Indira Gandhi National Open University is a central government-owned educational institute recognized by AIU and has been approved by UGC. The institute has more than three million students in India. It also has over 25 foreign education partner institutions. The institute provides open, distance, and online modes of education. It has been recognized as the largest institution for higher learning in the world by UNESCO.

The institute offers B.A. in English Honours as a three-year course for a fee of Rs 7,200. The course can be completed over 6 years. Here are a few of the key highlights of the English Honors course at IGNOU.

Admission Procedure:

• The eligibility criteria for seeking admission to the course is having completed 10+2 or its equivalent or BPP from IGNOU.

• There is no maximum or minimum age limit for taking admission.

Faculty:

The institute has more than 800 faculty members and over 33000 academic counselors. Teachers have vast experience and are well-educated. They provide constant support and guidance to the students making the institute among the top institutes.

Facilities:

• IGNOU also provides 67 regional centers and over 2,667 learner support centers around the country.

• For all courses offered, IGNOU provides flexibility to its students in terms of place and time of the study.

• It has launched an e-learning mobile application to provide a digital learning environment to IGNOU affiliated students.

Placement Opportunities:

As it offers distance learning, there are not many campus placement facilities available.

• However, IGNOU has a Campus Placement Cell (CPC). It acts as an interface between the students and the industry.

• Around the academic year, CPC organizes Job Fairs, Recruitment Drive, etc in regional study centers, headquarter, company premises.

• Students also have the option to opt for off-campus placements.

English Honours are available at the college at a very affordable price. IGNOU is one of the best platforms for those who want to pursue a flexible English Honours degree alongside doing a job or pursuing other educational qualifications. The university is internationally recognized and the top-ranked open learning institute in the country. The best feature is that it can be completed over a longer period according to one’s convenience.

Indira Gandhi National Open University is a public university approved by NCTE and AICTE. It offers a number of open learning programs and is well known and recognized among a number of different organizations like the Association of Indian Universities, therefore, doing a B.A. degree from here is a good choice. The following points highlight important aspects of obtaining a B.A degree from the institute.

Academics:

• The BA degrees at IGNOU offer a wide variety of core disciplines in subjects like Economics, Sociology, and Public Administration with a lot of the course work overlapping with UPSC preparations.

• The exams for the coursework are also designed such that they benefit the student if they are appearing for other exams like UPSC.

• IGNOU is known for its well-founded courses that ensure the best interests of the student. Depending on if one plans to choose a distance learning or open course degree, one can choose to appear for UPSC.

BA degree from IGNOU:

• Obtaining a BA degree from the university depends upon if you are a part-time student at the institute or committed to full-time study. The former situation might be a little tough on the student.

• Students are continuously evaluated with assignments, marks from which are counted for the final result.

• Assignments carry a weightage of 30% of the total result. Students are barred from appearing for end term examinations if they miss an assignment.

• The major evaluation component is the term-end evaluation system which carries a total of 70% weightage. These exams are conducted twice a year.

• Students are expected to study from the course material provided and answer accordingly to the point. Most importantly, ensure that one is registered for the exam, failing which results are not declared.

In conclusion, you can definitely prepare for the UPSC CSE at the same time as your BA degree. While it is not very tough to clear the BA degree, a habit of regular study will definitely help one obtain it with a good result.

Shaheed Bhagat Singh and DCAC offer a BA in Economics. Whereas, Symbiosis School of Economics offers a BSc (Hons.) in Economics. SBSC is ranked 151 out of 200 top colleges in India by NIRF. DCAC is ranked 31 out of 120 in Arts by India Today. NIRF has ranked SSE in the 20th position in India.

Admission:

All the colleges take admission based on merit however, the major difference lies between their cut-offs, which vary every year. For the year 2019, the cut off for Shaheed Bhagat Singh and DCAC went as high as 96% for BA Economics.

Placements:

SBSC-

• Around 40% of students get placed at SBSC, with an average package of 5-7 LPA.
• The highest salary package received by the students is 16 LPA.
• Top recruiters at the institute are Deloitte, Mc Kinsey, TresVista, DE Shaw, etc.

DCAC-

• The placement rate at DCAC is 35%.
• Students get placed in companies like Google, Ernst, and Young, Barclays, Capital-IQ, Genpact, IBM, ICICI Prudential, etc.
• The average CTC is 3 LPA.

