Admissions

All students seeking admission to SSLA need to appear either for the Symbiosis Entrance Test (SET) and/or apply through the Rolling Admission Process (RAP).

Community

SSLA is not just about academics! It is a co-constructed space where faculty and students come together to extend learning beyond the classroom.

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Academics

The liberal arts programme at SSLA is holistically designed to combine multi, inter and transdisciplinary learning focused on transferability of skills, employability and a spirit of enquiry.

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EST 2011

About SSLA

Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (SSLA) is India’s first liberal arts college to offer a four-year full time degree: Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Science (Liberal Arts) Honours with Research and Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Science (Liberal Arts) Honours.

Established 15 years ago, SSLA offers a wide spectrum of 24 specialisations from diverse fields such as Social Sciences, Humanities, Natural Sciences, Media Studies, Business Studies and Performing Arts, giving the students the freedom to tailor their degree their own way. Centrally located in Pune, the Oxford of East, SSLA is anchored in the excellence and legacy of Symbiosis International (Deemed University).

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Why choose SSLA

India's first Comprehensive Liberal Arts Programme

A four-year Undergraduate degree, allowing students to craft their own academic journey.

Inter, multi and transdisciplinary academic engagement

Fosters holistic development and inculcates core transferable skills.

1:20 Faculty to Student ratio

Small class sizes that encourage active participation to make learning more engaging.

Innovative pedagogies

Learner-centric classrooms that promote critical thinking.

Over 370 courses across 24 disciplines

Options to choose across Humanities, Natural and Social Sciences, Business Studies, Media, Performing Arts.

Co-constructed and collaborative environment

Student-run cells, clubs, publications and sports teams foster leadership, creativity, and teamwork.

Internationalisation

Semester exchange, semester abroad and internationalisation at home for global immersion.

21st century skills- World Economic Forum and NEP

Problem solving, Self Management, Working with people, Technology and Development.

Strong focus on research

Research projects, Seminar Papers, Research Methodology courses enable students to think critically.

Experiential learning

Faculty with industry experience, Community Outreach, Internship and field-trips bridge theory and practice.

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Anthropology

Applied Environmental and Sustainability Science

Business Studies

Computer Studies

Economics

Education

English

History

International Relations

Mathematics and Statistics

Media Studies

Psychology

Political Science and Public Policy

Philosophy

Sociology

Logic Designing and Research Techniques in Python
Programming Concepts and C Language
Object Oriented Programming
Relational Database Management Systems
Computer Systems and Networks
Software Project + Javascript
Data Structures + Design and Implementation of Algorithms
Software Engineering
Foundations of Data Warehousing and Data Mining
Theory of Computation
Information Technology for Management

Foundation Course in Mathematics and Statistics
Calculus
Statistical Methods I
Statistical Methods II
Linear Algebra
Graph Theory
Analysis
Fundamentals of Mathematics
Theory of Distributions
Group Theory
Operations Research

English Romanticism
Victorian Literature
Indian Writing in English
Linguistics and Phonetics
20th Century Literature
Reading Popular Literature
History of Literary Criticism
Shakespeare and his Times
Literary Criticism 2
American Literature

Mathematical Methods for Economics
Principles of Microeconomics
Principles of Macroeconomics
Money, Banking and Finance
International Economics
Development Economics
Business Statistics
Introductory Econometrics
Industrial Economics
Public Economics

Introduction to Political Science
Western Political Thought
Political Process and Dynamics of State Politics in India
Comparative Politics
India's Political Economy and Developmen
Public Policy and Governance in India
Indian Political Thought*
Foundations of Public Administration*
Catch 22 in Politics
Political Philosophy
Advanced Ethical Theory
Ideology and Politics
Politics of Ecology and Environment in Developing Countries
Politics of Social Justice
Critical Ideas of the 20th Century
Marxism
Global Justice
Women in Conflict and Peace Process
Contemporary Latin America and Africa
Contemporary India
Internal Security in India

Introduction to Psychology
Lifespan Development
Major Theories in Psychology
Advance Social Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Organizational Psychology
Biological Psychology
Psychopathology
Counseling and Psychotherapy
Contemporary Studies in Psychology

