The BA Public Administration syllabus covers subjects like Public Policy, Indian Administration, Governance, Human Rights Administration, E-Governance, Research Methods, etc. Check out the detailed BA Public Administration syllabus and subjects along with the course structure on this page.
The BA Public Administration syllabus places emphasis on teaching and understanding concepts like secularism, equality, law and order, and justice. Some of the major aspects that are associated with Public Administration include Planning, Organising, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting, and Budgeting. The BA Public Administration subjects include Workforce Administration, Managerial Science, Basis of Public Administration, Ethical Public Management, Administrative Science, etc.
The primary goal of the BA Public Administration course is to provide students with a deep insight into the functionalities of an administrative structure. Students are required to have completed their 10+2 with at least 50% marks from a recognized board to be eligible for a course in Public Administration at the undergraduate level. The BA Public Administration course structure offers a thorough understanding of many sociological and governmental topics, basics of administration, standards of organisation, decentralisation, delegation, and more. Check out the detailed syllabus and subjects of BA Public Administration course on this page and go through the course curriculum to assess whether this is an ideal course for you.
Related Link: Top BA Public Administration Colleges in India 2025
Before you consider getting admission to the BA in Public Administration programme, you must go through the syllabus and the course curriculum to analyze whether the study piques your interest levels. The BA Public Administration syllabus may vary from college to college. The course duration is three years and is divided into six semesters. The syllabus also includes some elective and optional subjects that the students can choose from based on their interests and preferences. Check out the semester-wise syllabus of BA Public Administration as given below:
The table below contains the list of BA Public Administration subjects in the first year (semester 1 and semester 2):
BA Public Administration Subjects - Semester 1 | |
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Assigned Legislation | Association: Meaning and Basis |
Department, Board, Corporation, and Commission | Hypotheses of Organisation: Classical and Bureaucratic |
Managerial Law | New Public Management and Public and Private Administration |
Open Administration: Evolution, Nature, Meaning, Significance | Open Funds: Accounting and Auditing |
Standards of Organisation: Supervision and Control, Span of Control, Hierarchy, Coordination | - |
BA Public Administration Subjects - Semester 2 | |
Independent Regulatory Commission | Components of Personnel Administration: Recruitment, Training/Capacity Building |
Types of Organisations: Formal and Informal | Workforce Administration: Meaning; Nature and Significance |
Scope of New Public Administration | Basics of Public Administration |
Communication, Decentralisation and Delegation | Financial plan: Preparation and Enactment of Budget, Principles |
The table below contains the list of BA Public Administration subjects in the second year (semester 3 and semester 4):
BA Public Administration Subjects - Semester 3 | |
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Central Administration | Chief Minister: Appointment Powers and Functions |
Elements of Indian Administration | English Legacies over Indian Administration |
Essential Rights and Duties | Head Administrator and Council of Ministers: Appointment, Powers and Role |
Ministry of Finance: Organisation and Functions | President: Impeachment, Election, Powers and Position |
Service of Home Affairs: Organisation and Role | - |
BA Public Administration Subjects - Semester 4 | |
State and District Administration | Indian Administration in Socio-Economic Development |
Committee of Ministers and State Legislature | States: Constitution Framework, Representative |
Powers, Position, Role, Organisation and Structure of State Administration | State Planning Department and Board |
Divisional Commissioner: Functions, Powers, and Position | State Secretariat and Directorate: Organisation and Functions |
The table below contains the list of BA Public Administration subjects in the third year (semester 5 and semester 6):
BA Public Administration Subjects - Semester 5 | |
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Development Administration | Nearby Government: Meaning, Evolution, Features and Significance |
Panchayati Raj Institutions: Functions, Composition | Region Planning Committee: Composition, Functions and Significance |
Rural-Urban Administration | Sources of Income of Gram Panchayats, Panchayat Samities and Zila Parishads |
State Finance Commission | Urban-Rural Relationship and Problems |
BA Public Administration Subjects - Semester 6 | |
Importance and Scope of Development Administration | 73rd and 74th Constitution Amendment Acts |
Directive Principles of State Policy, Association of Planning Agencies, Welfare State, Planning Commission | State Planning Board and Department |
Concepts of Welfare State | National Development Council |
Preparation of Five-Year Plans | Social Welfare Administration in India: Women and Children |
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Projects and assignments are part of the BA Public Administration curriculum, which aims to give students in-depth knowledge of the subjects that they may use to solve real-world issues. The final grades that a student receives are based on their performance on attendance, assignments, tests, and presentations, both internal and external assessments. A vast majority of higher education institutions provide the following BA Public Administration subjects:
