BA English is a three-year undergraduate program designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of English Literature, Language and Linguistics, Genre Studies, Literary Criticism, etc. The BA in English syllabus covers topics like History of English Literature: The Pre-Chaucerian to the Augustan, Indian Writing in English: Fiction, History of English Language and Phonetics, Shakespeare: Tragedies, Introduction to Literary Criticism, etc.
BA English eligibility criteria require candidates to clear their 10+2 with English as a mandatory subject with a minimum of 50% marks for the unreserved category and 45% for the SC/ST/PwD category from an accredited board. Apart from the merit score, the candidate must also qualify for the entrance exams such as GAT, GLAET, CUET, etc.
The BA English fees per year range from INR 5,000 – 1,50,000 based on various factors that include location, placement opportunities, infrastructure, accreditation, etc. The BA English fees in government colleges range from INR 10,000- 1,00,000 whereas the BA English fees in private colleges range from INR 35,000 – 1,50,000 per year in India.
Table of Contents
| Degree | Bachelors |
| Full Form | Bachelor of Arts in English |
| Duration | 3 Years |
| Age | There is no minimum age limit to enroll in the course. |
| Subjects Required | English |
| Minimum Percentage | 50% marks for unreserved category and 45% for reserved category in 10+2. |
| Average Fees | INR 5,000 – 1,50,000 per year. |
| Similar Options of Study | BA English Hons, BJMC, BA English Literature |
| Average Salary | INR 3-7 LPA (Source: Ambition Box) |
| Employment Roles | Primary School Teacher, Sales and Marketing Manager, Content Writer, etc. |
| Top Recruiters | Penguin Random House, Tata Communications Ltd, The Times of India, NDTV, etc. |
BA in English or Bachelor of Arts in English course deals with understanding the English language and its components such as cultural studies, literary analysis, creative writing, modern literature, rhetoric, etc., and how it is used in various contexts.
The course falls under the umbrella of the BA course. The top most colleges that offer BA English include Loyola College Chennai, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, St. Teresa’s College and many more.
After completing the BA English course graduates can work in media and journalism, publishing, education, content creation, advertising, etc, in roles like editor, scriptwriter, education consultant, etc. The average salary of a BA English graduate is INR 3 -7 LPA (Source: Ambition Box)
The eligibility criteria for BA in English varies from one college to another and requires the candidate to fulfill a set of requirements such as merit score, age limit, subject requirements, entrance exam, etc. Listed below are the BA English Eligibility Criteria:
The BA English course can be the right choice for candidates who aim to gain advanced knowledge on various forms of expressions and language with a strong interest in creative writing or poetry. Here are some of the important pointers on why choosing a BA English course can be the right choice:
BA English eligibility criteria consist of parameters like maximum age limit, entrance exam, HSC percentage, etc. Given below is the standard step-by-step BA English admission procedure:
BA English Entrance exams such as CUET-UG, GAT, GLAET, etc. are conducted either at the national or institutional level for the admission process. Tabulated below are some of the important entrance exams for BA English along with the registration date and accepting colleges:
| BA English Entrance Exam | Examination Date | Accepting Colleges |
| CUET-UG | May 15 – May 31, 2024. | Loyola College, Central Universities, etc. |
| GITAM GAT | Mar 24, 2024 | GITAM University |
| GLAET | July 2024 (Tentative) | GLA University |
The course is offered by private colleges and universities such as Sharda University, Parul University, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, etc., and government colleges such as Periyar University, Kannur University, etc.
The annual BA English fees range from INR 5,000 to 1,50,000. The fee structure in government colleges ranges from INR 10,000 to INR 1,00,000 whereas the annual fee structure in private colleges ranges from INR 35,000 to INR 1,50,000.
