Online MA Degree Courses

The online MA program makes for a great way to pursue post-graduation for anyone who may not be able to get admission into an on-campus course due to any kind of personal and/or professional reasons. Enrolling in an online MA course will add to your skills and help tremendously in improving your chances of getting a high-paying job. 

An online MA course typically is a two-year or 24-month-long course. These two years consist of four semesters each, usually covering a time of 6 months each. However, this can also differ from one online university to another. 

The education that students receive in an online MA course is delivered remotely. Another great thing about the online MA course is that students can easily complete this course in their own time. At the end of the day, a student enrolled in an online MA degree will be able to upskill themselves and do it conveniently too.   

If you are a student looking to pursue an online MA course but still unsure about going through with your decision, here are a few reasons why an online MA degree would be a good idea for anyone.

Learn from anywhere:

Any online MA that a student wishes to enrol in does away with any geographical barriers that might have held the student back from advancing their educational qualification. With the help of an online M degree, potential students can pursue their choice of MA course from any of the best universities in the country without having to travel personally to the said campus. Even if you are working after your graduation and are looking to expand your educational portfolio whilst doing it, the online MA course comes in extremely handy.

Work-Study-Life Balance:

More often than not, it is extremely difficult for professionals to balance their work with any studies that they might want to pursue. However, that difficulty does not exist when it comes to an online MA degree. Because everything is done 100% digitally in an online MA course, working professionals have the benefit of doing both as convenient to them.  

Flexible Schedule:

Every online MA course offered by these universities is designed to provide extreme flexibility to the students enrolled in them. The course consists of classes and course materials that can be accessed at any time from anywhere. There is no timetable that a student has to adhere to. This helps them balance any work or personal life commitments with their studies. 

Learn at your pace:

Sometimes, in an on-campus setting, the syllabus might progress faster than a student would like. As a result of this, their understanding of the course might stay limited, thus limiting their learning capabilities too. This is not the case for an online MA course. In the online MA course, students can work through the syllabus at their own pace. When a student works through the course at their own pace, it offers them a better understanding of the subject, thus helping them learn and grow better.  

More Affordable:

Another added advantage to pursuing an online MA course is that it is more affordable than pursuing an on-campus course. Taking that into account, and the fact that you do not have to travel to the campus itself or even pay for the hostel fees or such, the online MA degree, without a doubt is more affordable. 

Better Career Growth:

Because students do not have to forego their current jobs while adding more professional skills to their portfolios, the chances of their career trajectory rapidly taking off are very high. There need not be any pauses in one’s career to help it grow even bigger. 

Virtual Classes:

Most of the universities offering the online MA course offer virtual classes for students to learn through. These virtual classrooms are interactive and offer a great learning environment for students to be a part of.

Online Exams:

Usually, a lot of the universities offering distance or remote courses, ask students to attend exams that require one to be physically present at the exam center. That is not the case for an online MA course. All the courses offered also offer online exams that can be taken from the convenience of your location. 

If, as a potential student, you are still confused about what subject to pick in your online MA course, there is a wide range to choose from. Students can thus take a pick from any of the courses that help them further their careers. Here are some of the online MA courses that students can pursue. 

• Online MA in Sociology
• Online MA in History
• Online MA in Economics 
• Online MA in Political Science 
• Online MA in Psychology 
• Online MA in Public Administration 
• Online MA in Mass Communication 
• Online MA in English 

Having already discussed that an online MA course is more affordable than an on-campus MA course, it is important to know that the fees do differ from one university to another and also depend on the specialization opted for. Here is a list of the basic fees for an online MA course according to the different universities.

If you are looking to enrol in an online MA course, then it is important to know what the eligibility criteria are for the same. Of course, this might vary from one university to another, but they are more or less quite overlapping. 

Undergraduate Degree:

One of the most important criteria for pursuing an online MA degree is to have an undergraduate degree prior to it. The subject of your graduation would depend on what online MA degree you are looking to pursue. 

Minimum Grade Requirements:

Usually for a student to pursue an online MA course, it is required that they get at least 50% marks in aggregate in graduation or its equivalent from a recognized Board or University.

As is with the fees and the eligibility criteria, this too might vary from one university to another. However, more or less, these are a few steps that most universities follow when it comes to their admission process.  

Step 1: Online Counselling  

Universities usually have online counselors on board to help students through the admission process. These counselors help guide potential students to pick the right online MA course to help them advance their careers and upskill themselves.

Step 2: Registration to the admission portal.  

Once students, guided by the counselors, have zeroed in on the online MA course they want to opt for, they need to register themselves on the online portal after checking their eligibility for the said course. Upon registering themselves online, students will be able to gain access to the online admission portal. 

Step 3: Submission of the Application Form

Upon gaining access to the online admission portals, students need to fill out the online admission form and upload all the necessary documents asked for there. Though these documents might differ from one university to another includes ID and address proofs, mark sheets etc. 

Step 4: Fees Payment 

After filling out the online admission form and uploading the documents, eligible students receive a fee payment link in their account. 

Step 5: Admission Confirmation

Once the fee is paid for the online MA degree, the online admission team verify the documents uploaded by the student and sends a confirmation of admission in four days maximum. 

Step 6: Access to Learning Management System (LMS)

Upon successful fee payment and the confirmation of admission, eligible students are granted access to the LMS within 48 hours of the confirmation.

Step 7: In case of any doubt

Constant online support for students is always available in most universities when they pursue an online MA course. This helps students have a seamless and convenient experience.

There is a vast scope of opportunities available for students who are pursuing their online MA program from any of the online universities. Depending on the specialization of their choosing, students can apply for any of these jobs:

• Social Researcher
• Sociologist
• Social Services Manager
• Policy Analyst
• Teacher
• Project Manager
• Political Consultant
• Intelligence Analyst
• Guidance counselor
• Public Administration Consultant
• City Manager
• International Aid/Development Worker

Almost all the leading companies in India take into account an online MA degree when they are looking to recruit new people. Some of these companies include:

• Ikea
• Godrej
• Asian Paints
• ABB
• Capgemini
• ACC
• Hindustan Unilever Limited
• TCS
• HCL
• Flipkart
• Amazon
• Microsoft
• JP Morgan Chase & Co

• MA in Sociology at Andhra University
• MA in Journalism and Mass Communication at Chandigarh University