Five years ago, if you had to pursue a course in liberal arts, going abroad would have been the only option. That is no longer the case. With universities like Apeejay Stya University, O P Jindal Global University, Foundation for Liberal and Management Education (Flame) and Ashoka University in place, Indian students are getting a chance to give liberal arts education a shot at home itself.
Education in liberal arts gives students the opportunity to graduate in any discipline of the fine arts or humanities branch, with one or more courses in subjects like science or mathematics. So one can study mathematics along with drama or fine arts or explore a variety of disciplines and then choose a specialisation that is tailored to their unique interests.
"I believe there will be a gradual but increased demand for the study of liberal arts courses in India. The inflexible course structures that our under-graduate colleges offer and the obsession to specialise at that level of education has undermined the aspirations of many of our young people in pursuing what we can call a liberal education," said C Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of O P Jindal Global University.
A three or four year programme in liberal arts could cost anywhere between Rs 7 lakh and Rs 20 lakh, with the first two years being dedicated to foundation courses across disciplines and the student majoring in a subject of his/her choice in the final year.
For instance, at the O P Jindal University, there are five different schools: Jindal Global Law School, Jindal Global Business School, Jindal School of International Affairs, Jindal School of Government and Public Policy and Jindal School of Liberal Arts & Humanities. All these five schools have a symbiotic relationship with each other and this has helped students. From the beginning, students of this university have had the opportunity to cross register courses across the different schools.
The university started with just one school: Jindal Global Law School and only 100 students and 10 faculty members in 2009. But by August 2014, they will have 1,800 students and over 120 faculty members across the five schools of the university. Kumar explained that the student intake has been increasing at the rate of 30-40 per cent every year.
At Flame, the focus is on students exploring multiple choices. Students take courses in science, social sciences, humanities, global studies and performing arts while also learning an international language. Flame has four schools: the Flame School of Business, the Flame School of Communication, the Flame School of Liberal Education and the Flame School of Performing Arts, all of which are residential courses.
On the other hand, Apeejay Stya University receives students from countries like Nigeria, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Congo, Angola, France and Nepal, among many others. The university offers graduate, post-graduate and doctoral courses, with a focus on research and technology. Sushma Berlia, Chancellor and Co-Founder, Apeejay Stya University said that the university is planning to introduce integrated programmes in architecture, law and some advanced programmes in pharmaceutical sciences.
A hitch however, is that given liberal arts education is in its nascent stage, awareness among parents and students about the job opportunities post the course, is a concern.
Kumar said that an important challenge is to persuade the parents (not so much the students, many of whom are aware of the benefits of liberal arts). "Parents need to be sensitised, informed and convinced that liberal arts education is indeed serious education which will empower their children to pursue meaningful careers," he explained.
Contrary to popular perception, these institutions offer placement opportunities to students through career-development cells. However, placement officials admitted that a large part of the student population was interested in social ventures and higher academic qualifications.
"The salaries for students range from Rs 2 lakh-Rs 3 lakh in the initial stages and hence, they are not too eager to take up corporate jobs, but are interested in the non-governmental sector," said the placement official of a liberal arts university.
Institutes are also looking at better collaboration with professional bodies. For instance, Apeejay Stya also has industry linkages and collaborations with reputed industry associations like Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry and National HRD Network for placement and student-industry interface.
"Internationally, students with liberal arts backgrounds are doing extremely well in their careers. The last two managing directors of McKinsey Worldwide were from liberal arts students. This should be the case in India too. There is a pre-occupation in India with pursuing professionally-oriented courses, but an appreciation for breadth and inter-disciplinary education is the need of the 21st century. The demand for the kind of education Ashoka offers is sure to increase as India aspires to meet the highest global standards in education," said Vineet Gupta, Founder & Trustee, Ashoka University and Managing Director, Jamboree Education.
Ashoka University is the newest addition to the list of liberal arts education providers. The university will begin operations this year and has already received over 3,000 applications in the application pool for the undergraduate programme, from over 200 cities and 10 countries. Their founding undergraduate class will enroll 350 students. The graduate programme, Young India Fellowship, will enroll 200 students this year.
