List of All Professional Courses After 12th In All Streams

With the aim of early professional education and career advancement, many students today are taking up professional courses right after completion of their school education. However, with the vast enormity of alternatives to choose from, students can get confused about which course to choose and which one to develop a career in. 

Latest Update: Class 10th and 12th CBSE Board Results of the year 2024 are Soon to be released, to check the result you have to visit the official website of the CBSE, and for more details Click Here.

For your ease of choosing, here we have mentioned a streamwise list of most sought professional courses after class 12th. Read more to explore the top professional courses in India. 

What is a Professional Course?

A professional course is an educational course that is aimed at developing the competency or the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the student in a particular professional domain through training. A professional course is designed in a way that makes the learner well-equipped with the professional and practical requirements of a field. 

Professional courses, unlike regular courses, are more focused on the specifics of a subject area rather than broader foundations. As the name explains, the emphasis in such a course is more on the application of the learned concepts. 

Professional courses are generally shorter than regular courses and enable the student to quickly start their professional ventures and develop their career after course completion.  

Types of Professional Courses After 12th

Professional courses after the 12th can be offered to students in the following common formats:

• Degree Courses: These are full-time courses in the professional domain that provide students with comprehensive knowledge as well as training for a career in the domain. These are the most valued type of professional courses and are most preferred for starting and developing a career in the field of interest. 
• Diploma Courses: Diploma courses are shorter than degree courses, but are a popular option among students after completion of class 12th education, as these help students to develop the necessary skills and prerequisites for the professional field in a shorter duration. 
• Certification Programmes: Certification programmes are short-term courses that are designed to enable students to gain basic knowledge and training in the domain. However, certificate courses are more beneficial for skill development in a domain rather than starting a career, as it is tougher to establish one’s career in a domain solely based on a certification course. 

• Training Courses: these are more practically-oriented courses that are designed to train the student in specific skills needed for a professional field. These are for students who want to develop their professional skills or upskill themselves in a specific domain. 

Also Read | List of Top Free Online Courses with Certificates

Top Professional Courses to Take Up After Class 12th

Many universities, polytechnic universities and training institutes offer students with a number of professional courses in the form of degrees, diplomas, certification programmes etc. These courses are also offered to students in the online mode for greater accessibility to higher education for a larger number of individuals. 

Here we have listed some of the top professional courses that you can take up after class 12th. 

Top Professional Courses After Class 12th Arts & Humanities

Contrary to the belief about the restricted professional scope of arts and humanities, there are indeed many professional domains that students can start exploring right after class 12th.

Such professional courses will allow students from an arts background to start their careers quickly. 

Some of the top areas have been mentioned here

1. Journalism & Mass Communication

The demand for more professionals in the field of journalism and mass communication is on the rise in a world that is becoming globalized and interconnected every day. As a result, a student from an arts and humanities background after the 12th can benefit much from a professional course in this field, especially if they have an acumen for mass communication, oration, and self-presentation.

Here are some of the best professional courses in journalism and mass communication that one can pursue after class 12th:

Journalism and Mass Communication Courses After Class 12th
Course	Mode of Delivery	Average Duration
B.A (Journalism & Mass Communication)	Online & Offline	3 Years
Diploma in Journalism & Mass Communication	Online & Offline	1-2 Years
Certificate Courses in Journalism	Online & Offline	6 Months- 1 Year
B.A (Media Sciences)	Online & Offline	3 Years
Certificate Course in Media Ethics & Governance	Online	1 Month

2. Law 

Law is one of the top professional areas to explore after class 12th, and not only students from arts and humanities, but students from any stream can enter the field of law. Students interested in developing a career in law can take up a number of courses at the degree, diploma or certification level. A large number of courses are offered to students online as well, so one can conveniently pursue these professional courses irrespective of geographical boundaries.  

