MA English: Course Details, Eligibility, Admission, Fees

Thasleen Mohideen

Updated on - Jan 11, 2024

MA English or Master of Arts in English is a two-year postgraduate course that deals with English literature with a primary focus on Poetry, Prose, Drama, and Linguistics through scholarly & academic writing and discourse. The course focuses on novels and poetry written by famous writers for a better understanding of language. The core MA in English subjects includes Language and Linguistics, Literary Criticism, 20th Century Poetry Drama, etc. 

MA English eligibility criteria are that the candidate must complete their bachelor’s degree from a recognized university with at least 50% aggregate marks or an equal CGPA. Apart from the merit score, the candidate also needs to qualify for the entrance exams such as NPAT, IPU CET, CUET PF, JNUEE, etc. The average MA English fees in India range from INR 10,000 to 50,000 PA.

M.A English course has a vast curriculum and hence it opens the door for innumerable career opportunities in fields like content marketing, journalism, publications, teaching, etc. The average MA English salary in India ranges from INR 3-8 LPA (Source: Payscale)

What is an M.A in English Course?

M.A in English full form is Master of Arts in English. The course focuses extensively on engaging students with English literature such as prose, poetry, drama, etc. Top colleges like St. Xavier’s College, Presidency University, Christ University, and Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce offer MA in English course. This course falls under the umbrella of MA courses.

MA in English curriculum equipping the candidates with the knowledge of different literatures including Indian Literature, American Literature, English Fiction, and Traditional English drama to enable them to evolve into efficient writers in various fields. 

MA English Eligibility Criteria

The admission process to M.A English requires the candidate to fulfill a set of criteria such as merit score, age limit, entrance exam score, etc. Below are the eligibility criteria for MA English course:

• The candidate must have completed the bachelor’s degree in any stream from a recognized university or institution with at least 50% aggregate marks for the general category students and 45% marks for reserved category students. The candidate also needs to qualify for entrance exams like CUET, NPAT, JNUEE, etc., based on the college or university.
• There is no age limit for admission into the MA English course.

Why Choose an MA English Course?

M.A in English course offers an enriching career for those with a high vocabulary and language skills and opens enormous opportunities in various fields in job roles like Lecturer, Translator, Content Writer, News Editor, etc. Listed below are some of the important pointers on why choosing an MA in English can be the right choice for students

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of writers and authors is projected to grow 4 percent from 2022 to 2032, about as fast as the average for all occupations
• There are around 15,500 new openings for writers, authors, and editors every year and the number is increasing exponentially every coming year
• When it comes to job demand, employers across the US posted 64,742 job postings related to positions for writers.

MA in English Admission Process 2024

The admission process to MA in English is done either through entrance examinations in Indraprastha University, BHU, or based on the merit score of the bachelor’s degree in colleges like ASBM University. Given below is the step-by-step admission process for the MA English course:

• Step 1: The candidate needs to appear for entrance exams as per the college requirement and clear the required cut off.
• Step 2: Students can further fill out the application form which can be downloaded online from the college website or directly from the college.
• Step 3: As per the college admission criteria, students will be called for a personal interview for admission confirmation.
• Step 4: Upon confirmation, students can proceed with fee payment and document submission.

MA English Entrance Exams

Admission into MA in English courses is done through national or institutional level entrance exams in selected colleges like NMIMS, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Hindu College, etc. Below listed are a few important entrance exams for MA English courses along with colleges accepting the entrance exam:

Top MA English Colleges in India

The average MA in English course fee ranges from INR 10,000 to 50,000 PA. The course is offered by private colleges such as Christ University, LPU, Sharda University, and government colleges such as BHU, Presidency University, Jadavpur University, etc. Below listed are the best colleges for MA English courses along with their fee details.

Types of MA English Courses

MA in English courses is most common among graduates after completion of bachelor's degree in arts and the course can be pursued either full-time or distance education based on the candidate’s preference. Tabulated below are the MA English course details:

Distance MA English Course

M.A in English distance course is UGC-DEB recognized and helps students to understand the concepts of the course in a flexible learning mode and cost-effective way. Below are a few important pointers regarding the MA English distance learning course:

• The course can be pursued from colleges such as IGNOU, Annamalai University, Osmania University, Alagappa University, etc.
• The average MA English Distance Education course fees range from INR 13,000 to 22,000 PA.
• The course duration can be extended up to five years, depending on the college or university.

