BA LLB subjects come in two sets. Across five years and ten semesters you study arts subjects such as political science, history, sociology and English, mostly in the first two years, and more than 30 law papers, from contract and criminal law to evidence, drafting and a final dissertation. The Bar Council of India fixes the law core.
Each university chooses its own arts subjects, so the list changes from campus to campus. This guide shows the rules that bind every BA LLB, a full semester-wise syllabus from one central university, and how it compares with other law degrees. For fees, eligibility and colleges, see our BA LLB course page.
How BA LLB subjects are structured
Schedule II of the BCI Rules of Legal Education, 2008 sets the frame. On the arts side you take one major subject and two minors, with English compulsory and at least one other Indian or foreign language. The BCI suggests six papers in the major and three each in the two minors and in languages.
On the law side the BA LLB carries the same load as a standalone LLB: at least 30 papers, made up of 20 compulsory, 4 clinical and 6 optional. An honours degree adds eight papers in one area of law. The BCI's sample layout puts four arts papers and two law papers in each early semester, so law starts from day one rather than after the arts half is over.
| Component | What the BCI asks for | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Arts major | One subject, about 6 papers | Political science, economics, history, sociology, English |
| Arts minors | Two subjects, about 3 papers each | Philosophy, psychology, journalism and mass communication |
| Languages | English compulsory, plus one Indian or foreign language | Structure of English, legal language |
| Compulsory law papers | 20 | Contract, torts, constitutional law, crimes, evidence, property |
| Clinical papers | 4 | Drafting, professional ethics, ADR, moot court and internship |
| Optional law papers | 6 | Criminology, cyber law, competition law, human rights |
| Honours papers | 8 more in one area | Constitutional law, business law, international law |
BA LLB subjects semester-wise: a real syllabus
The clearest public example is the University of Delhi's five-year course. Its BA LLB (Hons) course structure was approved by the Faculty of Law's Committee of Courses on 13 December 2024 and states that it is based on BCI Schedule II. Here is the BA LLB column, semester by semester.
| Semester | Arts and language subjects | Law subjects |
|---|---|---|
| I | Political Science I, History I, Sociology I, Structure of English Language I | Introduction to Law and Legal Systems, Law of Contract |
| II | Political Science II, History II, Sociology II, Structure of English Language II | Special Contracts, Law of Torts |
| III | Philosophy I, Psychology I, Law and Economics I | Family Law I, Law of Crimes I, Law of Property |
| IV | Philosophy II, Psychology II, Law and Economics II | Family Law II, Law of Crimes II, Law of Evidence |
| V | International Relations and Diplomacy | Constitutional Law I, Public International Law, Code of Civil Procedure, Intellectual Property Law I, one optional, Moot Court and Internship I-A |
| VI | Public Policy and Administration | Constitutional Law II, Jurisprudence, Company Law, Intellectual Property Law II, one optional |
| VII | None | Drafting, Pleadings and Conveyancing, Alternate Dispute Resolution, Law and Technology, Justice Delivery System and Interpretation of Statutes, International Trade Law, one optional, Moot Court and Internship I-B |
| VIII | None | Administrative Law, Labour Laws, Law of Taxation, Litigation Advocacy, Human Rights Law, one optional |
| IX | None | Environmental Law, Mediation and Conflict Resolution, Research Methodology and Legal Data Analysis, Professional Ethics and Professional Accounting, two optionals, Moot Court and Internship I-C |
| X | None | Dissertation, Internship |
Add it up and the course has 59 papers: 14 arts papers, 2 language papers, 22 compulsory law papers, 4 clinical papers, 6 optionals, 8 honours papers and 3 moot court and internship papers. Internships run for two weeks each winter after semesters III, V, VII and IX and four weeks each summer, which takes you past the BCI minimum of 20 weeks for a five-year course.