Administrative Science | Workforce Administration | Private Administration |
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Ethical Public Management | Managerial Tribunal | Strategic Planning and Implementation |
Institutional Framework | Open Administration | International Policy |
Managerial Law | Managerial Science | Organisational Planning |
Political Theory | Open Policy | Program Evaluation and Performance Measurement |
Welfare State | Managing Public and Non-Profit Sector Organisations | Basis of Public Administration |
The academic topics offered by the BA in Public Administration course are varied and offer an interdisciplinary perspective on multiple facets of the field, including New Public Management, Postmodern Public Administration, and Classical Public Administration. The following table provides a thorough overview of some BA Public Administration subjects covered during the course:
Subject Name | Topic Covered |
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Administrative Law |
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Development Administration |
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Human Rights Administration |
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International Administration |
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Introduction to Public Administration |
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Principles of Management |
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As discussed, the arts and humanities are extensively studied in the BA Public Administration curriculum. The primary goal of these training programmes is to offer an in-depth analysis of the staffing, reporting, organising, directing, coordinating, planning, and budgeting basic functions of public administration. The following is a list of BA Public Administration common subjects for all semesters:
Optional subjects are also called elective subjects since they allow students to select courses depending on their desired interests or professional career goals. However, the course offerings for elective subjects may vary by institution. The elective subjects for BA Public Administration are listed in the table below:
Administrative System in India | Administrative Theory |
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Administrative Thinkers | E-Governance |
Financial Administration | Human Rights Administration |
International Administration | Labour Welfare Administration |
Law & Order Administration in India | Police Administration |
Political Theory | Public Personnel Administration |
Public Relation | State & Districts Administration |
In India, few universities offer distance education courses in this specialisation. The distance course enhances students' knowledge in areas such as managerial law, managing public and non-profit sector organisations, workforce administration and development, managerial science, administrative science, institutional framework, and more. The following pointers highlight the syllabus for BA Public Administration distance programmes:
Students can get admission to the BA Public Administration course based on their merit or entrance exam results. Several states conduct entrance exams to offer admission to their colleges in this discipline. Check out some of the most popular state entrance exams for BA Public Administration admissions as listed below:
Entrance Exam | Entrance Exam Syllabus |
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LPU NEST | The Lovely Professional University National Entrance and Scholarship Test or LPUNEST exam includes topics such as Chemical bonding and molecular structure, Chemical kinetics, Chemical thermodynamics, Human Physiology, Mathematical induction, Mathematical reasoning, Matrices, Permutations, Plant Physiology, Redox reactions and electrochemistry, Solutions, Surface Chemistry, Thermal Physics, Vector algebra, etc. |
ITM NEST | The ITM National Entrance and Scholarship Test or ITM NEST exam includes topics such as Active And Passive, Binomial Theorem, Chemical Kinetics, Conjunctions, Economics, Electrochemistry, Electromagnetic Waves, Geography, History, Idioms and Phrases, Indian Polity, Linear Inequalities, One Word Substitutions, Optics, Permutations and Combinations, Surface Chemistry, Synonyms and Antonyms, and more. |
The following table highlights some important books for the BA Public Administration course:
Book Name | Author/s |
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The Utopia of Rules | John Donne |
Public Administration | Lakshmi Narain Agrawal |
Indian Public Administration, Wishwa Prakashan, New Delhi | Ramesh K Arora & Rajni Goyal |
History of Indian Administration | B P Puri |
Governance in India | Harriet Raghunathan |
Administrative Thinkers | William Long |
A Central Administration | Awasthi |
Including practical sessions and workshops to enhance comprehension of academic concepts, the BA in Public Administration curriculum and syllabus are highly interactive. The internal assessment includes a research project as a crucial component. The following pointers outline the BA Public Administration course structure:
The list of popular BA Public Administration project topics includes the following:
Some methodologies and techniques that are used to teach BA Public Administration subjects include case presentations, interactive classroom sessions, assignments, etc. The following list denotes the general teaching strategies:
The core subjects of BA Public Administration are Rural Development Administration, Indian Administration, Financial Plan, Decentralisation and Rural Local Self Government, Basics of Public Administration, Administrative Theory, and so on.
