BA (Hons.) - History

The BA History program focuses on the History of Modern South Asia and Global History, alongside thrust areas such as Global Intellectual History, Indian Political Thought, and the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine.

Graduates of the four-year research honours program would have domain expertise in South Asian pasts, and show academic rigour to produce novel research. Students have the option of pursuing exchange semesters in globally reputed institutions. Current students have been invited to present their research at conferences at various foreign universities. Our classrooms are truly global, as foreign exchange students learn alongside their Indian peers. The program also organizes distinguished lectures by faculty from top-ranked international institutions, alongside research trips and fieldwork for hands-on learning.

Pursuing a BA in History from UPES would equip one for a variety of roles, besides academic research in leading institutions of the world. The courses would augur well for students interested in the Indian civil services through the UPSC examination, local and regional administration, investigative journalism, insurance claims management, research for OTT and documentary platforms, building digital archives, etc.

The program offers holistic training in empirical archival research practices while focusing on public and applied histories. It covers ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary periods to prepare students to become successful researchers, academics, administrators, and policymakers. The program also has a strong focus on transdisciplinary learning where students pick up ethnographic methods, data collation survey skills, etc.

One of the key strengths of the program is its distinguished faculty. Students will be taught by eminent academics who have global standing in their subjects. Teachers in the program have been trained in historical studies at leading universities of the world and are specialists in their focus areas. Faculty in the program have been associated with the University of Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Cambridge, Jadavpur University and the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta. In addition to teaching textual and archival research practices, the program places significant emphasis on developing skills that are vital for historians in a changing world. The specialized value-added courses would also offer real-world skills in heritage conservation, ecology and sustainability, archives and records management, decoding cinema, policymaking, etc.

• History undergraduate program focused on evidence-based research practices, equipping students with the necessary skills to conduct rigorous historical investigations.
• Special program mentoring students applying for MA and PhD programs in the top 250 global universities from August to September, anticipating application deadlines in December-January.
• The faculty would liaise with UPES’ career services, and continue to mentor students, not interested in pursuing a career in academia, helping them in securing industry-specific roles.
• Original archival-field-based research thesis in the fourth year, followed by industry fellowship, leading up to a 3+1 internationally recognized BA degree.
• Students would be placed as fellows in their eighth semester in Vidhan Sabhas, State Archives, NGOs, Embassies, Thinktanks, and Publicly and Privately owned museums and archives.
• The Archival Ideation Lab focused on training the students of History on the methods involved in conducting original research in the archives. Located in UPES, the lab houses documents from the eighteenth century (imperial gazettes, periodicals, and extant printed books) to contemporary times (old newspapers, education commission reports, official records, film magazines, etc.), with Uttarakhand being a focus area. Many of these documents are unavailable in the public domain and/or inaccessible in any one global repository. The students have access to rare philatelic and numismatic objects which augment their textual readings on material culture.
• Swapaksha - the Philosophical Society, is a debating society led by undergraduate students of History. It organizes debates and roundtables focused on policies and ideas. It also publishes a biannual webzine compiling some of the best student write-ups. The club also helps prepare students at UPES for group discussions and academic, industry or UPSC-related interviews and helps them sharpen their research arguments.
   

• The BA in History offers students a comprehensive understanding of Indian history and empirical research methodologies.
• Graduates of the program would be able to connect the empirical training with the political philosophies that drive modern societies. Knowledge and lessons from the past are imperative for a futuristic vision and the graduates of the History program would be trained to become changemakers of the future.
• The program has also incorporated key focus areas of current research such as Science, Technology, Society, Democracy, Misinformation, Migration, Conflict Resolution, and Decolonization, locating them in emerging economies.
• Field-based archival training ensures graduates of the program are prepared for future learning and research.
• Graduates of the History undergraduate program would have multilingual training in reading a variety of data sets, and multi-generic archival sources preparing them for research on multilingual South Asian histories. This would also give them a comparative orientation towards tackling socio-political and economic problems and finding solutions for them.
• Graduates will be capable of researching and teaching applied history within academia, and contributing to public history for the wider community.
• Students are trained in public policy, public administration, and general problem-solving skills, through direct interactions with policymakers in various sectors.

The BA in History program emphasizes the significance of engaging with history in the public sphere, extending beyond academia. This approach opens up opportunities for students to pursue MA/PhD positions in prestigious institutions worldwide. In India, where history plays a crucial role in public and administrative services, the undergraduate program at UPES offers an in-depth focus on South Asia, making it an excellent choice for those aspiring to enter civil services. The program's emphasis on empiricism equips students for various roles in archival research-driven public and private sector organizations, including museums, galleries, journalism, policy think tanks, and content creation for biopics and historical OTT platforms. With increasing demand for archiving and repository management in the private sector, graduates from this program are well-suited for future employment. Furthermore, language training in Indian and European languages prepares students to become global citizens, making them suitable for international organizations like the UN, UNICEF, World Bank, and institutions focused on emerging economies.

The BA in History at UPES is an exciting opportunity for students passionate about the study of history. A bachelor’s research honours degree in History equips students with a unique set of skills that are highly valued in numerous industries. The program fosters critical thinking, empirical research capabilities, analytical skills, and a deep understanding of historical events, ideas, causation, and their impact on society. These skills are transferrable and can be applied to a wide range of career paths.

Click here for detailed Fee Structure.

Semester 1

Semester 2

Semester 3

Semester 4

Semester 5

Semester 6

Semester 7

Semester 7

The minimum eligibility criteria for BA in History to be fulfilled by interested students is as follows: 50% in 10th & 12th (Any Stream)

The selection criteria for students interested in pursuing BA in History is based on the individual's performance in UPES’ Aptitude Test / CUET.

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