Programme Overview
Most students take an M.A. for one of three reasons: to teach, to qualify for a government post that requires a postgraduate degree, or because they genuinely want two more years with a subject they love. The programme is built to serve all three honestly, and to say out loud that a master's degree alone will not get you an assistant professorship — NET or JRF will.
So the structure is deliberate. Semester one and two are taught papers with a seminar requirement: every student presents twice a semester to their cohort and is marked on it. Semester three narrows into specialisation. Semester four is the dissertation, supervised individually, defended before an external examiner. Running underneath all four is the NET/JRF preparation module, taught by faculty who have cleared it themselves.
Cohorts are small — between fifteen and thirty per subject — which makes the seminar format possible in a way it simply is not in a two-hundred-student classroom.
"Twenty-two of us in the Sociology cohort. My supervisor read three full drafts of my dissertation. That does not happen at a bigger university." — Mohd. Arif, M.A. Sociology 2025
What You Will Learn
- Advanced theory and historiography in your subject
- Research methodology and literature review technique
- Seminar presentation and academic argument
- Dissertation design, fieldwork and analysis
- Academic writing and citation to publication standard
- Comparative and interdisciplinary reading
- Quantitative and qualitative data handling
- Teaching practice and classroom method
- NET / JRF syllabus coverage and answer writing
- Conference presentation and peer critique
Curriculum — Semester by Semester
Four taught papers in the chosen subject plus a compulsory research and seminar component. Every student presents twice during the semester.
- Core Paper I — theory and foundations
- Core Paper II — historical development
- Core Paper III — contemporary debates
- Core Paper IV — regional / applied focus
- Research Methodology I
- Seminar presentation (assessed)
Advanced papers with a heavier methodological load. Students identify a dissertation area and are matched with a supervisor at the end of this semester.
- Advanced Paper V
- Advanced Paper VI
- Advanced Paper VII
- Research Methodology II — data and analysis
- Term paper (4,000 words)
- NET / JRF module — Paper I
Students choose an optional specialisation track within their subject and begin dissertation fieldwork alongside coursework.
- Specialisation Paper I
- Specialisation Paper II
- Open elective (any M.A. subject)
- Dissertation — proposal and fieldwork
- Teaching practicum (optional)
- NET / JRF module — Paper II
Predominantly dissertation work, with two remaining papers. The defence is before an internal supervisor and an external examiner from another university.
- Advanced Specialisation Paper III
- Contemporary Readings seminar
- Dissertation (12,000–15,000 words)
- Viva voce before external examiner
- Conference / seminar presentation
- NET / JRF intensive revision
Subjects Offered
M.A. English
30 seats. Literary theory, British and American literature, Indian writing in English, and language teaching method for those heading into schools and colleges.
M.A. Hindi
30 seats. Aadhunik and Bhakti kaal, criticism, comparative Indian literature and translation studies — the strongest subject for UPPSC aspirants.
M.A. Political Science
30 seats. Political theory, Indian government, international relations and public administration, with a policy analysis specialisation.
M.A. Sociology
15 seats. Social theory, rural and agrarian sociology, gender studies and research methods, with substantial village fieldwork.
M.A. Economics
15 seats. Advanced micro and macro, econometrics, development economics and the Indian economy, with data work in Excel and R.
NET / JRF Support
A four-semester module covering both papers, with monthly mocks marked by faculty who have cleared NET themselves. Included in the tuition fee.
Careers & Outcomes
Of the 2025 M.A. batch, 34% entered teaching at school or intermediate level, 24% were engaged in full-time competitive-examination preparation, 17% qualified UGC-NET and moved into college teaching or a Ph.D., and the remainder took roles in media, the social sector and administration.
- Assistant professor (after NET/JRF)
- PGT and TGT school teaching posts
- UPPSC, UPSC and SSC services
- Ph.D. and academic research
- Journalism, editing and content roles
- NGO programme and policy work
- Public relations and corporate communication
- Administration and HR in institutions
Where the 2025 batch went: Kendriya Vidyalaya and private intermediate colleges across Muzaffarnagar, Shamli and Meerut, CCS University and MIT as guest faculty, two regional Hindi dailies, three development-sector organisations, and Ph.D. programmes at CCSU and Jamia Millia Islamia.
Head of Department
Dr. Farhat Naaz
Ph.D. in English Literature from Aligarh Muslim University, UGC-NET and JRF, with thirteen years of postgraduate supervision. She has guided forty-one dissertations and coordinates the NET preparation module across all five subjects.