Top MA Colleges in India 2024

The Master of Arts (MA) is a postgraduate course offering a master’s in subjects that come under the discipline of Humanities and Social Sciences. MA implies Magister Artium in Latin, translated as Master of Arts in English. In India, the duration of a Master’s degree is two years. It is among the oldest qualifications granted in academia. Going by the name, it provides mastery in the chosen subject.

Master of Arts is a much broader study in comparison to that of Master of Science. Several ranking agencies, like The Week, India Today and Outlook, have ranked MA colleges in India that offer varied options for students to choose from. 

Top 10 MA Colleges in India by IndiaToday

Following are the Top 10 MA Colleges in India by IndiaToday 2020 rankings:

Top 10 MA Colleges in India by Outlook

Following is the list of Top 10 MA Colleges ranked by Outlook ranking 2021:

Top MA Colleges in India based on Zones

The top MA Colleges are distributed all across the country. For convenience, they have been divided into zones. Outlook, IndiaToday and The Week ranking agency release their rankings of the top MA Colleges in India. These are the zone-wise rankings of the top MA Colleges:

Top MA Colleges in North India

Enumerated below are the top MA colleges in North India as per Outlook rankings:

1. Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi
2. Miranda House, Delhi
3. Hindu College, New Delhi
4. St. Stephen’s College, Delhi

Top MA Colleges in South India

Mentioned below are the top MA colleges of South India as ranked by outlook:

1. Madras Christian College, Chennai
2. Sri Venkateswara College, Chennai
3. Loyola College, Chennai
4. Christ University, Bengaluru

Top MA Colleges in East India

Listed below are the top MA colleges in East India:

1. Presidency College, Kolkata
2. Jadavpur University, Kolkata
3. Calcutta University, Kolkata
4. St. Xavier’s College, Ranchi

Top MA Colleges in West India

Following are the top MA colleges in West India:

1. Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai
2. Fergusson College, Pune
3. University of Rajasthan, Jaipur
4. Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune

Specialisation-wise MA Colleges in India

MA courses are often offered with various specialisations like English, History, Psychology, Philosophy, Hindi, etc. Thus, there are several options to choose from based on interest and scope. 

Listed below are some subjects in which aspirants can specialise:

Top MA English Colleges in India

English Literature is one of the most popular choices for MA. MA in English not only focuses on the study of works by English writers but also on international Literature. At the postgraduate level, it is more research-based and in-depth. Since the course is vast, some colleges require students to select electives to specialise in. The students get to contextualise Literature politically and culturally by studying all the periods in the history of English Literature. 

Following are some of the top MA English colleges in India:

• Arts Faculty - Delhi University (DU), Delhi
• Centre of English Studies - Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi
• Department of English -  Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi
• School of Letters - Ambedkar University, Delhi
• School of English Language Education - EFLU (English And Foreign Languages), Hyderabad

Top MA History Colleges in India 

MA in History covers both national and international events. It is an option for the students who have studied it as a subject in their undergraduate programme. Job opportunities include Research Associate, Lecturer, Historian, Editor, etc.  

These are some of the top MA History colleges in India:

• Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi
• Jadavpur University, Kolkata
• Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
• University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad
• Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi

Top MA Political Science Colleges in India

MA in Political Science accomplishes an advanced understanding of Indian and International political structures and how they came to be. Job opportunities lie in the field of Public Administration and governance. 

Enumerated below are some of the top MA Political Science colleges in India:

• Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR), Delhi
• Presidency College, Chennai
• Madras Christian College (MCC), Chennai
• Hindu College, New Delhi
• Jain University (JU), Bengaluru

Fee Structure for Top MA Colleges in India

The fee structure varies greatly based on the affiliation of the college. Colleges affiliated with Government universities tend to have lower Tuition fees than private institutes. 

Let us have a look at the fees structure for top MA Colleges in India.