Below listed are the best colleges for BA English in India along with fee details:
NIRF Ranking 2023 | Name of the College | Tuition Fees Per Year(INR) |
7 | 24,560 | |
28 | 60,000 | |
41 | 9,420 | |
54 | 35,000 | |
59 | 21,000 | |
65 | 30,100 | |
87 | 1,10,000 | |
– | 7,000 | |
– | 1,05,000 | |
– | 64,688 | |
– | 53,000 |
Below listed are the location-wise BA English colleges in India with annual fees:
| Location | Average Annual Fees (INR) |
| BA English Colleges in Delhi | 12,000-1,00,000 |
| BA English Colleges in Mumbai | 10,000-60,000 |
| BA English Colleges in Hyderabad | 35,000-1,00,000 |
| BA English Colleges in Kolkata | 5,000-50,000 |
| BA English Colleges in Bangalore | 40,000-1,10,000 |
| BA English Colleges in Chennai | 12,000-70,000 |
| BA English Colleges in Pune | 20,000-80,000 |
| BA English Colleges in Lucknow | 15,000-75,000 |
| BA English Colleges in Jaipur | 30,000-80,000 |
| BA English Colleges in Nagpur | 10,000-50,000 |
BA in English courses are offered in full-time, integrated and distance education mode in various colleges and universities in India. Candidates can choose the course based on their convenience. Below is the BA English course details:
BA English Course Types | Eligibility Criteria | BA English Duration |
Full-Time | A minimum of 50% marks in 10+2 with English for general category and 45% marks for reserved category students + Entrance Exam Score | 3 Years |
Distance Education | Should have passed 10+2 with a minimum of 50% marks. | 3-5 Years |
Integrated | A minimum of 50% marks in 10+2 with English for general category and 45% marks for reserved category students | 5 Years |
The distance BA English course is UGC-DEB recognized and helps students to understand the fundamentals of the course in a flexible learning mode and cost-effective way. Below mentioned is the distance BA English course details:
Below mentioned is the integrated BA English course details:
The BA English first-year syllabus focuses on subjects such as History of English Literature: The Pre-Chaucerian to the Augustan, English Prose, Communication English, Professional Communication, etc.
The second-year BA English syllabus deals with subjects such as American Literature, Biography, History of the English Language Phonetics, etc whereas the third-year BA English includes subjects like European Fiction, Elements of Literary Criticism, Canadian Literature, etc.
Listed below is the semester-wise BA English syllabus:
| Semester I | Semester II |
| Environmental Studies | English/MIL Communication |
| Indian Classical Literature | Indian Writing in English |
| European Classical Literature | British Poetry and Drama: 14th to 17th Centuries |
| Academic Writing and Composition/Media and Communication Skills | Text and Performance/Language and Linguistics |
| Semester III | Semester IV |
| American Literature | British Literature: 18th Century |
| Popular Literature | British Romantic Literature |
| British Poetry and Drama: 17th and 18th Centuries | British Literature: 19th Century |
| Elective-I | Elective-II |
| Semester V | Semester VI |
| Women’s Writing | Modern European Drama |
| British Literature: The Early 20th Century | Post Colonial Literature |
| Discipline-Specific Elective 1 | Discipline-Specific Elective 3 |
| Discipline-Specific Elective 2 | Discipline-Specific Elective 4 |
| Generic Elective | Children’s Literature/World Literature |
| Modern Indian Writing in English Translation/Literature of the Indian Diaspora | British Literature/Nineteenth-Century European Realism |
| Practical Workshops | Research Project Report/Viva |
Read More: BA English Syllabus and Subjects
BA English course focuses on English literature and languages, the history of literature from ancient to modern times, literary criticism, etc. whereas BA English Literature deals with a variety of literary genres like poems, prose, fiction, poetry, history, etc. Below is the course comparison between BA English and BA English Literature
