BA vs BA Hons: Which is Better, For UPSC, Subjects, Top Colleges, Jobs, Scope 2023

Content Curator

BA (Bachelor of Arts) and BA Hons (Bachelor of Arts Hons) are some of the most pursued courses in India. In terms of duration, eligibility, admission process and average fee, BA and BA Hons are similar.

The basic difference between BA and BA Hons is that BA Hons offers you to study a particular subject as a specialization in a 3-Year program, while you are expected to study at least 5 subjects in a BA program. BA Hons salary is expected to be higher than BA Salary, as it is a specialization course, so candidates are expected to be a better fit for a particular job profile.

BA (Bachelor of Arts)	BA Hons (Bachelor of Arts Hons)

BA vs BA Hons: Course Comparison

Here is a comparison table between BA vs BA Hons.

Parameter	BA	BA Hons
Overview	BA course covers aspects of arts broadly with all the basic subjects taught in the course curriculum.	BA Hons specializes in any one subject of interest such as History, English, Political Science, Psychology, Anthropology, Economics, etc.
Specializations	No	History, Geography, Sociology, Philosophy, Journalism, Hindi, English, etc.
Duration	3 Years	3 Years
Eligibility	High school qualifying degree.	10+2 in any stream from a recognized board.
Average Fee	INR 10,000 - INR 60,000	INR 20,000 - INR 80,000
Admission Process	Entrance-Based	Entrance-Based
Top Colleges	Miranda House, LSR New Delhi, St. Stephen's College, Presidency College Chennai.	Miranda House, LSR New Delhi, Hindu College, New Delhi, St. Stephen's College, Presidency College Chennai.
Average Salary	INR 2,50,000 - INR 4,50,000	INR 3,00,000 - INR 8,00,000
Job Profiles	Content Writer, Editor, Event Management, Policy Maker, Air Hostess/ Flight Attendant, etc.	Political Analyst, Historian, Public Relations, Primary School Teacher, Graphic Designer, Editor, etc.
Eligible for Government Jobs	Yes	Yes

Check Out: MBA Course

BA vs BA Hons for UPSC?

A Majority of students pursue a degree in arts to crack UPSC. There has been a lot of debate on whether BA or BA Hons is suitable for preparing for UPSC.

The following points shall be taken into consideration while choosing the best program for UPSC:

On a larger scale, choosing BA is a wise decision if you want to prepare for UPSC because it offers a course curriculum in all the major subjects such as History, Political Science, Sociology, English which will help in preparation.
Some colleges have a better course curriculum in BA Hons programs in terms of the core subjects and electives offered, and they have better opportunities when it comes to preparation for UPSC.
For example, top DU Colleges have better BA Hons programs, the most popular being BA Political Science Hons, and English Hons. These two are the most sought after courses for preparation for UPSC.

Bachelor of Arts (BA): Course Overview

Bachelor of Arts BA is an undergraduate course of 3 Years, available in a wide variety of subjects such as BA Hindi, BA English, BA Economics, BA LLB, BA History, BA Geography, etc.
Admissions into the BA course require minimum eligibility of 10+2 with a minimum aggregate of 45-50%. Check: BA Admission 2023
One can pursue a BA Distance Education course from colleges like IGNOU, TNOU, KSOU, etc within a range of INR 6,000 to 20,000, and the duration for BA Course in distance mode is 3-6 years.
BA Jobs include journalist, writer, author, social activist, historian, etc. The average salary for BA Jobs ranges from INR 3,00,000 - INR 9,00,000.
The BA Syllabus varies depending on the course taken, but the common subjects include the foundation courses in different disciplines and electives.

Also check

BA Online	BA Abroad
MA Course	MBA Course

BA Top Colleges

Check the complete list of Top BA Colleges in India

NIRF Rank	College Name	Average Fee
1	Miranda House	INR 14,160
2	LSR New Delhi	INR 16,390
3	Hindu College New Delhi	INR 14,790
4	St. Stephen's College	INR 34,000
6	Loyola College, Chennai	INR 50,000
9	HRC New Delhi	INR 20,545
13	ARSD, New Delhi	INR 10,785
15	Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, New Delhi	INR 18,545

Check:

BA Colleges in Delhi	BA Colleges in Mumbai	BA Colleges in Kolkata
BA Colleges in Pune	BA Colleges in Bangalore	BA Colleges in Chennai

Bachelor of Arts BA: Syllabus

Bachelor of Arts (BA): Syllabus

Bachelor of Arts has a wide course curriculum but there are some common subjects taught in every BA program, which are mentioned below.

Foundation Course in English	Indian Philosophy
Foundation Course in Hindi	Economic Development
Agricultural Development in India	Indian Economic Development: Issues and Perspectives
Religions of the World	Social Problems in India
Government & Politics in India	Political Ideas and Ideologies
Administrative Theory	Foundation Course in Humanities and Social Sciences
Understanding Prose and Poetry	History of Urdu Literature and Language

Refer BA Syllabus article to know about subjects, electives, syllabus, and recommended books for each BA Programs.

Bachelors of Arts (Hons): Course Overview

Bachelor of Arts (Hons) is a 3 Year undergraduate course offered in various specializations such as BA Hons English, BA Hons Political Science, BA Hons History, and others.