Sociology: An Introduction
Sociology of India: Themes and Perspectives
Sociology of Gender and Sexuality
Popular Culture, Media and Everyday Life
Environment, Ecology and Society
State, Civil Society and Market
Contemporary Sociological Theories
Research Methodology: Theory and Application
Sociology of Globalization: Global Culture, Economy, Emerging Issues
Analysis and Research in Sociology: Dissertation
State, Civil Society and Market
Society and Science
Knowledge: Contested, Contextualized, Confirmed
From Marxism to Post-Marxism: Critical Discourses
Labour in India: Past and Present
Understanding Urbanity: Classical and Contemporary Approaches
Religion and Rebellion: Roots of Resistance in the Ground of Tradition
Politics of Ecology and Environment in Developing Countries
Class Caste Race and Patriarchy
Sociology of Inequality
Politics of Social Justice
Shifting Homelands: Ideology, Migration and Conflict

Management Essentials
Business Laws
Financial Management
Human Resource Management
Fundamentals of Marketing
Production/Operations Management
Organizational Behaviour
Corporate Governance and Ethics & Business Ethics
Accounting
Information Technology for Management

Media Theories with Culture and Communication
Visual and Audio Communication
Introduction to Journalism
Introduction to Audio Visual Radio and Television
Marketing Communication - Advertising PR and Events
Practical: Creation of a Newspaper/Film/Marketing Communication-AD, PR Events with New Media
Evolution of Media, Media Ethics and Laws
Economics & Business of Media
Introduction to Films
Introduction to Corporate Communication Practices
Fundamentals of Advertising Creative and Copywriting
Media and Consumer Behaviour
Media Research and Capstone Project
Design Thinking and Innovation - Advanced

What is Anthropology?
Biological/PhysicalAnthropology
Socio-Cultural Anthropology 1
Socio-cultural Anthropology 2
Anthropology Today: its Applications
Introduction to Archaeology: Theory and Techniques
Human Biological Variation
Introduction to Violence, Conflict and Peace Studies
Shifting Homelands: Ideology, Migration and Conflict
Politics of Ecology and Environment in Developing Countries
Advertising and Contemporary Culture
Women in Conflict and Peace Process
Independent Study
Culture in Making
Popular Culture, Media and Everyday Life
The History of Anthropological Theory and Changing Ethnography
The Emerging Global Order
Sociology of Globalization: Global Culture, Economy, Emerging Issues
Conflict, Diplomacy and War
World Music: Crossroads of Space, Place and Identity
Anthropology of Globalization, Development and Consequential Urbanization
Identity, Ethnicity, Nationality, and Fundamentalism
Global Justice
The Living Past: Comprehending India
Analysis of Current Events
Revisiting the City: Urbanization, Urban Aspiration and Urban Reality
Understanding Urbanity: Classical and Contemporary Approaches
Introduction to Human Genetics
The Illbeing – Disease, Health and Socio-politics
Urban Studies: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives
Economic Anthropology and Value-centred Praxis

Introduction to International Relations
Conflict, Diplomacy and War
India’s Foreign Policy
International Political Economy
International Law and United Nations
Issues in World Politics
Analysis of Current Events
Introduction to Violence, Conflict and Peace Studies
The Emerging Global Order
Politics of Ecology and Environment in Developing Countries
International Economics
Ideology and Politics
American Foreign Policy in the Post-Cold War World: Processes, Policies and Debates
Leadership and World Politics
Shifting Homelands: Ideology, Migration and Conflict
Contemporary Latin America and Africa
Contemporary Middle East
Sociology of Globalization: Global Culture, Economy, Emerging Issues
Global Justice
Comparative Economics
Living with Climate Change
Colonialism in Latin America and Africa
Politics and the Media in India
Indian Constitution
Comparative Politics
Women in Conflict and Peace Process
Role of Armed Forces in International Politics
Internal Security in India
United Nations Peacekeeping Operations - Resolution and Management of Conflict for Sustainable Peace

Foundations of Western Philosophy
Foundations of Indian Philosophy
Modern Western Philosophy
Modern Indian Thinkers
Logic, Reasoning and Methodology
Philosophy of Science
Advanced Ethical Theory
Analytic Philosophy
Phenomenology and Existentialism
Pragmatism
Schools of Contemporary Philosophy

Histories and Historiographies
World History and Geography
Texts in Practice
Roots of India: Prehistory to 10th Century CE
Medieval India: 11th to 18th Century
Connected Worlds
History and Geography of the Americas
History of Africa
History of West Asia
History of East Asia and Oceania

