16 Arts Stream Subject To Study In Your Higher Secondary

Updated 6 November 2022

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Arts is a popular stream to choose by students after completing their senior secondary. Studying arts in senior secondary and higher secondary can help you pursue many attractive career options. Learning about the arts stream subject can help you choose subjects wisely and decide upon your career path. In this article, we discuss arts stream subjects that a student studies and understand the benefits of studying each subject.

16 Arts Stream Subjects

Here are 16 arts stream subjects a student can study after completing their senior secondary:

1. History

One of the humanities stream subjects that students study in class eleventh is history. History provides detail about ancient societies, empires, the path of modernisation and changing traditions. The curriculum takes you through Indian history and world history. In your college, you can choose BA History or MA History. Choosing this subject takes you on a journey of humanity and develops your insight into the prehistoric era and the world that evolved there. Graduation in history can help you enter professions like archaeology, research, civil services, public administration, teaching, travel and tourism and media studies.

2. Geography

On choosing geography as a subject, you learn about diverse land and people. You study relationships with people and their environment, economy, physical properties of the Earth. It can build a firm foundation in concepts like flora and fauna, economy, transportation and population. Those candidates interested in developing different maps and becoming a travel guide can benefit from studying geography. You can become an environmental consultant, GIS specialist, town planner and teacher with good geography knowledge.

3. Political science

Political science educates you about political processes and the constitution. You study various types of institutional organisations, governments and different administrative concepts and theories. For those interested in Indian and foreign politics, consider choosing political science as a subject. You also learn about different political concepts like public policy, political method, international relations, comparative politics and political economy. Sound knowledge in political science can help you enter professions like law enforcement agencies, political organisations, field research firms, political officeholders and law firms.

4. Economics

It is an essential arts stream subject. In economics, you study how society develops over scarce resources to provide services and goods to the public. It also gives a detailed description of the selling and buying of goods at a larger (macroeconomics) and a smaller level (microeconomics). You also learn about statistics of economics, the demand-supply curve and consumer equilibrium. Studying economics can help you work in sectors like insurance, real estate, banking, manufacturing firms, consulting, non-profit organisation, government agencies and insurance.

5. Psychology

Psychology relates to the study of human science. It involves the interpretation of behaviour patterns and human minds. As it is a multifaceted subject, you learn about many sub-fields, such as sports psychology, clinical psychology, child psychology and social psychology. You also learn about sports, clinical, human development, social behaviour, cognitive process and mental processes within the historical and socio-cultural context. It is an excellent field for someone with an interest in understanding human behaviour. Studying psychology can help you enter professions like a therapist or psychologist or you can work in health psychology.

6. Sociology

Sociology relates to studying the evolution of human society, interactions, culture and relationships worldwide. It covers everything related to Indian society, its evolution, changes and developments until now. You also get to know more about the interaction between human society and the process that preserves and changes society. Students who gain expertise in sociology are better adept at thinking critically about human social life. Studying sociology can open up opportunities in many areas, including education, the criminal justice system, social and community service, the research arena, governance and public administration and the corporate sector.

7. Human rights and gender studies

This subject involves the study of how gender shapes our social interactions, our identities and the world. It is an interdisciplinary study related to understanding gender and gender issues. It involves women's studies, including feminism, gender, politics, men's studies and queer studies. This subject allows you to learn how the difference between gender evolved and how it affects the socio-political economy.

Human rights courses deal with the fundamental rights for human development. Different career opportunities in this area include arts and media, politics and law, educational sector, government and community organisations, mental health facilities and non-profit organisations as a social activist.

8. Music

A creative field in the humanities stream subject is music. It is a unique field and introduces you to the world of music composition. During the course, you can learn to study various instruments or go to music production courses. Music as a subject in your higher secondary can help you enrol in graduation courses like a diploma in music and a bachelor of music. You can also gain knowledge in areas like music writing, sound production and film scoring.

9. Informatics practices

Informatics practice is the basic study of computer hardware and software. Certain topics covered are operating systems, introduction to programming, database management system and different programming languages like Java, C++, SQL and Oracle. The main aim of this subject is to help students develop databases and design web apps using graphical user interface (GUI) programming. Studying informatics practices opens up new career opportunities like analyst programmer, computer games developer, business analyst and information architect.

10. Public administration

The subject deals with implementing different government policies and the functioning of government agencies. For students who want to join the Civil Service after their graduation can consider choosing this subject. An in-depth understanding of public administration increases the efficiency of financial, human and material resources. Various career opportunities in public administration include consultants, administrative officers and corporate managers.

11. Home science

Another important humanities stream subject is home science. It is a multi-disciplinary field of study that teaches biology, hygiene, child development, rural development, community living, nutrition, home management and textiles. You can specialise in any of the five streams of home science. These include resource management, fabric and apparel, science and communication, food and nutrition and extension. Career opportunities that require in-depth knowledge of home science are healthcare, production, dietician and nutrition, textile and clothing industry. You can get a job in commercial restaurants, fashion houses, apparel merchandising, welfare organisations and hospitals.

12. English

English is a compulsory humanities stream subject for students pursuing their eleventh grade. The curriculum focuses on improving the speaking and writing skill of students. It also emphasises improving reading skills by studying literature.

13. Legal studies

If you want to join the country's judicial system, choosing legal studies can help you give an early start. After studying legal studies, you can join graduation courses like Bachelor of Law (LLB) or enrol in integrated undergraduate degrees. The curriculum of legal studies focuses on the evolution of the Indian legal system, social actors involved in the legal process, the family justice system, civil and criminal courts and everything related to the law. With in-depth knowledge of legal studies, you can specialise in labour law, criminal law, cyber law, business law or environmental law.

14. Media studies

If you have an interest in journalism and plan to pursue communication-related graduation degrees, consider studying media studies after your senior secondary. The curriculum focuses on various types of communication and media as radio, cinema, print media, advertisement and new media. After completing your 10+2, you can take up journalism courses, content writing courses or mass communication courses to build a career in journalism and related areas. Various career opportunities that require an understanding of media studies include news presenter, TV news editor, content developer, proofreader, newspaper reporter and translator.

15. Fashion studies

The subject deals with the study and understanding of fashion and its complex intersections with identities and culture. It gives you a thorough overview of fashion, including its fundamentals and theories. After completing your higher secondary, you can pursue different fashion courses and become a fashion designer, retailer buyer, textile designer, jewellery designer or even a fashion blogger.

16. Fine arts

Fine arts is a suitable subject for students who want to build a successful career in commercial arts, painting, sculpture and applied arts. Studying fine arts can help a student sharpen their artistic skills and develop their understanding of artistic marvel. The curriculum focuses on practical training and the history of a chosen specialisation. You can work in various profiles with a fine arts degree like film direction, art therapy, multimedia programming and set design.