| Course | BA English | BA English Literature |
| Full Form | Bachelor of Arts English | Bachelor of Arts in English Literature |
| Course Overview | This course focuses on equipping the students with the knowledge related to English language and Literature from ancient to modern times | The course covers an extensive curriculum on the various avenues of English language and literature to enable the candidate to pursue careers in various fields. |
| Stream | Arts | Arts |
| Course Duration | 3 Years | 3 Years |
| Eligibility | Students should clear 10+2 exams with a minimum of 50% marks | Students should clear 10+2 exams with a minimum of 50% marks with English as a core subject |
| Entrance Exams | CUET-UG | CUCET-UG, IUCET, DUET |
| Top Colleges | Sharda University, Loyola College, St. Xaviers College, etc. | Government Autonomous Post Graduate College, Christ University |
| Course Fee Per Year | INR 5,000-1,50,000 | INR 10,000 – 2,00,000 |
| Average Salary | INR 3-7 LPA | INR 3.50-7.20 LPA |
| Job Roles | Content Writer, Copy Writer, Journalist, News Editor | Author, Content Marketing Specialist, Government Administrative Officer |
Read More: BA English Literature
Graduates can enrol in various higher education and certification courses after completion of the BA English course to enhance their knowledge and skills. Below is a list of courses that can be pursued after BA in English:
Read More: Courses After BA English
After completing a course in B.A English, the graduates can work in public and private sectors based on their preference in roles such as copywriter, content marketing specialist, SEO Writer, etc. Some of the best job designations for graduates after the course of BA English are as follows:
| Job Designations | Job Description | Hiring Company |
| Content Writer |
| Freshflow, Upwork, Tata Consulting Agencies |
| Editor |
| Schbang, Incedo, Packt |
| Copywriter |
| Intuit, Schbang, Unacademt |
| Literary Criticism Researcher |
| Sun Pharma, Pfizer, Accenture |
| Digital Marketer |
| Amazon, Myntra, E&Y |
Read More: Career Options After BA English
BA English graduates are recruited by private companies such as NDTV, Amazon, IBM, Accenture, etc., and government companies such as MyGov, National Skill Development Corporation, Aligarh Muslim University, etc. Listed below are the top recruiters for BA English graduates.
| Times of India | Tata Communications Ltd. | ITC Limited |
| Wipro | Hindustan Unilever | Cognizant |
| HDFC | Envestnet | Coal India Limited |
| Infosys | Accenture | Ernst & Young (EY) |
| Amazon India | Genpact | Deloitte |
| HCL Technologies | The Hindu | NDTV |
BA English salary in India ranges from INR 3-7 LPA based on skill set, job roles and experience. Graduates who work as UX can earn between INR 9-10 LPA after 5+ years of experience. Listed below are some of the job roles for BA English graduates along with the salary details:
| BA English Job Role | Average Entry-Level Salary | Salary After 5+ Years of Experience |
| UX Writer | INR 4.0 LPA | INR 9-10 LPA |
| Copy Writer | INR 3.0 LPA | INR 6-9 LPA |
| Content Writer | INR 3.5 LPA | INR 7-8 LPA |
| News Editor | INR 5.0 LPA | INR 6.5-9 LPA |
| Academic Writer | INR 3.0 LPA | INR 5-8 LPA |
Read More: Salary of a BA English Graduate
There are various scholarships available to students who want to pursue a BA English course offered by various government schemes and private institutes. Below is a list of a few scholarships available to graduates pursuing bachelor of arts courses in different specializations:
| Scholarships | Eligibility Criteria | Amount |
| Nurture Merit cum Means Scholarship | Underprivileged students with the best academic performance | INR 2 Lakhs |
| Cultural Talent Search Scholarship Scheme | Minimum of 5 years of professional training in the specified field is mandatory | INR 9,000 per annum |