SSE-

• The average package received by the students of SSE is 3.5 LPA.
• The top recruiters at the institute are Ernst and Young, Deloitte, Honeywell, Deutsche Bank, Wipro, Hudl, Tresvista, Teach for India, FRR Forex.

All the colleges provide various scholarships to their students mainly based on their economic status as well as their academic performance.

All the above-mentioned institutes are well-reputed and offer decent academics for BA Economics. The course fee for SSE is higher than the others as it is a private establishment.

The course of BA Economics offered at Azim Premji University is not limited to theoretical knowledge of books and attending semester exams, but the course offers practical learning. Students get to learn in groups and explore the application to implement them in the real world situation. From 2019 the Economics specialization component consists of 48 credits. This consists of 36 credits from within Economics and 12 credits that can be obtained from a series of allied courses. The course is of 3 years where the first-year course fee is Rs.52,500. The faculty is highly qualified in their respective subject and well-experienced.

The minimum salary offered in campus placement is 3.2 lakh p.a. whereas the median salary offered is 3.6 lakhs per annum. Companies that frequently visit the campus for recruitment of economics students are SBI Fellowship, Eklavya Education Foundation, Green Foundation, Cipla Foundation, FitKids Education & Training Pvt. Lts etc., for job roles like Accounting, Audit, Management, Education, and Research.

Presidency University Kolkata has been ranked 151 by NIRF in 2020 among the top universities of India while St Xavier’s College Kolkata is ranked at number 9 for Arts by The Week in 2020. Both the institutions are known for their well-structured program curriculum and world-class faculty within the Arts department.

Admissions:

The total student intake for Bachelor of Arts English Honours at Presidency and St Xavier’s are 30 and 100 respectively.

• The required eligibility for admission at Presidency University is a minimum score of 65% with English as mandatory subjects. Whereas, students with a minimum score of 60% in 12th from a recognized board are eligible for admission at St. Xavier’s Kolkata.

• Presidency University conducts PUBDET for admission. At St. Xavier’s Kolkata the admission is merit-based.

• The course fee for Presidency University and St Xavier’s Kolkata is INR 13,600 and INR 60,500 respectivecourly.

Curriculum:

Presidency University Kolkata:

• The University follows a combination of grounding British literature as well as the global diversity of the English language with the aim of developing the linguistic skills of students.

• The curriculum is divided into 12 courses, with 12 core subjects and 4 optional open elective modules, which students can choose to specialize in.

St Xavier’s Kolkata:

• The course curriculum is spread across 6 semesters with a core focus on British English literature, including drama, prose, poetry, and history of writing and literature.

• It offers a more detailed course structure in terms of understanding the English language through the works of multiple writers and researchers.

Faculty:

Presidency University Kolkata:

• The faculty members within the English Honours department facilitate interactive informal discussions and tutorial sessions where students and faculty get to interact on a more personal level.

• They follow a combined routine of classroom lectures along with audio-visual aids and techniques in order to keep the curriculum updated and maintain student interest.

St Xavier’s Kolkata:

• The faculty members are academicians with a high level of expertise in research and English language methodologies.

• The core focus of teaching is to make sure that students understand fundamental concepts through interactive exercises, research work, reading manuscripts, and practicing writing through literature.

Infrastructure:

Presidency University Kolkata has a larger campus as opposed to St Xavier’s Kolkata. While both institutions offer great resources in terms of a well-equipped library, reading materials, language labs and study halls, etc.

Placements: Both Presidency University and St Xavier’s Kolkata offers decent placements.

The top recruiters at Presidency University are Cognizant, MOU, etc. Some of the major recruiters at St. Xavier’s Kolkata are Adidas, Ernst & Young, Asian Paints. Most students of BA English Honours opt for higher studies, instead of appearing for placement drive.

Based on the given factors, students can make a well-informed choice between the two institutions for BA in English Honours.

Some of the highlights of BPA program as offered by NMIMS are listed below:

1. The School of Performing Arts is a part of the NMIMS deemed to be University which is one of the top institutes across India.
2. It is well equipped with state-of-the-art classrooms, new age music labs and support technological aided teaching.
3. The batches are small in number ensuring personal attention for every student
4. Eminent faculty with industry connections are hired
5. Experiential learning is provided to the students
6. Exciting career opportunities are available