MA in English Fee Structure

The average MA English fee ranges from INR 10,000-50,000 PA. The fees for M.A English in government colleges range from INR 10,000 to 22,000 PA and in private colleges the fee ranges from INR 15,000 to 50,000 PA. Below is the breakdown of fees for a few top colleges offering MA in English course:

MA English Syllabus and Subjects

MA in English first-year syllabus includes subjects such as Linguistics and English Language Teaching, Prose, Poetry, Drama, etc., and the second year syllabus focuses on subjects such as Literary Criticism, Fiction, Morphology, Semantics, etc. The table below shows some of the important subjects in M.A English along with the topics covered

Read More: MA English Syllabus and Subjects

MA English College Comparison

The MA English course is offered by top colleges with a key focus on equipping students with all the required knowledge about english literature, poetry, language skills, etc. Below listed is the comparison of M.A in English course for the top 3 colleges:

MA English vs MA English Literature

MA English Literature focuses extensively on English literature from various time periods as the career prospects are mostly in the field of teaching whereas MA English courses aim at equipping the students with both language and literature skills enabling them to work in diverse fields as editors, content writers, journalists, etc. Tabulated below is the course comparison of MA English and MA English Literature.

Read More: MA English Literature

MA English Salary in India

The average MA English graduate salary in India ranges from INR 3-8 LPA based on the skill set and work experience while graduates having three-plus years of experience can earn up to INR 10 LPA. Below listed are job roles for MA English graduates along with their average entry-level salaries

Read More: MA English Salary and Job

Courses After MA English in India

Upon successful completion of MA English courses, candidates can enroll in a higher education program or advanced certification courses to enhance their skills and domain knowledge for better career prospects. Below listed are a few courses that an MA English graduate can pursue:

• Ph.D. English
• Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
• Master of Journalism (MJ)
• Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS)
• Master of Comparative Literature.
• Master of Linguistics.

Career Options After Master of Arts in English Course

The career opportunities after MA English are vast as the course curriculum covers diverse subjects candidates will be able to work in different fields such as Journalism, Teaching, Content Marketing, Information Technology, etc. Below listed are a few MA English Jobs roles offered to graduates along with their job designation, top companies, and average salaries:

Top Recruiters for MA English Graduates

MA in English graduates are recruited by both government and private companies and industries such as Journalism, Publications, Academic Institutions, etc. Listed below are the top recruiters for MA English graduates along with the salary details:

MA English Scholarships

Students aiming to pursue an MA in English can get scholarships from private and government colleges or schemes based on merit scores, annual income, and other related factors. Below listed are a few scholarships for MA English Courses:

Skills to Excel as an MA English Graduate

To excel as a successful MA English graduate a combination of language skills and literature skills is required. Below is the list of important skills required for MA English graduate:

• Effective Writing Skills: The candidate should demonstrate effective writing skills in converting conceptual ideas and thoughts into a written form 
• Proofreading: The candidate should be able to identify errors related to spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting in important documents to ensure a clear understanding of the reader
• Editing: Candidates should be able to edit documents to make them more readable and interesting by retaining the author's idea and thought process behind it.

Top MA English Colleges

IIT Madras

Chennai,Tamil Nadu

JNU

Delhi,Delhi NCR

BHU

Varanasi,Uttar Pradesh

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

Coimbatore,Tamil Nadu

Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI)

Delhi,Delhi NCR

Jadavpur University

Kolkata,West Bengal

Manipal Academy of Higher Education (Manipal University)

Manipal,Karnataka

University of Hyderabad (UOH)

Hyderabad,Telangana

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Top Arts Entrance Exams

UGC NET

• Eligibility Criteria
• Syllabus

AIEED

Exam Date: Apr 15, 2023

• Eligibility Criteria
• Syllabus

FTII JET

• Syllabus

KIITEE

Exam Date: Jun 07, 2024

• Eligibility Criteria
• Syllabus

CUSATCAT

• Eligibility Criteria
• Syllabus

SHIATS

• Eligibility Criteria
• Syllabus

VTU ULRAT

• Eligibility Criteria
• Syllabus

NPAT

Exam Date: Jan 04, 2023

• Eligibility Criteria
• Syllabus

VIEW ALL

MA English Fee Structure

See Various MA English Colleges in India