Some of the popular professional courses in law after the 12th have been listed here

Law Courses After Class 12th
Course	Mode of Delivery	Average Duration
Diploma in Criminology	Online & Offline	1 Year
Diploma in Business Law	Online & Offline	1 Year
Diploma in Criminal Law	Online & Offline	1-2 Years
Certificate Course in Human Rights	Online & Offline	6 Months-1 Year
Certificate Course in Corporate Law	Online	6 Months

3. Fine Arts

If you are a student from a humanities background and also have an interest in fine arts, then there are many professional courses you can take up in online and offline mode to develop your skills further as well as develop a professional career in this field. Here are some of the best courses in fine arts after the 12th that you can take up:

Fine Art Courses After Class 12th
Course	Mode of Delivery	Average Duration
Diploma in Fine Arts	Online & Offline	1 Year
Diploma in Fine Arts & Drawing Certification	Online	Short-Term Course (3.5 Hours)
BFA (Digital Art)	Offline	4 Years
BFA Photography	Offline	4 Years
Diploma in Sketching & Oil Painting	Online	6 Months

4. Teaching 

If you have a knack for teaching and educating others, then you might want to start training yourself early for the same. There are some entry-level courses that you can explore after class 12th to pursue a career in teaching. Here, we have listed some of the courses that may be helpful for you to start a career in teaching after completion of the course.  

Teaching Courses After Class 12th
Course	Mode of Delivery	Average Duration
Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed) Certificate	Online	1 Year
Nursery Teachers’ Training (NTT)	Online & Offline	1 Year
Certificate Course in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Teaching and Learning	Online & Offline	4 Years
Bachelors of Education (B.Ed)	Offline	4 Years
Diploma in Education (D.Ed)	Distance & Offline	2 Years

5. Library Sciences

Gone are the days when anyone could secure a job in a library. These days, large-scale libraries require librarians to have specialized education and training in the field. So if you feel like you can develop a career in the domain of library sciences, then there are a number of professional courses in library sciences after which you can develop a career in this field: 

Library Science Courses After Class 12th
Course	Mode of Delivery	Average Duration
Certificate Course in Library Sciences	Online & Offline	6 Months
Bachelors of Library Sciences  (B.Lib)	Online & Offline	1 Year
Diploma in Library Sciences	Online & Offline	4 Years
Certificate Course in Digital Library	Online	15 Months
Certificate Course in Library and Information Sciences	Online	6 Months

Also Read | Top 10 Online Learning Platforms In India

Top Professional Courses After Class 12th Commerce

Commerce as a discipline has a large number of subject areas under the umbrella discipline, which can be explored by children. Being a field closely related to a practical application, there is a large scope for students with a commerce background to venture to professional fields after class 12th.

Fields such as business, management, finance etc. can be effectively explored after completing school education. Here we have listed some of the top professional courses preferred by students after completing class 12th level education. 

1. Management Courses

This is by far the most commonly explored domain related to commerce that students take up today. So, naturally, it tops our list of recommendations. Not only is management a popular field for students from a commerce discipline but also among those from humanities and sciences.

Some of the most popular management courses that students can take up after class 12th are given below:

Management Courses After Class 12th
Course	Mode of Delivery	Average Duration
Diploma in Hotel Management	Online & Offline	3 Years
Certificate Course in Project Management	Online	3-6 Months
Certificate Course in Management Consulting	Online	3-6 Months
Diploma in Advertising and Brand Management	Online	6 Months
Diploma in Event Management	Online & Offline	1 Year

2. Business Administration

Closely related to the field of management, business administration involves a more nuanced understanding of the basics of running a business as well as developing it. There are a number of professional courses available for students to pursue in both the online and offline modes with specializations in areas such as human resource management, strategy management, logistics, finance, marketing and so on. Here are some of the most popular business administration courses to take up after class 12th:

Business Administration Courses After Class 12th
Course	Mode of Delivery	Average Duration
Diploma in Business Administration	Online & Offline	3 Years
Diploma in Management	Online & Offline	1 Year
Bachelor of Business Administration	Online & Offline	3 Years
Diploma in Banking and Finance	Online & Offline	1 Year
Certificate Course: Introduction to Marketing	Online	1-3 Months

3. Chartered Accountancy

Chartered accountancy is a highly prestigious professional field with a large scope of career growth. Chartered accountancy as a field involves tasks such as auditing, financial functions, taxation etc. In India, the most valued and standard professional course for exploring the field of chartered accountancy is to seek the chartered accountancy course offered by the ICAI. Also Read | Computer Courses after 12th In Commerce

In order to pursue CA after class 12th, students can enroll for the foundation course in CA offered by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).  This course is an approximate duration of 4-5 years. 

Chartered Accountancy Courses After Class 12th
Course	Mode of Delivery	Average Duration
Chartered Accountancy Course by ICAI	Offline	Nearly 5 Years

4. Digital Marketing 

Marketing had long been a much-explored field for professional ventures in India. Coming up as a unique field in recent times is digital marketing, owing to the growing popularity and reliance on digital media and channels for all types of financial exchanges. Also Read | Computer Courses after 12th In Arts

With the growing popularity of the digital mode of consumerism, digital marketing is a specialized area where specific courses are offered to students to pursue after class 12th.

