12 Mar 2019
What after 12th ?' is the common question among the generation of students studying in 12th standard. Every year the questions hit lakhs of students in India and abroad. The confusion prevails among them concerning career prospects, job opportunities and yes, their passion, their preference. Counselors say that the lack of proper information about the courses available in India and their career prospects, is somewhere responsible. Science, Commerce and Arts are the options available in which students can find a suitable course to pursue after 12th.
Choosing a course shall never be a convenient option rather it should be a highly motivating choice for the students. Interests, motivation, and goals are prime factors students must consider while choosing a course from the range of courses available in India to pursue after 12th. Students can choose a course from top domains including Engineering, Architecture, Design, Law, Applied Science, Business Studies, Management, Behavioral and Social Sciences, Economics, Media, Humanities, and more.
Also Read- List of All Competitive Exams After 12th in India.
Given below is the list of courses in the above mentioned three streams that can help students make an informed and great choice aligning with their interest and career aspirations after passing secondary class.
Students who think that if they choose Arts Stream, they will have less career opportunities than science and commerce, but after completing 12th from arts, there is a list of courses which will provide you good career opportunities.
Course Name |
Eligibility Criteria |
Entrance Exam (if applicable) |
Duration |
BBA - Bachelor of Business Administration |
12th pass (any stream) |
IPMAT, CUET, SET |
3 years |
BMS - Bachelor of Management Science |
12th pass (any stream) |
DU JAT, CUET |
3 years |
BFA - Bachelor of Fine Arts |
12th pass (any stream) |
College-specific entrance |
3-4 years |
BEM - Bachelor of Event Management |
12th pass (any stream) |
- |
3 years |
Integrated Law Course (BA + LL.B) |
12th pass (any stream) |
CLAT, LSAT, AILET |
5 years |
BJMC - Bachelor of Journalism & Mass Communication |
12th pass (any stream) |
CUET, IPU CET |
3 years |
BFD - Bachelor of Fashion Designing |
12th pass (any stream) |
NIFT, AIEED |
3-4 years |
BSW - Bachelor of Social Work |
12th pass (any stream) |
- |
3 years |
BBS - Bachelor of Business Studies |
12th pass (any stream) |
DU JAT |
3 years |
BTTM - Bachelor of Travel and Tourism Management |
12th pass (any stream) |
- |
3 years |
Aviation Courses |
12th pass (any stream with English) |
AME CET, institute-specific |
1-3 years |
12th pass (any stream) |
NID DAT, college-specific |
3 years |
|
12th pass (any stream) |
NCHMCT JEE |
3 years |
|
12th pass (any stream) |
NID DAT, UCEED |
4 years |
|
Bachelor of Performing Arts |
12th pass (any stream) |
Institute-specific auditions/tests |
3 years |
12th pass (Arts stream preferred) |
CUET, college admission |
3 years |
After completing 12th with science stream, there are a variety of options available for an undergraduate course. Students who have an interest in technical learning, they can choose engineering courses and the rest can choose from the courses listed below.
Course Name |
Eligibility Criteria |
Entrance Exam (if applicable) |
Duration |
BE/B.Tech – Bachelor of Technology |
12th pass with PCM |
JEE Main, state-level exams |
4 years |
B.Arch – Bachelor of Architecture |
12th pass with PCM |
NATA, JEE Main (Paper 2) |
5 years |
12th pass (any stream with Math preferred) |
CUET, institute-level exams |
3 years |
|
12th pass (PCM/PCMB) |
College-specific |
3 years |
|
B.Sc – Nursing |
12th pass with PCB |
NEET, state-level exams |
4 years |
BPharma – Bachelor of Pharmacy |
12th pass with PCB/PCM |
NEET, state-level exams |
4 years |
12th pass (any stream) |
NID DAT, institute-level |
3 years |
|
12th pass with PCB |
NEET |
5 years |
|
Animation, Graphics & Multimedia |
12th pass (any stream) |
Institute-specific |
1-3 years |
12th pass with PCB |
Institute-specific |
3 years |
|
12th pass with PCB |
NEET, institute-level |
4.5 years |
|
B.Sc – Applied Geology |
12th pass with PCM |
College-specific |
3 years |
12th pass (any stream) |
CUET, institute-specific |
3 years |
|
B.Sc – Physics |
12th pass with PCM |
CUET, college-specific |
3 years |
B.Sc – Chemistry |
12th pass with PCM |
CUET, college-specific |
3 years |
B.Sc – Mathematics |
12th pass with PCM |
CUET, college-specific |
3 years |
Science is one of the popular streams offering a wide range of technical courses. Here is the list of UG engineering courses for students who have completed their secondary education in science stream.
