In India, the Humanities stream is often dismissed as an "easy" option, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Far from a fallback for struggling students, Humanities demands critical thinking, creativity, and a deep understanding of society—making it just as rigorous as Science or Commerce.
In this blog, we will go through the subjects Humanities has to offer, the career paths open to you, and tackle the biggest misconceptions about the subject. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
Is Humanities Worth It?
Lets start with answering a simple question “Is Humanities Worth It?”
The state of the Humanities Stream in India is an interesting one. It is often viewed as the stream for kids who are bad at studies, on accounts that it is “easier than Science and Commerce”.. But is that true?
Q- Humanities is easier than Science and Commerce because there’s no mathematical or technical work involved, you can just cram your topics a day before your exam and pass it.
A- While it might seem that the field has no grounds to be intellectually stimulating, it is far from the truth. Many schools offer Economics as one of the subjects to students who choose the Humanities Stream, and that requires knowledge and use of mathematics. There’s also the belief that you can simply pass your exams by cramming. But this is not an issue exclusive to Humanities. Commerce and Science also include subjects like Business Studies and Biology that feature a lot of theoretical work that can be crammed.
While yes, your usage of maths is comparatively very less than if you would have chosen Science or Commerce, but that’s not an indicator for the field being easy. Many students are bad at Maths but still pursue Science and Commerce because their parents forced them to.
Q-There is no High Paying Career Path in pursuing Humanities.
A- Absolutely false. While yes, if you’re pursuing a career in academics in India, it is not an easy road, but this misconception does not apply to the entirety of the field. Humanities graduates can seek out high-paying jobs in law, psychology, civil services, corporate communications, media and international relations. With the rise of digital marketing, fields like UX research, behavioral economics, and media strategy are offering attractive salaries to Humanities graduates.
Difference between Humanities and Arts
Many people use the terms Humanities and Arts interchangeably, and even though there is an overlap between the two, Humanities and Arts are two slightly different fields of study. But you may be thinking, what exactly is the difference between humanities and arts?
The field we call as Humanities is more focused on the analytical and interpretive aspects of human culture and history, like political science, and psychology, and of course history. Arts, on the other hand, is primarily focused on the more creative aspects, like visual arts, or music, literature, and theatre and more.
Understanding this difference between Humanities and Arts can help students make an informed decision when choosing their subjects in 11th.
Humanities Subjects List
The Humanities Subjects List is diverse, offering students a variety of career paths. Some of these subjects are compulsory, others are left for you to choose, but all in all, Humanities Subjects are worth way more than they are given credit for.
Compulsory Subjects in Humanities
The following are the compulsory subjects in humanities stream in Classes 11th and 12th:
- English: A core subject across all stream
- History: The study of past events, civilizations, and their impact on today’s world
- Political Science: Understanding governance, contributions and global politics.
Optional Subjects
Students pursuing Humanities Stream in Class 11th and 12th can study the following optional subjects based on their interests.
- Psychology: Study of Mental Processes and Human Behavior.
- Sociology: Study of Society, Culture and Social Interactions
- Geography: Study of Physical landscapes and human-environment interaction.
- Economics: Study of financial systems, markets and resource management
- Fine Arts: Covers painting, sculpture and visual arts.
- Physical Education: Focuses on fitness, sports and health sciences.
- Informatics Practices (IP): Teaches programming and programming languages, database management and operating systems.
- Media Studies: Study of media’s impact on culture and society, communication skills, media history and theory and ethics and regulation
- Fashion Studies: Study of history of fashion, designing and marketing.
Something to keep in Mind: No School offers ALL these subjects. But do not worry. Say you want to pursue Psychology but your school only offers Sociology. It is not a big issue. While they are different fields, studying them both develops a critical and analytical mind, giving you a knack for the skill and being of aid to you when you pursue the subject in college.
What Humanities Degree Courses Can One Pursue?
Although anyone can change streams in college, it is better to stick to the stream that you have already developed a well-settled foundation in. Which is why we recommend enrolling in one of the following humanities degree courses for your undergraduate studies.
- Bachelor of Arts (BA): The most commonly sought after field, Students can earn a BA in English, Political Science, Psychology, History, Philosophy, Economics, Sociology, or any other specialised subject.
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA): This is the natural next step for students who study and are interested in Fine Arts, with the course focusing on disciplines such as photography, visual communication, painting, and sculpture.
- Bachelor of Social Work (BSW): For those who wish to make on-ground changes in society, a degree in BSW teaches social welfare and community development, with the aim to teach students how to resolve social issues.
- Bachelor of Design (B.Des): A natural pathway for students who studied fashion studies in school, it focuses on design related subjects such as fashion design, textile design, graphic design, interior design, product design.
- BJMC (Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communication): If you decide to enroll into a BJMC course, you can study topics like journalism, media studies, advertising, public relations, and digital marketing, all necessary skills and knowledge that can be useful in making a marketing career in today’s day and age
- Bachelor of Business Administration(BBA): For those who are interested in business and management, a BBA degree offers a solid background in administration, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
- Bachelor of Law(LLB): The ideal choice for aspiring lawyers. An LLB course offers both theoretical as well as practical exposure to the Indian legal system and its application in society.
- Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.): Last but definitely not the least, if you love teaching and wish to be the change in the lives of future students, B.Ed is the degree for you.
These Humanities degree courses offer high-paying job opportunities and career stability.