Here are some of the top options that you can explore after class 12th in this field:

Business Administration Courses After Class 12th
Course	Mode of Delivery	Average Duration
Diploma in Digital Marketing  (By IMTS Institute)	Offline	6 Months
Certificate Course in Social Media Marketing (Meta)	Online	3-6 Months
Diploma in Marketing Management	Online	1 Year
Certificate Course in Marketing Strategy	Online	3-6 Months
Certificate Course in Marketing Management	Online	6 Months

5. Finance 

Students interested in developing a career in the field of finance also have a variety of online and offline professional courses that they can take up after completing their school education. There are diploma and certification courses after 12th offered to students at the beginner levels, which have been listed below:

Finance Courses After Class 12th
Course	Mode of Delivery	Average Duration
Diploma in Financial Management	Offline	1 Year
Professional Certificate in Corporate Finance	Online	3 Months
Certificate Course in Corporate Finance	Online	8 Weeks
Diploma in Financial Services Management	Online & Offline	1 Year
Company Secretary Foundation Programme	Distance Learning	8 Months

Top Professional Courses After Class 12th Science 

Not only can students from a science background explore a variety of professional courses in the field itself, they also have the liberty to migrate to other disciplines and explore courses in those fields. So, science students have a large number of options as far as professional courses are concerned after class 12th.

Here, we have listed some of the most famous professional domains along with popular courses that students with a science background can pursue. 

1. Engineering 

By far, engineering is one of the most valued and popular career options that students in India tend to take up after class 12th level education. The high value and job scope of the field combined with the relatively viable time duration of course completion make this field very popular in India. Students in India have a variety of options to explore if they wish to become an engineer. Also Read | Computer Courses After 12th In Science

However, it is preferable to develop a career in this field through obtaining degrees or diplomas in the field rather than just certifications. Moreover, being a technical and safety-concerned field, offline courses in this field are much more valued than online or distance courses. Nonetheless, online and distance courses are very useful for developing basic skills and competency in the field. Here are some of the most common courses: 

Engineering Courses After Class 12th
Course	Mode of Delivery	Average Duration
Bachelor of Engineering  (B.E)	Offline	4 Years
Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech)	Offline	4 Years
Diploma in Civil Engineering	Online, Distance & Offline	1-3 Years
Diploma in Architecture Engineering	Distance & Offline	3 Years
Diploma in Mechanical Engineering	Online & Offline	3 Years

2. Medicine and Healthcare

Medicine is one of the most socially valued and respected professional fields. Closely related is the field of healthcare, in which there is a wide job scope as well. Contrary to the popular opinion of limited scope in medicine, there are a wide number of professional domains to explore for students in this field. Ranging from nursing to paediatrics, students can develop careers in highly demanded and fairly paid jobs.

Similar to the field of engineering, offline, full-time courses with sufficient practical exposure are the best for developing a career in the field of medicine and healthcare. Some of the commonly pursued courses in this field have been listed here:

Medicine and Healthcare Courses After Class 12th
Course	Mode of Delivery	Average Duration
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery  (MBBS)	Offline	5 Years
Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharma)	Distance & Offline	4 Years
Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT)	Offline	4 Years
B.Sc Nursing	Offline	4 Years
Diploma in Nutrition and Health Education	Online	1 Year

3. Information Technology (IT)

Information technology is a field that is growing in its scope by the hour owing to the widespread digitization and rise of technology. As a result, many students wish to start honing their technical and professional skills in this domain right after completing their school education. This step helps to establish oneself in this field in a short duration of time. Some of the common courses in this field that can be pursued after class 12th are:

Medicine and Healthcare Courses After Class 12th
Course	Mode of Delivery	Average Duration
Diploma in Computer Applications	Online & Offline	1 Year
Diploma in Web Development	Online & Offline	1 Year
Bachelor of Computer Application (BCA)	Online & Offline	3 Years
Certificate Course in C++	Online	43 Mins
Certificate Course: Introduction to Cyber Security	Online	3-6 Months

4. Biotechnology 

This is a field that effectively connects the physical and life sciences and is a growing area of interest among students. There are a number of courses that students from a science background can opt for after class 12th. Some of them have been listed here: 

