree after 10+2 is five years. If you pursue a law degree after completing a BA programme, the duration of the course is three years. After a BA programme, you can join a 3-year law course after clearing a state or national-level entrance exam and a personal interview.

3. Joining a diploma programme

You can join a diploma programme accredited by the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) to gain professional qualifications that complement a BA. The duration of post-graduate diploma programmes ranges from six months to two years. While some diplomas may be specific to your BA major, you can join some diploma courses regardless of your major in your BA. If you are interested in joining a post-graduate diploma programme in an AICTE recognised institute, you can consider these disciplines:

Advertisement and public relations
Animation design
Animation film design
Apparel design
Applied arts
Applied arts (communication design)
Applied arts (illustration)
Applied arts (visual communication design)
Business design
Business services and system design
Ceramic and glass design
City planning
City and regional planning
City planning and management
Communication design
Community planning
Computer applications
Conservation planning
Creative and applied computation
Customer service management
Design computation
Design education
Design for retail experience
Design management
Digital game design
Digital cinematography
Environmental planning
Environmental planning and management
Exhibition design
Experimental media arts
Fashion management and marketing
Fashion technology
Video editing
Feature film screenplay writing
Film and video communication
Film and video design
Film studies
Fine arts
Fine arts (mural)
Fine arts (painting)
Fine arts (photography and media communication)
Fine arts (sculpture)
Food and beverage management
Graphic design
Heritage design
Hospitality and tourism administration
Hotel management
Housing
Human-centred design
Immersive media design
Industrial area planning and management
Industrial arts and design practices
Information arts and information design practice
Information design
Infrastructure planning
Infrastructure planning and management
Interaction design
Land-use planning
Lifestyle accessory design
Media arts
New media design
Photography design
Product design
Public space design
Regional and rural development planning
Regional planning
Rural planning and development
Rural planning and management
Social design
Sound recording and television engineering
Textile design
Textile designing
Town and country planning
Town planning
Toy and game design
Transport planning and management
Transportation and mobility design
Transportation planning
Universal design
Urban and regional planning
Urban and rural planning
Urban design
Urban development
Urban planning
User experience design
Visual communication
Visual communication and strategic branding

4. Joining training courses to become a teacher

A bachelor's degree in education can be a foundational course for becoming a teacher. Most accredited schools employ teachers with formal academic qualifications in education. You can pursue a B.Ed. (Bachelor of Education) after completing an undergraduate or post-graduate programme, irrespective of your focus discipline.

Since the requirement for qualified teachers is large, the pay scale for teachers has improved and there is evergreen demand for effective teachers. If you are interested in pursuing a teaching job in state or central government schools, you can clear the required entrance tests after completing a B.Ed. programme. You can also complete a master's degree programme in education, which makes you eligible to teach in higher secondary schools or become a lecturer, head instructor or principal in an educational institution.

5. Joining a management course

Management courses have always been popular as they increase a candidate's employability and give freshers access to administrative roles in top companies. It is not a requirement to complete an undergraduate programme in management to be eligible for a post-graduate management course. Students who complete a BA with an aggregate score of 55% can apply for a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) programme.

To join either of these programs, institutes may require you to clear an entrance exam and a personal interview. While post-graduate degree courses could last two years, diploma programs could last for one or two years, depending on the specialisation and the institute. After completing an MBA, companies may consider you for many entry-level managerial positions. If you would like to pursue a management degree after earning a BA, you can choose from the following specialisations:

Biotechnology management
Brand management
Business analytics
Business process management
Communication management
Construction management
Co-operative management
Customer relationship management
Dairy management
Design management
Disaster management
Energy management
Entrepreneurship management
Environment management
Event management
Export management
Facility management
Fashion management
Finance management
Healthcare management
Hospital management
Hotel management
Human Resource (HR) management
Industrial management
Infrastructure and real estate management
IT management
Knowledge management
Logistics management
Luxury management
Marketing management
Oil and gas management
Operations management
Product management
Production management
Project management
Quality management
Retail management
Risk management
Rural management
Shipping port management
Sports management
Strategic management
Supply chain management
Telecom management
Textile management
Tourism management

5. Completing certification programs for skill-based jobs

There are many public and private sector jobs that consider candidates with a BA. Hiring organisations may specify computer literacy as a basic eligibility criterion. You can enroll in certificate or diploma programmes to develop the basic skills required for these jobs. These are some popular certification programmes you can consider pursuing after a BA programme:

Data analytics
Digital marketing
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Social media marketing
Technical writing
Web designing

Please note that none of the companies, institutions or organisations mentioned in this article are associated with Indeed.