Master of Arts (M.A.) in History at BHU

Banaras Hindu University is a central university in Varanasi, India where most of the students are willing to enrol after their schooling or their bachelors or even in masters. The quality of education and the opportunities for co-curricular as well as the extra-curricular activities provided here is the reason which intimidates students to enrol themselves in this university.

BHU PET (Postgraduate Entrance Test) and BHU UET (Undergraduate Entrance Test) is conducted by Banaras Hindu University for enrolling students in its Master’s programs such as M.A, M.Sc, M.Com, M.Ed, MFA and similarly the respective bachelor’s programmes as well.

Here in this article, we will let you know everything you need to know about Master Of Arts in History at Banaras Hindu University.

Course Highlights

Course	Master of Arts (History)
Duration	2 Years
Eligibility	Bachelor of Arts (in selected subjects) with a minimum of 50%
Course Level	Postgraduate
Course type	Regular (Full time)
Location	Department of History, Faculty of Social Science
University	Banaras Hindu University
No. of Seat	77
Course code	460
Admission Procedure	On the basis of BHU PET marks

What is MA in History at BHU all about?

Banaras Hindu University provides students with a large number of opportunities to explore their interests. The university provides students with a large number of courses to pursue and a Master of Arts in History is one of them.

A Master of Arts in History from Banaras Hindu University is a postgraduate degree for students who are interested in History and want to pursue this as their career. It is a degree that requires two years of study after a bachelors degree. After completing a post-graduation degree a student as per their interest can go forward for their respective career options or can do a PhD and then do research or start teaching as their profession.

Following are the Core courses provided throughout four semesters in the postgraduate course of History:

Semester	Course
I	1. Principles of History 2. Contemporary World 3. Indian Nationalism (Socio-religious and other protest movements) up to1905. 4. Ecology & Environment in History 5. Optional
II	1. Major currents in Historical Thought 2. Contemporary World (Part-II: 1945-2003) 3. Indian National Movement (1905-1947) 4. Environmental Crisis and World Religions 5. Optional
III	1. Optional Papers
IV	1. Optional Papers 2. Research Methodology and Historical Investigation

M.A. History or Master of Arts in History is a postgraduate History course. History includes a comprehensive and thorough study of a specialisation in the history of certain time periods of cultures. The course also covers the study of major historical events that took place both in India as well as across the world. Students also are provided with Research Skills and Methods, such as research, writing and presentation skills and palaeography, and two additional tailored research skills courses.

Department of History, Faculty of Social Sciences

The Faculty of Social Sciences being one of the oldest and distinguished centres of learning has a long lineage of strengthening the academic fabric of the Banaras Hindu University. It has hosted scores of scholars and researchers whose contribution has been recognized and acclaimed the world over.

Faculty of Social Sciences (bifurcated from the Faculty of Arts) was established in 1971 comprising five Departments of Economics, History, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology. In addition to the catering of teaching at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the five disciplines of Economics, History, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology, the Faculty has branched out its new direction by setting up new centres in areas such as women’s studies and peace studies along with some of the professional courses to meet the emerging challenges of the present-day world.

Eligibility

There are a few eligibility criteria that a student needs to fulfil to get admission in the postgraduate course in the history and they are mentioned below:

• A Bachelors degree under at least 10+2+3 pattern securing a minimum of 50% marks in the aggregate including all subjects studied at B.A. level except those subjects where only pass marks are required and which do not contribute to the total in the final (degree) mark sheet.
• Must have appeared in the Postgraduate Entrance Test (BHU-PET).

Course Duration

The master of Arts course in History, Banaras Hindu University is a postgraduate course. It is for two years and is a full-time regular course.

Admission Procedure

MA (History of Art) Admission

You must be wondering about how to get admission to this masters course of History in the prestigious university, Banaras Hindu University after fulfilling all the minimum eligibility criteria, there is nothing to worry about, all you need to know is here for you. There are a few things you need to know and they are mentioned below:

• Banaras Hindu University conducts PET (Postgraduate entrance test) for admission in its different master’s course.
• An Entrance Test for this course is also conducted which is supposed to be taken by all students willing to get admitted to this course.
• All you need to do is to fill the form and then work hard to crack the entrance exam.

How to Fill BHU-PET Application Form?

Students can fill the application form for PET through the university portal. you just need to follow the instructions mentioned below and at last pay, the required fee and then your application will be submitted.

Admission Procedure

• Registration
• Course Selection
• Apply for Selected Course
• Final Review of Application
• Fee Payment and Application Submission

Documents Required at the Time of Counselling

Following are the few documents required at the time of counselling.

• 10^th Marksheet
• 12^th Marksheet
• BHU PET Admit card
• Call Letter
• Caste Certificate (If Applicable)
• Undergraduate Grade Card
• Transfer Certificate
• Character Certificate
• Migration Certificate
• Recent Passport Size Photos

Application Fee

To complete the application and finally submit the application form you need to complete the last step which is to submit the fee. The fee for every course is the same regardless of which course it is.

• For General Category- Rs.600
• For SC/ST/PWD- Rs.300

Availability of Seats

The Department of History accepts the admission of 77 total students (Male and Female) for its Master in History course in the prestigious university, Banaras Hindu University every year for its full-time two-year course with four semesters.

Reservation of Seats

The seats in this course of Banaras Hindu University is reserved as per the rules and regulations of the government of India. Physically Challenged students get a reservation of 3 % in all the programmes.