Biotechnology Courses After Class 12th
Course	Mode of Delivery	Average Duration
B.E (Biotechnology)	Offline	4 Years
B.Sc (Biotechnology)	Online, Distance & Offline	3-4 Years
Certificate Course in Industrial Biotechnology	Online	1-3 Months
Certificate Course in Bioinformatics	Online	3-6 Months
Certificate Course: Introductory Course on Biotechnology	Online	37 Mins

5. Architecture 

Architecture courses are provided under the domain of engineering as well as a separate field. There are a number of courses after class 12th that a student can take up in the field of architecture. Ranging from architectural engineering to interior designing, there are a number of fascinating and interesting career domains to explore if you have an aptitude and knack for the field. These are some of the common professional courses you are eligible to pursue after class 12th. 

Architecture Courses After Class 12th
Course	Mode of Delivery	Average Duration
Diploma in Interior Designing	Online & Offline	1-2 Years
Certificate Course in Interior Designing	Online & Offline	6 Months
Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch)	Offline	5 Years
Diploma in Architectural Engineering	Distance & Offline	3 Years

Also Read | How to Choose the Online Courses?

Professional Courses After Class 12th: Common for All Streams 

Some professional courses are offered after class 12th which are commonly opted by students from all streams.

There are a number of such common courses, the most common among which have been listed here: 

Common Professional Courses After Class 12th
Course	Mode of Delivery	Average Duration
Digital Marketing Courses	Online & Offline	Variable (depending on whether diploma or certification)
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)	Online & Offline	3 Years
Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA)	Online & Offline	3 Years
BFA Photography	Offline	4 Years
Bachelor of Legislative Law (LLB)	Distance & Offline	5 Years

How to Choose the Right Professional Course for Yourself? 

When exploring the opportunities for professional courses and researching about the courses best-suited for your academic needs, keeping in mind certain considerations about your professional and academic goals can help you in choosing a course that brings the most value to your career. Here are a few of the major factors that you can consider taking up so as to select a professional course that best matches your career needs. 

1. Your Interest Area: Your interest in the domain you are choosing to upskill in, is of utmost importance to sustain your interest in the career on a long-term basis as well as to ensure success. So, before venturing into any professional course, it is important for you to assess your overall areas of interest to ensure the course (and consequently, the career) you select aligns with your overall interests. 
    
2. Your Aptitude:  Knowing your strong areas and skills helps you assess your fit with the profession you are choosing to venture into, considering that your aptitude is a significant predictor of your success on the job and in the industry. Hence, ensure that you choose a course that matches your aptitude areas.
    
3. Time You can Devote to the Course : Another pragmatic consideration to take into account is the amount of time you have available to devote to the coursework. Professional courses are as rigorous as academic courses in terms of the lectures, the practicum and fieldwork needed to meet course credits. As a result it is a wise decision to realistically assess if you would be willing and able to devote the requisite time on a daily basis to the course. Similarly, some professional courses have a longer duration while some other courses like certifications and degrees are relatively shorter. You should also consider the course duration as a factor before enrolling in a course, especially if you have certain career goals to enter the professional field after a specific time. 
    
4. Research All Your Options : Another important aspect of choosing the right course for yourself includes thoroughly researching the available choices for you. It is important to evaluate all your options in terms of their fees, accreditations, course duration, curriculum, mode of learning, pedagogy, faculty and so on. This is a tedious process, and especially more so if you want to take up an online professional course with the vast myriad of available options to choose from. Hence, you can visit the official page of College Vidya to explore online courses offered by over 75+ universities and easily compare them on over 30+ crucial factors. 
    
5. Consider the Appropriate Mode of Learning for You : Lastly, another important aspect to consider is whether you want to pursue a professional course in the regular full-time mode, distance mode or the fully online mode. The modality of teaching of each course as well as the pedagogy and the associated pros and cons of each mode vary a lot, and hence you should be well-aware before selecting a particular professional course and its mode. In the case of distance and online courses, it is even more important to check the accreditations and approvals of the course and the institute offering the course. 

Thus, by considering a few such factors, you can easily find the professional course best-suited for your career goals. 

Professional Course and Regular Course: What is the Difference? 

After class 12th, students are faced with the grave concern of choosing a future career path. There are many types of courses that students can take up after completing school education. The common options include either taking up a regular academic degree or a professional course to boost one’s career.

