BA refers to Bachelor of Arts. BA English is a very common field that a lot of students opt for during their graduation. BA is a very common branch for the students opting for arts stream during their senior secondary school level. BA English comes with a host of opportunities for a student, ones he graduates with BA in English there are a lot of opportunities available for students to decide from whether they want to work or continue their study. There are a host of opportunities to decide on. BA English is a three-year full-time programme offered almost every University around the country. Divided into six semesters, during the course, students study English Literature of various periods in history, countries and different forms of writing. The programme includes compulsory language courses to enhance skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. They also study elective courses which introduce students to a few major authors and forms of English literature. Students can also choose from a variety of optional subjects like mathematics, economics etc. to further their career prospects.

Students can decide from opportunities both in the industry and education. There are several higher study options for meritorious graduates in English language and literature, such as MA in English, journalism and mass communication; management; tourism administration; law; international relations; linguistics; communication management; film editing and direction; visual communication; and library and information science. You can choose any of the courses that suit your aptitude and interest. However, those who want to start with a job can also choose from a lot of opportunities available for the graduates. Candidates can apply for various posts published by UPSC, join Defence services as well as they can apply for IAS examination.

Economics graduates as well as those who have studied economics as an additional subject may consider career options in government agencies, business firms, non-profit organizations, multilateral organizations and academic institutions. Students can also consider joining a regular or part-time MBA course and can pursue a job in sales as a part-time job which would also be helpful for them to secure a job after MBA. Assuming that you may want to work immediately after completion of your graduation, you may consider finding employment as managers and administrators in market research, advertising, sales and personnel, BPOs or as a Business Analyst in a Management consulting firm if you have economic knowledge. Newspapers provide graduates with opportunities to write articles as well as those who have studied economic subjects can also write reports on economic and business events. On the other hand, you may choose to study further and either acquires a Masters in Economics or a professional qualification such as Mass communications, Hotel Management, Public Relations or an MBA.

About the Course

The English Major or B.A. in English is a term for an undergraduate university degree focused around the consumption, analysis, and production of texts in the English language. Students, who major in English or graduate in BA English reflect upon, analyze and interpret literature and film, presenting their analyses in clear, cogent writing. Although help-wanted postings rarely solicit English majors specifically, a degree in English hones critical thinking skills essential to a number of career fields, including writing, editing, publishing, teaching and research, advertising, public relations, law, and finance. It is a three-year course divided into six semesters of six-month duration each. Eligibility for joining BA program is 12^th from a recognized board or university. In most of the college’s admission is based upon the percentage scored in 12th class; however getting admission into a BA course is not difficult as there are a lot of seats available in the course. A degree in BA English opens doors for diverse career fields such as:

• MA English
• MBA: Marketing, Human Resources etc.
• Hospitality: event management; public relations; corporate communications; instructional design
• Media: Advertising, Journalism and Film Making
• Course in Law
• Academic: Research and Training
• Retail: Instructional design
• Writing: Author books, report for magazines, books, websites

Careers with BA English

As discussed earlier there are a lot of career opportunities available after graduating with a BA in English. There are a host of opportunities available for the candidates with various capabilities as well as percentages. If you have a flair for writing, communication skills, and the reading habit, journalism or mass communication is a good choice for you. Universities offer Master of Journalism (MJ); Master of Communication and Journalism (MCJ); MA communication; Master of Communication Studies (MCS); Master of Journalism and Mass Communication (MJMC); and Master of Mass Communication (MMC) courses. Postgraduate diploma courses in journalism are conducted by institutes, universities, press clubs, press academies and so on. Those having fluency in spoken skills can also try for news broadcaster as well as radio jockeying. Graduates in any discipline are eligible for admission. One can choose from both works as well as study. However three major classifications of career after BA English include:

• Direct Entry into Work-Force: For those who do not want to study further and are keen on joining work have opportunities after BA English. Your education as an English graduate can contribute to success in business, management, and finance where the flexibility of the humanities graduate is often better preparation than specific business training; government service; the computer industry which needs people who can communicate well; library work; non-profit organizations; marketing, advertising, and public relations; editorial and publishing work; and journalism. Also in the field of mass communication, there is a good chance for English candidates having a good flow over their verbal skills.
• Professional Training after B.A. English: There are a lot of professional courses that one can join in after completing their graduation in English and at most of the times, these training are designed in such a way that candidates have a good opportunity to earn side by side. Your degree will be a strong basis for post-degree programs in education; librarianship; or journalism; for programs in marketing or publishing; for entry to an M.B.A. program especially if you choose appropriate options outside of the major; for accountancy; or even for medical school. An English degree, with its emphasis on communicative and critical skills, is particularly good preparation for law school. For English graduates, there is also a direct entry scheme where newspapers take a test out of which the selected ones are trained and placed by them itself.
• Masters Degree and Higher Study: M.A. and PhD degrees, which offer more advanced studies than a B.A. and which prepare students for college and university teaching and for research careers. If you intend to go on to graduate school, you should be aware that our Department requires an honours degree or equivalent as the best preparation. A master’s degree in English or going for a PhD program can prove out to be very beneficial for the candidates. The important thing is to decide the field you want to go in journalism, mass communication or anything else. Whatever you choose it is important to choose according to your ability and calibre.

Different Career Options after BA English

We have discussed career options after BA in English, but there are still few more prospects left untouched. We have discussed master degree as well as job prospects. There are a few other courses that can get students a good job prospect and help them gain good salary packages. Those who pass the Master’s degree or postgraduate diploma in journalism or mass communication can find jobs as sub-editors, reporters or correspondents in the print and electronic media or as assistant information officers and public relations officers in the government’s information services, public relations departments and so on. Jobs can be found with web portals also. a good personality and attractive communication skills can help you get a news presenter or any other related job on television or radio. Few other options include:

• Linguistics: Linguistic can be an interesting branch for those who want to explore some new facts and things. Linguistics is the scientific study of languages that deals with the structure and development of a language and its relationship to other languages. Linguistics is a scientific study of language that also covers the study of sound, structure, meaning and functions of language. Almost all central and other leading universities in India offer Master’s, M.Phil. and PhD programmes in linguistics. Those having a degree in any discipline with at least 45-50 per cent marks may apply for the Master’s course. This can be a very interesting career option for those who like discovering new things and have the zeal to learn new facts.
  Career prospects in this field are quite bright for the candidates who take up the subject with interest. Those obtaining higher qualifications in linguistics can become linguists and are eligible to work as audiologists; newsreaders; interpreters; psycholinguists; lexicographers; content and copywriters; editors; tour operators; and so on. For those who have the ability to make facts clear for others, teaching is another career option. A postgraduate in linguistics with technical expertise can get good jobs in software companies dealing with voice-based software’s. An upcoming field for those well-versed in linguistics is the banking and financial services sector.
• EFLU Courses: The EFLU stands for English and Foreign Languages University that offers MA media and communication and MA English (media and communication) courses. The course is generally related to skill as well as language based. The course content includes scripting for radio and television; radio and television productions; English for writing in newspapers; business writing; oral communication and presentation skills; educational technology; multimedia; visual communication; media in communication and so on. Meritorious graduates in English language and literature are eligible for admission.
• Management Education: Management courses, such as the Master of Business Administration and Master of Financial Control programmes and the postgraduate diploma programmes, conducted by leading institutes and universities are good options. For students who took commerce as an additional subject, the prospects are even higher. The MBA tourism course, offered by a few universities, is another suitable option. There is also MBA airline and airport management programmes and the postgraduate diploma in management tourism and travel.