BA Hons English	BA Hons History	BA Hons Economics
BA Hons Political Science	BA Hons Psychology	BA Hons Hindi
BA Hons Education	BA Hons Philosophy	BA Hons Sociology

Admissions in BA Hons require minimum eligibility of 10+2 examination with a minimum aggregate of 55%.
Admission to BA Hons is usually offered through merit but some universities like Delhi University and a few more conduct their entrance exams for the same. Read More: BA Hons Admission 2023
With an average annual salary ranging from INR 3,00,000 – INR 7,00,000, BA Hons graduates get jobs in leading sectors like Banking, Educational Institutes, Archaeological, and Geological surveys, MNCs, Political groups, etc. Check BA Hons Jobs and Scope

BA Hons Top Colleges

Check the complete list of Top BA Hons Colleges in India

India Today Rank	College Name	Average Fee
1	Hindu College, New Delhi	INR 14,790
2	St Stephens College, New Delhi	INR 34,000
3	Miranda House, New Delhi	INR 14,160
4	LSR New Delhi	INR 16,390
5	MCC Chennai	INR 20,500
6	HRC New Delhi	INR 20,545
7	Loyola College, Chennai	INR 50,000
8	Christ University, Bangalore	INR 50,000

Also Check

BA Hons Colleges in Pune	BA Hons Colleges in Mumbai	BA Hons Colleges in Kolkata

BA Hons Syllabus

There are a number of BA Hons courses available, each having its own list of subjects taught. Some of the popular BA Hons courses syllabus is mentioned below.

BA Hons Subjects	Topics Covered
BA English	English Literature, Twentieth Century Indian Writing, Qualifying Language, Credit Language, Nineteenth-Century European Realism, Classical Literature, Forms of Popular Fiction, Contemporary Literature, Anglo-American Writing from 1930, Literary Theory, Women’s Writing of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Modern European Drama.
BA Political Science	Environmental Science, Understanding Political Theory, Constitutional Government and Democracy in India, Generic Elective, Political Theory-Concepts and Debates, Political Process in India, Introduction to Comparative Government & Politics, Perspectives on Public Administration, Perspectives on International Relations, Public Policy and Administration in India, Global Politics, Classical Political Philosophy, Modern Indian Political Thought, Modern Political Philosophy.
BA History	History of India, Social Formations and Cultural Patterns of the Ancient World, Social Formations and Cultural Patterns of the Medieval World, Rise of Modern West, History of Modern Europe, History Of Southeast Asia-The 19TH Century, History of Modern East Asia; Electives.

Refer: BA Hons Syllabus article to know about subjects, electives, syllabus, and recommended books of each BA Hons Specializations.

BA and BA Hons: Admission Process

The admission process for both BA and BA Hons courses are similar, either on the basis of merit or through entrance exams.

Merit-Based: The admissions to colleges like Symbiosis University, Amity University, etc. are done on the basis of merit score of class 12 examination. These colleges release a cut-off score of 98% or higher.
Entrance Exams: For admission to courses like BA Music, BA English, BA Social Sciences, and others, some colleges conduct their own entrance exams.

The list of entrance exams for admission to the BA Course is mentioned below, along with other details like the application date, and date of exam.

Exam Name	Application Period	Exam Date
CUET	February 2023 – 4th week of March 2023	May 21 – 31, 2023 Reserved date: June 1 –7, 2023
NPAT	December 01, 2022 -May 21, 2023	January 04, 2023 – May 31, 2023
TISS BAT	February 10, 2023 - March 12, 2023	May 21 – 31, 2023
IPU CET	March 2023 – April 2023	April 2023
JNUEE	To be Announced	To be Announced

BA vs BA Hons: FAQs

Ques. Which is better, BA or BA Hons?

Ans. The basic difference between them both is that in BA Hons one studies a particular specialization and in BA one has no specializations to study.

Ques. What is the eligibility criteria and admission process for a BA Hons Course?

Ans. One needs to have more than 50% from a recognized board to be eligible for the course. Admission to BA Hons degree is offered both on the basis of merit and entrance exams.

Ques. What is the eligibility criteria and admission process for a BA Course?

Ans. A 10+2 degree with a minimum aggregate of 45-50% from a recognized board is the minimum eligibility. Also, some colleges conduct their entrance exams for admissions into BA courses.

Ques. Is BA Hons a good degree?

Ans. Yes, it is a good degree in terms of job prospects and career options.

Ques. Is BA a good degree?

Ans. Yes, BA is a good degree especially for the preparation of entrance exams such as UPSC.

Ques. What is the duration of the BA and BA Hons course?

Ans. Both of the courses are of 3 Years.

Ques. Which are the top colleges offering BA Hons course?

Ans. Miranda House, St. Stephens College, Hindu College, LSR New Delhi are some of the top colleges offering BA Hons courses.

Ques. Which is the most popular course in BA Hons?

Ans. BA English Hons, BA Political Science Hons, BA History Hons are some of the popular courses.

Ques. What are some of the BA Hons jobs? What can one do after completing BA Hons?

Ans. Some of the BA Hons jobs are Content Writer, Primary School Teacher, Political Analyst, Graphic Designer, Communicator, etc. After completing a BA Hons degree, one can go with various MA courses for higher studies.

Ques. What course should I do after BA?

Ans. You can pursue a Master of Arts (MA), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Bachelor of Education (B.Ed), and many other professional diploma courses after doing a BA course.