However, students are often confused about the basic differences between these courses and which one to choose for a better future. 

Here we have listed down the fundamental parameters along which a regular and a professional degree differ. 

1. Academic Base vs Professional Course

The most basic difference between a regular course and a professional course is the focus of the course curriculum. 

• A regular course is more theoretically-oriented and aimed at strengthening the academic foundations and concepts of students related to the subject. The main focus here is on the concepts and theories of the specialization. The aim is to make the student well-versed with the base of the subject area. 
• A professional course has a more practical orientation to the discipline. Theoretical bases are taught but not emphasized, rather the focus is on developing and honing the practical and professional skills of the field. The aim is to make the student well-equipped with all the professional skills and technical knowledge to excel in the professional domain. 

2. Broad Domain vs Specific Area

The second major difference between an academic degree and a professional one is the scope of the course. 

• A regular academic course has a much broader focus in the subject area as it is more theoretically oriented. In such courses, students usually have the choice to opt for a specialization (e.g. botany or zoology in B.Sc), but even within the specialization, there is a wider focus on the field’s basics, subfields, history of development etc.
• In a professional course, there is a highly specific focus since the main aim is to make the student well-skilled in the domain. As a result, the emphasis is on a specific narrow domain for the course. 

3. Longer Time vs Quicker Boost to Career

The main and last difference between these two courses is the instrumentality of the courses and the time needed for professional establishment. 

• A regular course has a greater scope of career alternatives as it has a broad and generalized curriculum. But, being mainly academically oriented, students pursuing these courses need more time to establish themselves professionally in the field. In most cases, they need to pursue professional courses after completing their main course so as to gain the needed practical skills needed for excelling in their career. 
• On the other hand, professional courses are more specific and focus on developing the professional skills and competencies of the student, and as a result, help them establish a career and find professional job roles quickly after course completion. However, since they have a very specific and narrow focus, the career scope of such courses is limited to the domain in which the person is trained. 

Also Read | List Computer Courses after 12th

Why Choose a Professional Course?

So after understanding the difference between the two types of courses, the main question that arises is whether you should actually go for a professional course and if it is a good choice for you.

Here we have listed some of the factors which can make a professional course suitable for you. 

1. Need for Job

A professional course is the most viable educational option for you in case you need a job quickly and cannot afford to devote multiple years to higher education. After completing a professional course, one can quickly get placed in the area of specialization as they are now trained professionally in the domain.

2. Quicker Career Start

If you wish to quickly start your career due to any reason, then a professional course is more useful than a regular course. This is because these courses are specifically designed to enable you to reach the required level of professional proficiency. This gives a boost to your profile and helps you quickly start your career, as compared to a regular academic degree. 

3. Shorter in Duration 

One of the major reasons as to why students opt for a professional course is the comparatively shorter duration of these courses as compared to regular ones. This helps in a quicker career start after course completion and can be preferable for some students. 

4. Entrance-Based Admissions

One of the major advantages of a professional course is that it does not base admissions on past academic performance. Most professional courses have entrance examinations for admissions rather than just merit-based criteria. So, students can benefit much from this provision, as those having a genuine knack in the subject area can seek admission to the course irrespective of their past academic performance.  

5. Cost-Effective

Professional courses being shorter in duration than regular full-time courses are also more pocket-friendly for students in most cases. So, students from different backgrounds can apply and pursue these courses. There is also an added value to the course as it helps to quickly start one’s career after completing the course. However, the cost of a professional course is dependent on the stream and duration of the course as well, and students can accordingly compare and choose the right course for them.

So, you can take up a professional course depending on whether it is the best alternative for you and if it suits your career goals. 

Online Universities and Institutes Offering Professional Courses after Class 12th

Some of the top Indian online universities offering courses that can be taken up after class 12th have been listed below. 

Online Universities Offering Professional Courses After Class 12th
University	Courses Offered
Chandigarh University Online	BBA BBA (ACCA) BCA
Jain Online University	BBA
LPU Online University	BCA
Amity Online University	BBA BCA
Online Manipal	BBA BCA
Manav Rachna University Centre for Distance and Online Education (CDOE)	BBA BCA

Conclusion 

Professional courses have always been a popular choice for higher education for students in India and are very helpful for getting a good kick-start to their careers. Today, the number of choices of professional courses has widened even further with many such courses being offered online, distance, and regular modes of teaching. These courses are cost-effective and allow students to get professionally groomed right after their school education.