Course Fees

The best part of getting admission to this university, BHU apart from the quality of Education is the affordable Fee structure of the course as well as the accommodation facilities. The fees for this course in The Department of History for two years is Rs. 4714 (Approximately).

Required Skills

While history might not prepare students for coding-intensive careers, it certainly teaches plenty of skills that are valuable and are helpful in every sector. Students are required to have a few skills to excel in their course and eventually in their careers. Following are a few skills:

• Critical thinking and analysis
• Presentations and public speaking
• Strong writing skills
• Comfort adapting content for different audiences and users
• Intensive research
• Problem-solving and decision-making
• Attention to detail
• Organization
• Time management
• Ability to work independently or in teams
• Listening and asking insightful questions
• Open-mindedness
• Aesthetic and design consciousness
• Broad historical and cultural knowledge
• Creativity

Course Curricular

Here in the following table all the compulsory papers for all the four semesters has been mentioned:

Semester	Paper
1	Principles of History Contemporary World (Part-I: up to 1945) Indian Nationalism (Socio-religious and other protest movements) up to1905. Ecology & Environment in History
2	Major currents in Historical Thought Contemporary World (Part-II: 1945-2003) Indian National Movement (1905-1947) Environmental Crisis and World Religions
3	All are optional
4	Research Methodology and Historical Investigation

Subject Combination

All the compulsory paper has been mentioned above. The optional papers where you get an opportunity to study the paper according to your choice throughout the whole duration of courses has been mentioned below:

Semester	Papers
1	A. State formation in Ancient India B. State and Governance in Medieval India C. Modern Indian Political thought/ Prominent Thinkers of India
2	A. Governance in Ancient India/History of Ideas. OR B. History of Ideas in Medieval India OR C. History of Ideas in Modern India.
3	Paper I (1) Intellectual History of China & Japan OR (2) History of South Asia: Modern Nepal & Sri Lanka OR (3) History of Modern South-East Asia Paper-II A. Society, Culture and Religion in India from early times to 1200 AD OR B. Society, Culture and Religion in India from 1200 A.D. till the advent of Europeans OR C. Society, Culture & Religion in India in Modern Period. Paper III A.Aspects of Economic life in Ancient India OR B. Aspects of Economic life in Medieval India OR C. Colonial Economy in Modern Times Paper IV A. Ancient Indian Historiography and Sources OR B. Historiography in Medieval India OR C. Historiography in Modern India Paper V A. Science & Technology in Ancient India OR B. Science & Technology in Medieval India OR C. Science & Technology in Colonial India
4	Paper I (1) History of non-European World – Indigenous societies of Africa, U.S.A & Australia OR (2) History of non-European World – Indigenous societies of Central Asia & West Asia OR (3) Tribal Histories of India Paper-II (1) Women in Indian History OR (2) History of Indian Diaspora OR (3) Women & Religion Paper III (1) Maritime History of India: Overseas Trade from pre-Christian era to the end of 16th century OR (2) Maritime History of India (1500-1800): Overseas Trade and European Trading Companies. OR (3) India Since Independence Paper IV (A) 20th Century Historians and Historiography on Ancient India (B) 20th Century Historians and Historiography on Medieval India (C) 20th Century Historians and Historiography on Modern India

Why to choose MA in History?

Master of Arts in History or M.A History is a two-year postgraduate degree programme which is offered at different Indian Universities for those who had studied History at the undergraduate level and want to pursue a postgraduate degree in the same specialization. 

In this two-year postgraduate degree programme, students get to know about all those major historical events which took place not only in India but globally. The entire syllabus is taught over a duration of two years and divided across four semesters. 

The program includes subjects like Ancient India, Medieval India, Modern India, World History, Indian government and politics, literature, economic history, Contemporary issues in international relations, etc. The program is not just about the study of the past, but it also includes attempts to research, study, and explain the past. It is like the study of an ongoing conversation about the past and its meaning. It also includes the study of great leaders and innovators, the individuals who have shaped history through their personalities, the strength of character, ambition, abilities, leadership, and creativity.

Course Suitability

A masters degree in history is a university program that seeks to impart knowledge to students who wish to obtain a higher understanding of history, and the historical periods that bear great significance to the creativity of art.

In this masters program, students have an opportunity to examine the different historical periods in art as well as their social contexts. Apart from the history of art, one gains critical visual skills that should help them widen their perspectives in their practice of art and appreciating art in general. With a better understanding, it can help to organize and manage our societies for the benefit of all.

In recent times, people have started appreciating art and have also started following it. This major change has not only enhanced people thinking skills but have also created a lot of job opportunities. Top companies have started recruiting people with having history as their background. So overall, the future of students with majors in history is bright beyond imagination.

Job Opportunities

With a Masters degree in History, the candidates can target one of the following job titles – 

• Archivist
• Curator
• Editor
• Educator
• Historian
• Journalist
• Museum director
• Records manager

Top Recruiters

FILTER	Watson Recruiting Services
artLinks	Paladin Staffing

Preparation Tips for MA in History of Entrance Exam

• It is advisable for the candidates to begin their preparation for the BHU entrance exam with the help of the best books for BHU PET in order to prepare in an effective and productive way.
• Jotting down the topics to be studied from the Entrance Exam syllabus available on the official site of BHU.
• Solve the Previous year question paper of at least 10 years which is available on the official site of BHU.
• Going through the relevant topics in NCERT books, Lucent’s General knowledge book and through the internet.

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