Yes, the BA Public Administration syllabus incorporates research at a minimum level related to their environmental fieldwork and projects. It is a degree at the undergraduate level, so the scope of research is limited. Hence, students who are interested in researching the implementation of government policy or those who want to work in the public service can opt for this course.
No, the BA Public Administration subjects are not tough to understand provided students either have an interest or a good idea about the basic administrative laws that operate in India. There are values based on equality, law, order, justice, secularism, and government policies that feature in the BA Public Administration syllabus. Students learn how government programs and policies are developed and implemented across the globe during coursework.
The BA Public Administration subjects for the 6th semester incorporate studies about human research management, administrative laws used in India, etc. The list of topics includes Concepts of the Welfare State; National Development Council; Preparation of Five Years Plans; Importance and Scope of Development Administration; Social Welfare Administration in India: Women and Children, etc.
The BA Public Administration subjects for the 5th semester introduce students to the elective or optional subjects and research methodologies they can use for social and financial administration. The list of topics includes Rural-Urban Administration; Panchayati Raj Institutions: Composition, Functions; State Finance Commission; Development Administration; Urban-Rural Relationship and Problems, and more.
The BA Public Administration subjects for the 4th semester acquaint students with advanced knowledge about Urban Local Administration and other constitutional issues along with their laws. The list of topics includes State and District Administration; Committee of Ministers and State Legislature; Indian Administration in Socio-Economic Development; State Planning Department and Board, and so on.
The BA Public Administration subjects for the 3rd semester introduce students to real-world techniques and procedures about the issues in public administration. The list of topics includes English Legacies over Indian Administration; Elements of Indian Administration; Service of Home Affairs: Organisation and Role; Central Administration; Essential Rights and Duties, etc.
The BA Public Administration subjects for 2nd semester are common topics that introduce the students to the advanced concepts they will be taught in the remaining course of their degree. The list of topics includes Basics of Public Administration; Scope of New Public Administration; Independent Regulatory Commission; Communication, Decentralisation and Delegation, and more.
The BA Public Administration subjects for 1st semester are basic topics that usually help students revise concepts they have learned in their class 12. The list of topics includes New Public Management and Public and Private Administration; Open Funds: Accounting and Auditing; Assigned Legislation; Department, Board, Corporation and Commission; Managerial Law, and so on.
The syllabus for BA Public Administration consists of both core and elective subjects such as Administrative Systems in India, Administrative Theory, Administrative Thinkers, Basics of Public Administration, E-Governance, Financial Plan, Human Rights Administration, Law and Order Administration in India, Police Administration, Political Theory, Public personnel Administration, Rural Development Administration, State & Districts Administration, etc.
The entrance exam syllabus for BA Public Administration includes Human Physiology, Mathematical induction, Mathematical reasoning, Matrices, Permutations, Plant Physiology, Redox reactions and electrochemistry, Electrochemistry, Electromagnetic Waves, Geography, History, Idioms and Phrases, Indian Polity, Linear Inequalities, and more.
Colleges that offer the best curriculum for BA Public Administration courses are Deshbandhu College, Fergusson College, Jyoti Nivas College, Loreto College, Madras Christian College, Miranda House, Presidency College, Chennai, Ranchi Women's College, Scott Christian College, St Xavier's College, and so on.
International Administration, Police Administration, E-Governance, Political Theory, State and District Administration, Administrative Thinking, Administrative System in India, Public Personnel Administration, Administrative Theory, and Human Rights Administration are the elective subjects offered to the students of BA Public Administration.