If you are not one of those people who wants to choose an offbeat career that is more satisfying? Humanities is the one for you. While it is a subject that is often looked down upon by most Indians and is considered as a field with limited opportunities, there are several new courses which are gaining popularity across the world in the field and in India too. These offbeat courses in Humanities not only offer bright career opportunities but also help you specialise in them, with options for further academic opportunities. Here’s our curated list for you:
1. Rural Studies and Development
If you have the zeal to help people in rural areas, visit Indian villages, and engage in various rural and community development activities, this course could be a good match for you. In a developing nation such as India, there is a need for qualified professionals to work towards the development of villages and resolve issues faced by the underprivileged. You will work closely with the contemporary society and various government-aided rural institutions. This career equips graduates to work in the field of rural management and research and prepares them to take measures and policies for empowering the rural part of the nation. Rural managers can work in the rural co-operative sector, agri-business enterprises, non-governmental organizations, etc.
Recommended Courses at the Undergraduate level: Social Work, Psychology, History
Career Opportunities in Rural Studies and Development: This career equips you to work in the field of rural management and research and prepares you to take measures and policies for empowering the rural part of the nation. As a rural manager, you can work in the rural co-operative sector, agri-business enterprises, non-governmental organizations, etc. The field of research and consulting will also be open to you, where you can work with organizations in their Human Resource Department to aid a better understanding of diversity requirements. You can contribute also to the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) department of companies.
Some Top Institutes for Rural studies
1. Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA)
- Course: Post Graduate Programme in Rural Management (PRM)
2. The Gandhigram Rural Institute, Gujrat
- Course: MA in Rural development
3. Mahatma Gandhi Department of Rural Studies
- Course: Masters of Rural Studies
4. Lok Bharti Lok Seva Mahavidyalaya
- Course: Masters of Rural Studies (MRS)
2. Gender Studies/ Women Studies
In this era where people are recognizing the need for gender equality and are striving to protect individual identities, it has become important to understand how gender studies will affect the dynamics of our society. This field of study recognises that gender, like the markers of caste/class, is an important factor to examine the socioeconomic, cultural and political issues of our country. This course equips you with the knowledge to articulate opinions and present facts to attract people’s attention and spread awareness about gender issues. The knowledge and perspective gained from this field can be applied to various fields like journalism, creative writing, counselling, social work, etc..
Recommended Courses at the Undergraduate Level: Political Science, History, Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, etc.
Career Opportunities in Gender/Women Studies: After completing this course, you can work in NGOs, healthcare organizations, international organizations like the WHO, educational institutions, and various fields of counselling. You could also work in the area of media and communication as a writer/editor with magazines, newspapers, or blogs and write on women-centric issues. Research is another field that will be open to you after your post-graduation.
Some Top Institutes for Gender Studies
1. Indian Institute of Psychology and Research, Bangalore
- Course: B.A (Psychology, Journalism and Gender Studies)
2. Ambedkar University
- Course: M.A in Gender Studies
3. Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development
- Course: M.A in Gender Studies
4. Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad
- Course: Master of Arts (Women’s Studies)
5. Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
- Course: M.A in Women’s Studies
6. Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli
- Course: M.A in Gender Studies
3. Habitat Policy and Practice
Habitat policy is the study of livelihood activities, housing, infrastructure and social composition of urban societies, and the rights of the inhabitants. It is a comprehensive study of urban realities and challenges in India with a global perspective. It equips you with the knowledge to formulate policies, plans, and initiatives for the betterment of our society. This course is for people having a keen interest in creating and maintaining a neat and safe urban environment. You will not only study the livelihood activities of urban societies but will also be introduced to the economic scenario and quantitative research methods for the development of a sustainable environment.
Recommended Courses at the Undergraduate Level: Engineering, Architecture, Management, Geography, Planning, Law, or Social Sciences with interest in habitat-related issues/sectors.
Career Opportunities in Habitat Policy and Practice: After this course, the employment opportunities are dominant in the public sector related to habitat policy. To begin with, you can work in various departments and sectors of the government like housing, transport and infrastructure, water and maintenance, and other areas related to governance and administration, etc., all with the vision of making a positive impact on society.
Some Top Institutes for Habitat Policy and Practice
This specialisation can be pursued only at the master’s level and there is only one institution that offers this course – Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).