| Inlaks Shivdasani Scholarship | Candidates must have a minimum academic grade of 65%, CGPA of 6.8, or GPA of 2.6 from a recognized university/institution. | 50% Tuition fee waiver |
| Saryu Doshi Graduate Fellowships in Liberal Arts & Sciences | Candidate must have a first-class degree or equivalent to that from a recognized university | INR 3 Lakhs |
| Scheme for Scholarships to Young Artistes in Different Cultural Fields | Candidate must have a minimum of 5 years of experience in a specialized art | INR 5,000 per month |
Below listed are the top 3 cities to pursue a BA English course based on top colleges, average living expense, top recruiters and average starting salary:
| City | Top Colleges | Average Living Expense Per Month (INR) | Average Starting Salary (INR) | Top Recruiters |
| Delhi | Sharda University, Jamia Millia Islamia University, etc. | 15,000 – 25,000 | 3,00,000 – 4,50,000 LPA | Times of India, Oxford University Press, Wipro |
| Mumbai | St. Xavier’s College, Sophia College for Women, etc. | 20,000 – 35,000 | 3,50,000 – 5,00,000 LPA | Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Hindustan Unilever, HDFC |
| Chennai | Loyola College, St. Xavier’s College | 12,000 – 20,000 | 3,00,000 – 4,50,000 LPA | ITC Limited, Cognizant, Coal India Limited |
| Hyderabad | Osmania University, Dr.B.R. Ambedkar Open University | 12,000- 25,000 | 3,00,00- 5,00,000 LPA | Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Accenture |
| Pune | Fergusson College, Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce | 17,000- 32,000 | 3,00,000- 4,50,000 LPA | Deloitte, Capgemini, Wipro, Federal Bank |
Students need to enhance their soft skills and hard skills such as research skills, editing skills, team coordination, etc. to become successful professionals. Listed below are some of the skills required for BA English graduates:
BA English subjects present a well-rounded exploration of literature, covering classics and contemporary works. BA English core subjects establish a strong foundation in various literary traditions, while electives empower students to specialize in their preferred areas. The core and the elective subjects of the BA English syllabus are discussed below:
BA English First year subjects cover History of English Literature, English Poetry, Indian Writing in English, these subjects offer a comprehensive understanding of the literary landscape, including themes such as British Romanticism, women’s writing, and postcolonial literature. The BA English first year subjects are listed below:
| Subjects | Topics Covered | Type |
| Communicative English | Travel and Tourism, English For the Workplace, Confronting Critical Situations, Brave the Challenge, Mass Media, Responding to the World Around You | Core |
| History of English Literature: The Pre-Chaucerian to the Augustan | Pre-Chaucerian Period, Pre-Chaucerian Period, The Age of Chaucer, From Chaucer to Tottel’s Miscellany, The Renaissance-The Age of Shakespeare, Puritan Age-The Age of Milton | Core |
| English Poetry: The Elizabethan to the Romantic | William Shakespear Sonnet, Writings of: John Donne, John Milton and Andrew Marvell, George Herbert And Alexander Pope | Core |
| English Poetry: The Pre-Romantic to the Victorian | Writings of James Thompson, Thomas Gray, Robert Burns, William Blake, William Cowper | Core |
| Indian Writing in English | Amitav Ghosh, Anita Desai, Kamala Das, Nissim Ezekiel, Robin Ngangom, Meena Kandasamy, Mahesh Dattani, Novel, Poems, Drama, Short Stories, Postcolonial writing, Nationalism, Tradition, Modernity, Native Imagery | Elective |
| Professional Communication | Foundations of Professional Communication, Introduction to Communication, Choosing a Communications Channel, Direction of Communication within Organizations | Elective |
The second year BA English subjects explore Communicative English, History of English Language and Phonetics, American Literature and the History of English Literature. The BA English second year subjects and topics covered are detailed in the table below.
