Arts stream offers numerous career options and opportunities to students. It is a very traditional stream. This is one of the main reasons why this stream still has got takers in India! This stream is made up of parts like humanities, visual arts, performing arts, literary arts etc. In this article, you will be reading details about arts stream schooling (11th and 12th) such as- education boards available in India, important subjects to study, professional courses available after 12th, career paths and prospects.
But these are mere generalizations and do not necessary hold true for commerce or any stream. The scope of the commerce stream ranges much more beyond mere number crunching or accountancy domain. There are a wide array of subjects and specialization and study options available to the students who join the commerce stream. Let’s discuss the same in detail below:
Key Subjects / Sub-domains
Despite the bias against the commerce stream, the popularity of this discipline has been growing exponentially during the last decade. Attribute it to the growing economy, professional career opportunities or the high scoring nature of the stream; many students have the commerce stream for their high school education and even after that. While traditionally, commerce stream was limited a few accountancy and economics related subjects, today it covers an array of subjects. The key among them include:There’s a misconception regarding this stream among Indian students and parents. Many of them think that arts stream is only taken by students who are academically dull. Well, this fact is false! There exists many challenging subjects in this stream too, and it takes certain aptitude to perform well in its exams too! It is very much possible to build a rewarding career after pursuing science stream at PUC level! In fact, many subjects present in arts stream will help one prepare well for Civil Services examination.
Let us take a look at the important education boards available in India (11th and 12th Arts stream).
ARTS STREAM BOARDS AVAILABLE IN INDIA
There are four main education boards available in India. Students may choose a board that suits them best. The choice shall be made on the basis of difficulty level associated with the boards and aptitude of the student. The names of the education boards are-IB is the toughest board among the above mentioned entries. It focuses on the concept of ‘how to learn’. Much emphasis is laid on ‘application of knowledge’ and ‘practical aspects’ of learning.
IB board is followed by ICSE board, when it comes to difficulty level. Then comes CBSE board. I think most of you are knowledgeable about this board. It functions under the Union Government of India. Difficulty level associated with this board is moderate.
Last comes State Boards. Each State in India has its own education board. It functions under the respective State Government of each state. Language of instruction (medium) in case of schools affiliated to such boards are- regional language and English.
ARTS STREAM SUBJECTS
Some of the important subjects present in 11th and 12th Arts stream schooling are-Note: Not all the subjects have been mentioned above. Many of the above mentioned subjects fall under the ‘optional subject’ category. Students have to select optional courses and form a ‘course combination’ to pursue throughout 11th and 12th. Professional courses after 12th and career, to an extent, depends upon this course combination.
ACADEMIC PROGRAM AND EVALUATION
There are two academic years present- 11th and 12th standards. In case of some boards and state boards (like Gujarat and Haryana), each academic year has been divided into two semesters, each semester lasting a period of 6 months. Main evaluation exams are held at the end of each academic year (at the end of each semester, in case of semester learning system).PROFESSIONAL COURSES AFTER 12TH
1. BA
2. BACHELORS DEGREE IN ECONOMICS
3. TECHNICAL COURSES
Some Technical courses to do after 12th Arts stream are-4. LAW COURSES
After 12th Arts, students are eligible to go for Law Education in the Integrated course format. Integrated Law course lasts 5 years. Some popular Integrated Law courses for Arts stream student are-5. MANAGEMENT COURSES
Arts stream students who are not interested in traditional courses may go for Management courses. Some well known Management courses to do after 12th Arts stream are-6. DESIGNING COURSES
Diploma, Degree as well as Certificate courses related to the field of Designing can also be pursued by Arts stream students. Some such well known courses are-7. PHYSICAL EDUCATION COURSES
8. FASHION COURSES
9 BACHELOR OF PERFORMING ARTS
10 OTHER BACHELOR’S DEGREE AND DIPLOMA COURSES (EVEN FROM OTHER STREAMS)
11 EDUCATION/TEACHING COURSES
12 VOCATIONAL TRAINING COURSES
Note: Not all professional courses have been mentioned above. There exists other Diploma, Degree and Certificate courses too, which can be pursued after 12th arts stream.
CAREERS
Arts stream students may pursue UG as well as PG courses and have access to diverse job opportunities (depending upon the professional course). Some of the well known job profiles are- Management professional, Lawyer, Teacher, Musician, Dancer, Artist, Performer, Actor, Businessman, Economist, Architect (with mathematics subject), Politician, Bureaucrat, Diplomat, Government employee, Archaeologist, Civil Servant (IAS, IPS, IFS etc), Defence personnel etc.Subjects
- English
- History
- Geography
- Political Science
- Economics
- Other literature subjects- Hindi, regional languages, etc
- Psychology
- Music
- Home Science
- Physical Education
- Public Administration
- Mathematics
- Computer Science
- Fine Arts Sociology