Public MA Colleges

Listed below are some of the top public MA colleges and their fee structure:

Private MA Colleges

Following is the list of the top private MA colleges and their fee structure:

Entrance Exams Accepted by Top MA Colleges

Entrance Exams are conducted by various MA colleges to ascertain the aptitude of the students seeking admission into their program. Following are some of the most sought-after entrance exams for top MA colleges:

• DUET
• IPU CET
• TISSNET
• DUCET
• JNUEE
• BHU PET
• EFLU Entrance Exam
• OUCET
• Allahabad University PGAT

Admission and Eligibility Criteria for MA Colleges

The process of admission to the top MA colleges in India is almost identical except for college-specific requirements. The minimum requirement for an MA course is the completion of one’s undergraduate programme. Seats in MA are allotted based on either undergraduate merit or results of entrance exams conducted by the colleges. The admission criteria for the top MA colleges in India are as follows:

Eligibility Criteria for Top MA Colleges

Interested candidates have to fulfil the following criteria for top MA colleges:

• Secure 50% marks in aggregate at the graduation level. 
• As required by certain colleges, specialisation should be among the subjects opted for in BA.

Admission to MA Colleges

There are 3110 colleges in India offering MA in various specialisations like English, Hindi, History, Psychology, Political Science, etc. For admission, application forms are made available on the colleges websites respectively. Documents like ID proof and passport size photos have to be included in the application. Following that, admit cards are released, and exam centres are announced for the upcoming entrance exam. After the entrance exam, shortlisted students are called for the counselling process, and seats are allotted. Students are expected to get their documents verified and complete the admission fee payment at the time of counselling itself.

Cut Off for Top MA Colleges in India

MA Colleges in India release multiple merit lists to shortlist candidates for admission, declaring results of previously held entrance exams. Listed below are the cutoffs for top MA colleges:

JNUEE Cut off 

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Entrance Exam (JNUEE) is conducted every year by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to select candidates for admission into their undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD and M.Phil programmes. It is conducted in two separate shifts. 

Following are the closing ranks at which admission is offered into the JNU for MA programme:

DUET Cut off

The Delhi University Entrance Test (DUET) is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). It is conducted in a total of 18 cities spread across 101 centres. The duration of the exam is 2 hours, and it is split into three shifts. 

Mentioned below are the cutoffs released by Delhi University (DU) for MA program:

Scope of MA

MA is a great option for students wanting to specialise in their bachelor’s subject. MA is significantly more research-based and demanding than a BA regular degree. There are some of the job prospects after completion of MA:

• Despite it being the norm, pursuing PhD after an MA can prove lucrative. Higher studies provide more specialisation and pave the way to a career in academics. One can become a lecturer or go into research.
• Through the study of Humanities in such depth, one becomes compassionate and well-suited to working in an NGO or any organisation in Social Work for that matter.
• Civil Services and Government exams are one of the most popular options because a background in humanities gives leverage to the students when preparing for the UPSC exam.
• Content Writing is another high paying option after pursuing MA. Writing content for companies or freelancing goes well with language proficiency.
• Opportunities in reporting and journalism are vast too. Whether it be news reporting or documentaries, journalism has a lot to offer in terms of different fields, mediums and salaries. 

MA Placements

According to Payscale, the average salary after completing MA is 4-5 LPA. Top MA colleges offer campus placements to their students. Various companies recruit students based on their performance in the aptitude test followed by personal interviews. Here are some of the top recruiters of MA colleges:

Top MA Recruiters

Mentioned below are the top recruiters at MA colleges as per salary packages offered:

FAQs

Ques 1. What is the difference between an M.Ed. and MA in Education?

Ans. MA is a research degree in Arts, while M.Ed. is a practitioner degree in Education.

Ques 2. Can one opt for a subject that they did not have in their undergraduate program? 

Ans. It varies from college to college, but some colleges like IGNOU just require an undergraduate degree to apply to any of its master’s courses.

Ques 3. What are the average fees for MA?

Ans. The average fee for MA is about 50,000 per annum.