| Subjects | Topics Covered | Type |
| Communicative English (Advanced) | Importance of Learning, Practise of Communication | Core |
| History of English Language and Phonetics | Proto-English, Old English, Scandinavian influence, Middle English, Early Modern English, Modern English, Phonological Changes | Core |
| History of English Literature: Victorian to the Present | Realism and Romanticism, Individualization, Gender Roles in Victorian Literature, Bildungsroman, Literary Modernism, Stream of Consciousness, Fragmentation of Narrative, Responses to World War-I | Core |
| Indian Writing In English: Poetry | Representations of Indian society and Culture, Representations of Indian Society and Culture, Cultural and Social Issues in Contemporary Indian English literature | Core |
| American Literature | Colonial Beginnings, Eighteenth-Century National Optimism, The American Renaissance, The Birth of Modern American Poetry, Modernism, Postmodernism | Core |
| Shakespeare: Comedies | All’s Well That Ends Well, As You Like It, The Comedy of Errors, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Measure for Measure | Elective |
| Environmental Studies | Climate Change, Conservation Biology, Environmental Economics, Environmental Humanities, or Water Resources | Elective |
The third year BA English subjects cover Elements of Literary Criticism, English Poetry: Modern, Shakespeare: Tragedies, The Social History of England, etc.
It also offers choices for students from discipline-specific elective courses. Listed below are the BA English subjects for the third year along with their topics covered:
| Subjects | Topics Covered | Type |
| Elements of Literary Criticism | The Classical and Neoclassical Criticism, Romantic Criticism, Victorian and Modernist Criticism, Practical and The New Criticism, Psychological & Marxist Criticism | Core |
| Literary Criticism: Introduction | Classical Literary Criticism, Aristotle’s Observation on Tragedy, Aristotle’s Opinion About Epic, The Relevance of Sublimity in Aesthetics | Core |
| English Poetry: Modern | Alienation and Exile, The Crisis of Personal Identity and of Cultural Identity, Childhood Memories, Familial Relations and Love | Core |
| European Fiction | Writings of Cervantes, Leo Tolstoy, Franz Kafka, Gunter Grass | Core |
| Shakespeare: Tragedies | Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Cymbeline, Hamlet, Julius Caesar | Elective |
| The Social History of England | Tudor England, The Renaissance, The Reformation and The Counter Reformation | Elective |
The semester-wise BA English syllabus is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of English literature and language. Each semester offers a balanced mix of core courses, discipline-specific electives, and generic electives, covering topics from classical literature to modern writing and literary theory to practical skills like composition and communication
The BA English first-year syllabus introduces students to the foundational aspects of English literature and language through courses covering classical and contemporary literature. The BA 1st year English syllabus for 1st and 2nd semester is detailed below:
| Semester I | Semester II |
| Language I | Language II |
| Communicative English | Professional Communication |
| English Poetry: The Elizabethan to the Romantic | English Poetry: The Pre-Romantic to the Victorian |
| History of English Literature: The Pre-Chaucerian to the Augustan | Indian Writing in English |
The second year of the BA English program delves into topics such as American and British literature, analytical reading and writing, and creative writing. B.A. 3rd sem English syllabus and B.A. 4th semester English syllabus are detailed below:
| Semester III | Semester IV |
| Communicative English (Advanced) | History of English Language and Phonetics |
| History of English Literature: Victorian to the Present | Indian Writing In English: Poetry |
| Shakespeare: Comedies | American Literature |
| Environmental Studies | Biography |
The third year of BA English syllabus explores specialized areas such as women’s writing, modern European drama, and postcolonial literature. Students have the option to choose any two discipline specific electives from the options provided by their university.
B.A. 6th and B.A. 5th sem English syllabus is outlined in the table below:
| Semester V | Semester VI |
| Elements of Literary Criticism | Literary Criticism: Introduction |
| English Poetry: Modern | European Fiction |
| Shakespeare: Tragedies | The Social History of England(Elective) |
Below listed are a few practical topics covered in BA English 3rd year syllabus:
Also, Check: Courses and Career Options After BA English
The course structure for a BA English includes a mix of core courses, electives, and sometimes additional components like general educational requirements and skill enhancement courses. The course structure may vary across colleges, however, the general outline remains the same. The BA in English course structure includes:
Project topics offer a diverse range of possibilities for BA English students to explore and engage with various aspects of literature and literary studies. Listed below are some of the topics that students can refer to:
Wing Educations Assistant