- Course: M.A./M.Sc. in Habitat Policy & Practice
Additionally, TERI University offers a related course.
- Course: Post Graduation in Environment and Sustainability Studies.
4. Museology
Museology, also known as Museum Studies, is the study of museums and involves understanding their organisation and management. Museology professionals are technically trained and prepared to deal with issues and challenges concerned with the preservation and conservation of artefacts in museums. If you have a fascination with history, cultural heritage, and artefacts, then this could be the perfect course for you.
Recommended Courses at the Under Graduate level: History is the most recommended course for forming a base for a career in Museology. Otherwise, any related field in humanities, like Sociology, Anthropology, Archaeology, etc would enable you to pursue a career in museology.
Career Opportunities in Museology: Museologists usually work with museums run at the state and national levels. After a degree in this field, you can hold job roles such as Museum Director, Curator, Archivist, Conservation Specialist, Exhibit Designer and Educator. Apart from museums, you can work with art and restoration societies, the Archaeology department of the Government of India, and private museums run by large organizations.
Some Top Institutes for Museology
1. National Museum Institute, New Delhi
- Course: M.A. in Museology
2. Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
- Course: M.A. in Museology
3. Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
- Course: M.Sc. in Museology
4. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai
- Course: Post Graduate Diploma in Museology and Conservation
5. Jiwaji University, Gwalior
- Course: Post Graduate Diploma in Museology
5. Cartography
Cartography is the art and science of making maps. Gone are those days when maps were just known for atlases. Now you can find them everywhere, from your smartphone, helping you with directions, to newspapers, helping readers make sense of a complicated issue. Times have changed, and so has the demand for qualified professionals who can work towards creating better technology for maps, remote sensing, and related areas. Cartographers spend most of their time on laptops using map-creation software to create accurate and effective maps. They also indulge in the field work of finding data points and doing research to collect useful information for creating maps. A course in Cartography helps you to combine your design, technology and geography skills to develop and produce maps.
Recommended Courses at the undergraduate level: The best route to go forward is to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Geography and then pursue an M.Sc. in Geography.
Career Opportunities in Cartography: You can work in a variety of areas, including conservation, the military, publishing, surveying, town/district planning and other government sectors. You can also work in the field of surveying, to assist cartographers and photogrammetrists with data collection, calculations and computer-aided drafting.
Some Top Institutes for Cartography
Cartography as a specialisation in India is mostly available at the postgraduate level.
1. Osmania University, Hyderabad
- Course: M.Sc. in Geography
2. Jamia Millia Islamia
- Course: M.A./M.Sc. in Geography/ PG Diploma in Digital Cartography
6. Gerontology
As people grow older, they undergo various psychological and biological changes. These changes can be typical health problems that come with age like wrinkles, hair loss, memory loss, or psychological diseases like Alzheimer’s, Dementia, etc. Gerontology is the study of the process of ageing and focuses on finding ways to treat the physical, mental, emotional, and social problems associated with it. People who assist or specialize in caring for elderly patients are known as Gerontologists.
There are two most popular specifications in Gerontology – a) Social Gerontology; b) Biogerontology. The former focuses on the social aspects of ageing and the latter is concerned with the biological aspects of ageing. For Biogerontology, one needs to have studied biology in school and at the under graduation level.
Recommended Courses at the Undergraduate level: Psychology, Public Health Administration, Social Work, Home Science, etc.
Career Opportunities in Gerontology: After graduating from a course in Gerontology, you can explore opportunities in any institution that treats or caters to older patients. You can seek employment in the healthcare sector, academia, research, nursing homes, hospitals, etc. Counselling for elderly patients could also be a great option for you after a degree in Gerontology.
Some Top Institutes for Gerontology
You are more likely to find Diploma programs in this career domain.
1. Institute of Home Economics (IHE), Delhi
- Course: PG Diploma in Health and Social Gerontology
2. National Institute of Social Defence (NISD), Delhi
- Course: PG Diploma in Health and Social Gerontology
3. Tata Institutes of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai
- Course: Diploma in Gerontology
4. Calcutta Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Kolkata
- Course: One-Year PG Diploma Course in Gerontology & Age Management
(Edvantage Point is India’s go-to platform for education-related products and services. We are into admissions management for schools, career advice and counselling services for students as well as recruitment services).
