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Studies & Degrees in Indian Civilization

Indian civilization is the study of the history, religions, languages, literature, art and society of India and the wider Indian subcontinent, from the earliest urban cultures of the Indus valley to the present. Universities rarely use this exact name. The subject is usually taught as South Asian studies, Indian studies or Indology, and it draws on several disciplines at once.

Students typically follow the long history of the region, the development of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Islam in India, the classical literatures, the colonial period and independence, and present-day politics, economy and culture. Harvard University, for example, describes its South Asian Studies concentration as a critical understanding of the diverse cultures, histories, languages and literatures of South Asia, a region in which it includes Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Tibet.

What students learn

Most degrees combine a language with courses on history and culture. At Leiden University in the Netherlands, students of the bachelor's degree in South and Southeast Asian Studies learn Hindi, Sanskrit, Tibetan or Indonesian and specialise in either modern societies or classical cultures. One of the courses covers the history of the region from ancient times up to about 1850, organised around three processes: Indianisation, Islamisation and colonisation.

At Harvard, students interested in the arts and humanities can study modern or pre-modern South Asia through history, history of art, literature, music, philosophy or religion. The department offers language study in Hindi-Urdu, Sanskrit, Tamil and Tibetan.

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's degrees. The Leiden bachelor's degree lasts three years and is taught in English. Students are strongly recommended to spend the first semester of the third year in Asia; those who study Hindi go to the University of Hyderabad in India.
  • Majors and minors in the United States. At Harvard the subject is a concentration within the bachelor's degree, with two options: South Asian Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, or South Asian Studies. A shorter secondary field of 5 courses (20 credits) is also available.
  • Master's degrees. The MA South Asian Studies at Leiden University is a one-year programme of 60 EC (ECTS credits), taught in English. Knowledge of a South Asian language is not required, but students can take an intensive Hindi, Sanskrit or Tibetan course in place of an elective.
  • Studying in India. The Indian government's Study in India portal lets foreign students search more than 24,000 courses at over 1,200 Indian institutions and apply to several of them at once.

Admission and costs: an example

For its English-taught humanities bachelor's degrees, Leiden University asks international applicants for a diploma equivalent to the Dutch pre-university (VWO) diploma and proof of English, for example an IELTS Academic score of at least 6.0 overall and 6.0 in each component. For the 2027-28 academic year the statutory tuition fee for first-year bachelor's students is €2,771, and the institutional fee for students who are not nationals of an EEA country, Suriname or Switzerland is €14,700. Requirements and fees at other universities differ.

Where to study

SpainExchange currently lists one active school under Indian civilization, the Universidad de Salamanca in Spain. Its official bachelor's degree in this area, the Grado en Estudios de Asia Oriental (four years, 240 ECTS credits), is built around Japanese, Korean or Chinese as the first Asian language, not around India. Students who want to focus on India should ask the university which courses on India are available in the current academic year, or look at dedicated South Asian studies programmes such as those described above.

Programmes aimed at international students are often taught in English. A language of the region, most often Hindi or Sanskrit, is normally part of the degree at bachelor's level.

Careers

The degree does not lead to one profession. Leiden University says graduates of its MA in Asian Studies work in journalism and publishing, international trade and marketing, business, public relations, education and development aid, and in government, international organisations and NGOs. Research and university teaching require further study: according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, historians typically need at least a master's degree, and their employment in the United States is projected to grow 3 percent from 2025 to 2035.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to know Hindi or Sanskrit before I start?

Usually not. Bachelor's degrees such as the one at Leiden University include language teaching as part of the programme, and the Leiden master's degree does not require a South Asian language.

Is Indian civilization a degree of its own?

Rarely under that name. It is normally studied within South Asian studies, Indology or Asian studies, or as courses within history, religious studies or philosophy.

How long does it take?

It depends on the country. The bachelor's degree at Leiden University takes three years and its MA South Asian Studies one year. A Spanish bachelor's degree (grado) such as the one at the Universidad de Salamanca takes four years.

Can I study the subject in India?

Yes. The official Study in India portal lists courses at Indian institutions that accept foreign students and handles the application.