A postgraduate level degree of two years duration, MA Geography undertakes both practical as well as theoretical understanding of landforms, earth's surface, regional level environment and universal level environment. As per the statistics, a total of around 25,600 students enrol for MA Geography course at different institutes and universities. The programme talks about the regional, physical and economic features of the earth's geographical dimensions.
MA Geography course focuses on the social science facet of Geography. The programme involves the thorough study of Human Geography and explores the relationship of human beings with the created environment, utility and management of the space. Admission at MA Geography is granted either based on merit or as per marks acquired in the entrance examination. Read on to get a better understanding of the MA Geography course.
Captured below are the highlights of MA Geography:
Course Name |
M.A. Geography |
---|---|
Full-Form |
Master of Arts in Geography |
Course Level |
PG level |
Course Duration |
2 years |
Exam Type |
Semester-wise |
Average Course Fees (Annual) |
INR 2,000 to INR 1,00,000 |
Minimum Qualification Required |
Graduation with either Geography as one of the subjects or honors in Geography |
Minimum Aggregate |
At least 50% |
Selection Process |
Merit based or entrance exam based |
Course Stream |
Arts & Humanities |
Job Profiles |
Geographer, Agricultural Specialist, Demographer, Cartographer, Professor, Forest Manager etc. |
Average Base Salary (Annual) |
INR 3,00,000 to INR 9,00,000 |
Check out the eligibility criteria of MA Geography below:
The admission process of MA Geography is different for each institute. A few educational institutes grant admission to students completely based on merit acquired in the academic qualification while others consider scores obtained in entrance exams to offer admission in MA Geography. Provided below is the admission process of MA Geography:
Merit-Based Admission:
The marks obtained by the students in the graduation level are considered to shortlist the suitable candidates for MA Geography admission.
Entrance-Based Admission:
A few institutes conduct their own institute level entrance exam to shortlist candidates for MA Geography admission. Students are selected as per their performance in the entrance test.
Given below are the popular entrance exams for admission to MA Geography programme:
Exam Name |
Conducting Body |
Exam Mode |
---|---|---|
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) |
Online |
|
Jamia Millia Islamia University |
Offline |
|
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) |
Online |
|
Delhi University |
Online |
|
Panjab University |
Offline |
Given below is the list of top colleges offering MA Geography course in India:
Top Colleges |
Location |
---|---|
Vadodara, Gujarat |
|
New Delhi, Delhi |
|
Delhi, Delhi |
|
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh |
|
Delhi, Delhi |
|
Chandigarh, Punjab |
Given below are the important topics that are a part of Syllabus of MA Geography:
I Semester |
|
---|---|
Geomorphology |
Economic Geography |
Nature of Geography |
Quantitative Techniques and Digital Data Processing |
Soil -Water Analysis, Surveying and Field Report |
Climatology and Soil Geography |
II Semester |
|
Geographical Thought |
Biogeography |
Geohydrology and Oceanography |
Cartographic Techniques and Map Projection |
Thematic Mapping and Geographical Information System |
Historical and Political Geography |
III Semester |
|
Regions and Regional Entity of India and West Bengal |
Social, Cultural and Settlement Geography |
Population and Human Development |
Special Paper (A,B,C,D) (Practical) |
Applied Statistical Techniques in Geography |
Special Paper (A,B,C,D) (Theory) |
IV Semester |
|
Regional Planning and Development |
Special Paper (A,B,C,D) (Theory) |
Term Paper (On Respective Special Papers) |
Resource Planning and Development |
Land use Planning and Rural Development |
Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System |
A door towards numerous career opportunities is opened for students after completing MA Geography. Candidates can either go for higher advanced education and research courses like M.Phil, B.Ed, PhD etc. or choose a decent government/ private job as per their skills and interest.
Candidates can also appear for entrance tests like NET-JRF, NTA-UGC etc. that will not only open up research avenues in top universities located in India but also will provide them eligibility for employment as Assistant Professor. The areas of employment opportunities after completion of MA Geography are in research and academic fields. Various job sectors like Forest Services, Research Institutes, Educational Institutions, Fas Exploration Companies etc. also offer jobs to candidates after M.A. Geography.
Provided below is a glimpse of popular job profiles students can consider after MA Geography and alongside mentioned are their respective salaries.
Job Profiles |
Average Base Salary (Annual) |
---|---|
Demographer |
INR 3,00,000 |
Forest Manager |
INR 4,00,000 |
Geographer |
INR 4,80,000 |
Agriculture Specialist |
INR 2,00,000 |
Cartographer |
INR 2,50,000 |
Note: The salary mentioned above varies from individual to individual and company to company. The figures specified above are subject to change.
After M.A. Geography, candidates can go for popular job profiles such as Geographer, Agricultural Specialist, Demographer, Cartographer, Professor, Forest Manager etc.
After completing M.A. Geography, an individual earns depending on his/ her aptitude, skills & knowledge. The annual base salary of M.A. Geography is anywhere between INR 3,00,000 to INR 9,00,000.
Few of the most popular colleges that provide admission to M.A. Geography are Parul University,Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia University, Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and Delhi University among others.
Some popular entrance exams for admission to M.A. Geography are JNUEE, JMI Entrance Exam, BHU PET, DUET, PU CET PG etc.
Some of the important topics that are a part of M.A. Geography syllabus are Economic Geography, Geomorphology, Nature of Geography, Climatology and Soil Geography, Biogeography, Geohydrology and Oceanography, Historical and Political Geography, Population and Human Development, Land use Planning and Rural Development etc.
The selection process for admission to M.A. Geography varies from college to college. A few institutes offer admission directly based on merit while others conduct or accept an entrance exam for the same.
No, work experience is not mandatory to pursue M.A. Geography.
The average course fee for M.A. Geography is anywhere between INR 2,000 to INR 1,00,000.
In order to apply for admission in M.A. Geography, candidates need to have completed graduation with either Geography as one of the subjects or an honors in Geography.
The course duration of M.A. Geography is 2 years.