Course Name |
Eligibility Criteria |
Entrance Exam (if applicable) |
Duration |
Aeronautical Engineering |
10+2 with PCM |
JEE Main, State CETs, University-level exams |
4 years |
Automobile Engineering |
10+2 with PCM |
JEE Main, State CETs |
4 years |
10+2 with PCM |
JEE Main, JEE Advanced, State CETs |
4 years |
|
10+2 with PCM |
JEE Main, JEE Advanced, BITSAT, VITEEE |
4 years |
|
10+2 with PCM or PCB |
JEE Main, State CETs, University-level exams |
4 years |
|
Electrical and Electronics Engineering |
10+2 with PCM |
JEE Main, JEE Advanced, State CETs |
4 years |
Electronics and Communication Engineering |
10+2 with PCM |
JEE Main, JEE Advanced, University-level exams |
4 years |
Automation and Robotics |
10+2 with PCM |
JEE Main, University-level exams |
4 years |
Petroleum Engineering |
10+2 with PCM |
JEE Main, JEE Advanced, University-level exams |
4 years |
Instrumentation Engineering |
10+2 with PCM |
JEE Main, JEE Advanced, State CETs |
4 years |
Ceramic Engineering |
10+2 with PCM |
JEE Main, University-level exams |
4 years |
Chemical Engineering |
10+2 with PCM |
JEE Main, JEE Advanced, BITSAT |
4 years |
Structural Engineering |
10+2 with PCM (usually offered in PG level) |
JEE Main (if UG-level electives offered) |
4 years |
Transportation Engineering |
10+2 with PCM (usually offered in PG level) |
JEE Main (if UG-level electives offered) |
4 years |
Construction Engineering |
10+2 with PCM |
JEE Main, State CETs |
4 years |
Power Engineering |
10+2 with PCM |
JEE Main, State CETs |
4 years |
Robotics Engineering |
10+2 with PCM |
JEE Main, University-level exams |
4 years |
Textile Engineering |
10+2 with PCM |
JEE Main, State CETs |
4 years |
Smart Manufacturing & Automation |
10+2 with PCM |
JEE Main, University-level exams |
4 years |
* You can also check the List of B. tech. Lateral Courses for diploma holders.
Students who want to learn about financial and management, can opt commerce stream after 10th. For commerce students, mathematics is an optional subject, thus students who have an interest in mathematics but do not want to go with science stream can take commerce with maths.
Course Name |
Eligibility Criteria |
Entrance Exam (if applicable) |
Duration |
B.Com – Bachelor of Commerce |
10+2 in Commerce or any stream |
Merit-based or university-specific entrance tests |
3 years |
BBA – Bachelor of Business Administration |
10+2 in any stream (Commerce preferred) |
IPMAT, DU JAT, SET, university entrance tests |
3 years |
10+2 in Commerce or any stream |
CUET, university-specific entrance exams |
3 years |
|
10+2 with Mathematics (recommended) |
CUET, university-specific entrance exams |
3 years |
|
Integrated Law Program – B.Com LL.B. |
10+2 in any stream |
CLAT, LSAT India, SLAT, university-level exams |
5 years |
10+2 in any stream |
CLAT, LSAT India, SLAT, university-level exams |
5 years |
In addition to the Science, Commerce and Arts courses, there are some professional courses in which you can enroll after clearing the 12th:
Course Name |
Eligibility Criteria |
Entrance Exam (if applicable) |
Duration |
CA – Chartered Accountancy |
10+2 in any stream |
CA Foundation Exam by ICAI |
4.5 – 5 years |
CS – Company Secretary |
10+2 in any stream |
CS Foundation/CSEET |
3 – 5 years |
Bachelor of Design (Various Specializations) |
10+2 in any stream |
NID DAT, UCEED, NIFT Entrance Exam |
4 years |
Bachelor in Foreign Language |
10+2 in any stream |
CUET / university entrance (for some languages) |
3 years |
Diploma Courses (Commerce/Design/Language fields) |
10+2 in any stream |
Depends on the course/institution |
1 – 2 years |
Advanced Diploma Courses |
10+2 in any stream |
Depends on course/institution |
1 – 2 years |
Certificate Courses |
10+2 in any stream |
Usually direct admission |
6 months – 1 year |
The information provided above will help students with a list of courses available in India they can choose from.
Institute Name |
Courses Offered |
Location |
Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) |
B.Tech, B.Sc. |
Multiple Locations |
Manav Rachna University |
B.Tech, BBA, B.Des, B.Com (Hons), Law |
Faridabad, Haryana |
National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) |
B.Des, Fashion Design |
Multiple Locations |
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) |
MBBS, B.Sc. Nursing |
New Delhi |
Delhi University (DU) |
B.Com, B.A., BJMC |
New Delhi |
Symbiosis International University |
BBA, BCA, BA |
Pune |
National Law University (NLU) |
LLB, Integrated Law |
Multiple Locations |
Students often ponder, “What are the options available to me after Class 12?” The answer is determined by the stream you have taken—Science, Commerce, or Arts. Here is a guideline that will help you find a few of the most popular job roles after completing 12th grade.
Students who opt for Science in higher secondary pursue a wide range of technical and medicinal career options:
Arts students are no longer restricted to conventional job choices. Creative industries and communication-oriented fields are now offering promising vistas:
Commerce students can explore wildly lucrative possibilities in finance, business, and management.
The pathway for your career after Class 12 will depend on what area you are interested in, what course you take up, and in which industry you want to work. Be it engineering, fashion designing, business, or journalism; appropriate education with skill-building will pave the way for rewarding employment options.
After 12th, the best courses really depend upon the stream and areas of interest. Among the best are B.Tech, MBBS, BA, B.Com, and BBA. Enter here into some of the professionally and enjoyed courses like CA, Design, Law, and Hotel Management for good opportunities. Go for a course that meets your strengths and goals for the future.
Some high-salary job courses are Engineering (B.tech), MBBS, Chartered Accountancy, Law, and Management (BBA+MBA). In addition, popular fields in technology include Data Science or AI. But later on, your skills, hard work, and specialization will also determine your earning level.
The technologically, health, and finance and digitally emerging fields would be exploring very fast in the future. The courses related to AI, Data Science, Cyber Security, Medicine, and Business Management are very promising and futuristic. There is an innovation opportunity as well as job security with future growth in these fields.
Courses are BA (English, History, Psychology), Journalism, Fashion Designing, Fine Arts, Hotel Management, and Law for arts students. Popular courses are Digital Marketing, Animation, and Event Management. Choose according to what interests you and your career aspirations.
Courses like BBA, Entrepreneurship, Digital Marketing, E-Commerce, and Hotel Management prepare one for business skills. Also short-term courses like finance, sales, and business communication would be helpful. Practical skills with hands-on experience help in setting up a successful business and growing it.