What the five years feel like
Years one and two: arts and law side by side, with arts papers in the majority at first. Expect reading-heavy humanities papers next to contract, torts, family law and criminal law.
Year three: the arts side shrinks to one paper a semester. Constitutional law, civil procedure and intellectual property take over, and moot courts begin to count for marks.
Years four and five: law only. Drafting, advocacy, taxation and labour law, then a research methods paper and a dissertation in the final semester.
Optional papers in the BA LLB
Optionals are where you start shaping a direction. In the Delhi structure the six optional slots draw from a list of 11 papers:
Criminology and Victimology; International Humanitarian and Criminal Law
Law of Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Gender Justice and Feminist Jurisprudence
Corporate Governance (Mergers, Acquisitions and Competition Law); Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Law
International Investment Law; International Commercial Arbitration
Private International Law; International Environmental Law; Defence and Strategic Studies
If corporate work interests you, insolvency, corporate governance and cyber law are the natural picks. If you lean towards public law, gender justice and humanitarian law fit better and lead well into an LLM in constitutional law. Optionals depend on faculty, so the list at your own college may be shorter.
How BA LLB subjects differ from BBA LLB and the 3-year LLB
The law papers are nearly identical across all three, because the BCI sets the same compulsory core. What changes is the first degree that sits next to it.
| Degree | Duration | Non-law subjects | Law subjects |
|---|---|---|---|
| BA LLB | 5 years | Political science, history, sociology, philosophy, psychology, English | BCI core plus optionals and honours |
| BBA LLB | 5 years | Management, accounting, business statistics, marketing, HR, finance | Same law core |
| 3-year LLB | 3 years | None (you already hold a degree) | Same law core, packed into six semesters |
Choose BA LLB if you enjoy reading, writing and arguing about how society works, or you are thinking about litigation, policy, the judiciary or civil services, and compare colleges on our BA LLB course details page. If business subjects appeal more, look at the BBA LLB course and our explainer on the BBA LLB full form. If you have already graduated, our guide to LLB course duration and subjects covers the three-year route.
Getting in: eligibility and CLAT in brief
For the National Law Universities, admission to the five-year LLB is through CLAT. For CLAT 2027, the Consortium of NLUs asks for Class 12 with at least 45% (40% for SC, ST and PwD), sets no upper age limit, and allows students who sit their boards in March or April 2027 to apply. The test is on 6 December 2026, and applications close on 31 October 2026.
The paper has 120 one-mark questions in two hours, with 0.25 marks deducted for each wrong answer, spread across English, current affairs, legal reasoning, logical reasoning and quantitative techniques. Some universities outside the consortium also use CLAT scores: Delhi's Faculty of Law admitted its 2026-27 BA LLB batch on CLAT 2026 scores. If you are still choosing a stream or a course, our guide on what to do after 12th arts lays out the other options.
Frequently asked questions
What are the subjects in BA LLB first year?
Arts subjects, English and a few law papers run side by side. At the University of Delhi, the first year covers political science, history, sociology and English, with Introduction to Law and Legal Systems, Law of Contract, Special Contracts and Law of Torts.
How many subjects are there in BA LLB?
The BCI requires at least 30 law papers plus the arts papers. The University of Delhi's BA LLB (Hons) has 59 papers in total, including 14 arts papers, 2 language papers and 8 honours law papers.
Is maths compulsory for BA LLB?
No. CLAT 2027 eligibility asks only for Class 12 with 45% marks (40% for SC, ST and PwD) and does not name a stream. CLAT does include a short quantitative techniques section of about 10% of the paper.
Which is better, BA LLB or BBA LLB?
The law subjects are the same, so neither is better in law. BA LLB suits students drawn to litigation, policy or public law; BBA LLB suits those who want corporate or business law work and are comfortable with accounts and statistics.
Is there a dissertation in BA LLB?
It depends on the university. In the University of Delhi structure, semester IX has a research methodology paper with a synopsis, and semester X has the dissertation and an internship.
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