Liberal Arts is a relatively new system of Education in India, and not much is known about it. To make the concept clearer and help you choose, I shall take you through the top colleges, their admission processes and the scope of liberal arts education in India.
Let’s start first by breaking certain myths associated with Liberal Arts courses:
Myth: Liberal Arts only include subjects under humanities, fine arts or the performing arts.
Reality: Liberal Arts include not only humanities but commerce and science subjects as well. Liberal Arts is a system of education which combines various streams and give you the opportunity to study various combinations of humanities, sciences, mathematics, statistics, natural sciences, etc. together.
Myth: Graduation in any humanities course will be Liberal Arts!
Reality: If you search for Liberal Arts, and come across multiple courses such as BA in History, BA in Psychology, BA in Geography, etc., they are not necessarily liberal arts. Liberal education is a system in which you have the freedom to choose your own minor and major. These courses oftentimes successfully amalgamate humanities with sciences. This contributes to your overall development.
These courses may focus not only on academic-oriented subjects but courses like photography, performing arts, film, etc. as well. In the next section, I will take you through the various universities in India that provide Liberal Arts courses, as well as certain important details you will need to pursue these courses.
Liberal Arts Colleges in India
1. Ashoka University
Ashoka University, situated in Sonepat, Haryana, is one of the leading Liberal Arts universities in India. It is a fully residential institute and offers multidisciplinary courses such as Bachelors in politics, philosophy and Economics, psychology ,chemistry, Mathematics, Computer Science, international relations etc. The aim of the university is to prepare students to be ethical leaders through academic research, and experiences in solving real-life issues. They prepare students to think critically and communicate effectively. The university pays attention to not only academics but also to the overall development of students.
Admission Process:
- Stage 1- In the first stage, you are required to submit your application form. The application includes details of your academic performance (class 9th to 12th), essays,non-academic engagements, SAT/ACT score (optional),and letter of recommendation (optional, but recommended). Once an application form has been submitted within the deadline of a particular round, the applicant will be required to mandatorily participate in the Assessments. Once an application form has been submitted within the deadline of a particular round, the applicant will be required to mandatorily participate in the Assessments.
- Stage 2- The selected candidates are shortlisted for the second Stage which includes an interview with the panel.
- Once a student receives a firm offer of admission, the financial aid form is enabled for them.
Courses Offered: The University offers both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. During the programme, you can select one Major and one Minor in your second year. You can select your major from Computer Science, Economics, Mathematics, History, International Relations, etc. The minor courses on offer are Performing Arts, Creative Writing, Media Studies, etc. They offer minors in all the major subjects as well.
Post-Graduation: During the master’s program, the university offers “The Young India Fellowship” (YIF). It is a one-year multidisciplinary postgraduate diploma programme in Liberal Studies, following which fellows have the option of pursuing a Master’s in Liberal studies degree. Additionally, a Separate master’s in Economics degree is also offered.
2. Flame University
Flame University is situated in Pune. The University is built on the concept of sharing knowledge with others, and the habit of learning and curiosity is inculcated amongst the students. There is an effective combination of conventional classroom teaching with seminars, tutorials, workshops, projects and field trips, etc. in the curriculum, to build your overall personality.
Admission Process: Flame University has an online admission process. Candidates are required to provide information such as their entrance level test scores (SAT/ACT if applicable), personal contact details, educational qualifications, achievements/ extracurricular activities and statement of purpose, etc. in the application forms. The university also conducts an entrance exam to admit students to various courses. Each student is required to sit for the FLAME Entrance Aptitude Test (FEAT). If you wish to skip the FEAT, you may appear for SAT/ACT. FEAT evaluates you on Verbal Ability, Reasoning Ability, Quantitative Ability and General Knowledge. Other elements of the admission include an on-the-spot essay and an interview.
Courses offered: FLAME University offers both undergraduate courses such as BA, BBA, B.Des, and BSc. as well as postgraduate programs such as MBA, and MSc. The University offers the following areas of specializations:
- BA- Economics, Psychology, Literary & Cultural Studies, International Studies, Environmental Studies, Journalism, Public Policy, Sociology
- B.Sc.- Applied Mathematics, Data Science and Economics, Computer Science, Computer Science and Design
- BBA- Finance, Marketing, Human Resources, Entrepreneurship, Operations, Design management, Business Analytics
- BBA- (Communications Management) – Advertising & Branding, Digital Marketing & Communications, Film & Television management
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3. Symbiosis School of Liberal Arts
Symbiosis University is located in Pune. This University is among the oldest Liberal Arts universities in India, and it has adapted the international ideology of Liberal Arts education. Symbiosis aims to promote ethical and value-based learning and cross-cultural sensitization. Symbiosis School of Liberal Arts offers Courses such as in B.A (hons) Liberal arts and B.Sc (hons) liberal arts– 4 years dedicated solely to Liberal Arts.
Admission Process: Admission to SSLA is based on a comprehensive assessment, which takes into consideration SOP, LORs, 8th-11th scores, extra-curricular activities, Writing Ability Test (WAT) scores, and Personal Interaction (PI) scores. There is no entrance test, applicants are required to apply directly to the SSLA portal.
Courses Offered: The University at the undergraduate level is offering BA and B.Sc. in Liberal Arts (4 years). If you wish to major in Economics, Business Studies, Media Studies, Sociology, English, Psychology or Political Science & Public Policy, etc., you are awarded a Bachelor of Arts (Liberal Arts). On the other hand, if you wish to major in courses such as Biology, Mathematics & Statistics or Computer Science, etc. you are awarded the Bachelor of Science (Liberal Arts).
Other Institutes
There are some other colleges that provide Liberal Arts courses, such as Christ University, Ahmedabad University, and Azim Premji University. NMIMS also offers BA (Hons) in Liberal Arts, and Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities offers B.A. (Hons.) in Liberal Arts and Humanities.
Scope of Liberal Arts in India
As Liberal Arts is a new education trend in India, there may be confusion with regards to the scope of the field. Notably, Ashoka University has shown an excellent placement record for its Young India Fellowship (YIF).
After Graduation
Students also prefer completing their masters, and a number of students have been selected from reputed colleges like New York University, University of Oxford, University of Oxford, Stanford University, IIT Delhi, IIT Hyderabad, etc.
Job Opportunities after a Liberal Arts Education
Students can also join various roles like equity research, analytics, client servicing, marketing, relationship management, banking, consultancy, HR, e-commerce, etc. If you are looking for jobs right after graduation, journalism, advertising, writing, research, NGOs, financial analysis, banking and public relations, etc. are just some of the careers/fields that you can opt for.
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Hence, Liberal Arts give you the flexibility to design your own degree. For instance, during the Liberal Arts programs, the students are free to opt for a major in Finance and select Psychology as a minor. Other students can choose his/her major Psychology with a minor in Music.
Liberal Arts also allows you to combine research and academic-focused programs such as International Studies and Psychology, with a totally different set of programs that are more professional and require more training, such as Mass Media, Marketing, Advertising, and Film & TV etc. You can design your degree according to your area of interest.
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