Environment, Development, and Sustainability: Issues and Ideas
Fundamentals of Water Science and Water Resource Management
Climate Change: Science, Impact and Action
Environmental Data Analytics and Laboratory Measurements (Water, Air, Soil Testing Laboratory)
Environmental Sustainability for Businesses
Mapping Environmental Change through Technology (RS&GIS)

Education in Contemporary World
Philosophy of Education
Understanding Policy and Governance of Education (Public and Private Schools and HEI)
Education for the Individual and Society: Psychology and Sociology of Education
Education in Practice-School and HEI
Education Management- School and HEI

Biology

Film Studies

Law

Peace and Conflict Studies

Performing Arts Dance

Performing Arts Music

Performing Arts Theatre

Physics

Women and Gender Studies

Introduction to Biology
Taxonomy, Diversity and Organization of Life
Biochemistry and Metabolism
Inheritance Biology
Cell and Molecular Biology
Applied Biology and Biotechnology

Indian Constitution
Legislative Processes and Administrative Law
Criminal Justice Administration
Law of Obligations
Corporate Law
Flexi Credit Course
Human Rights and Related Laws

Introduction to Women and Gender Studies
Women in India
Representation of Gender in Image and Word (Film/TV/Literature/Advertising/Music)
Gender Labour and Work
Socialization and Sexuality
Understanding Feminisms

Silent Cinema
Realism and Cinema
The Cinematic Apparatus
Narrative Cinema
Documentary Cinema or Non-Fiction
Global Cinema Today

Introduction to Violence, Conflict and Peace Studies
Sociology of Inequality
Politics of Social Justice
Shifting Homelands: Ideology, Migration and Conflict
Gender and Law
Global Justice
Independent Study (student-faculty create coursework)

Ballroom and Latin American Dances
A Glimpse into Folk Dance Forms of India
Kathak
Bharatnatyam
Odissi
Uday Shankar Style of Creative Dance

Experiencing Music Globally
American Popular Music and Culture
Music and the Struggle for Civil Rights
Music of Asian America
South Asian Performing Traditions
World Music: Crossroads of Space, Place and Identity

Theatre Games and Movement
Voice and Speech
Text Analysis and Playwriting Lab
Improvisation and Devising Theatre
Introduction to Dramatic Territories
Performance and Creation Lab

Classical Mechanics
Waves, Light, and Electromagnetism
Mathematical Methods in Physics
Introduction to Quantum Mechanics
Thermal and Statistical Physics
Solid State Physics

Year	Semesters	Semesters
Year 1	Semester 1 Writing across Genre: Freeing Creativity History of Ideas Legal Awareness Essentials of Information Technology Environmental Studies: Our Common Earth	Semester 2 Introduction to Research: RM I Explorations in Natural Sciences Quantitative Reasoning 1: Mathematics and Statistics Rhetoric and Critical Writing Understanding India: What is India? Unraveling the Mystery
Year 2	Semester 3 Introduction to Philosophy Multicultural Worldviews	Semester 4 Quantitative Reasoning 2: Finance
Year 3	Semester 5 Research Methodology II: Overview of Research Methods and Analysis Service Learning	Semester 6 Short Stories from around the World
Year 4	Semester 7 Current Economic and Business Analysis Summer Internship	Semester 8 Final Year Seminar Paper Research Project: Proposal Writing

ELECTIVES Across 4 years

Reading the Classics
Film Appreciation
Creativity and Innovations
Idea of Art: Art, Art History and Aesthetics
Comparative Religion: Their greater similarities and finer differences
Indian Constitution
World Music: Crossroads of Space, Place and Identity
Society and Science
Sustainability Studies
Literature and Gender: The Politics
Advertising and Contemporary Culture
Philosophical Reflections on Money and Wealt
The Living Past: Comprehending India
Reading World Poetry 1
Reading World Poetry 2
Law Relating to Intellectual Property Rights
Laws Relating to Information Technology
Living with Climate Change
Introduction to Wellness Management, Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Introduction to Social Justice
Urdu Paper 1
Greek Philosophy
Analysis of Current Events
Women Philosophers
Law of Torts
Uday Shankar Style of Creative Dance
Introduction to Violence, Conflict and Peace Studie
Marxism
Oop’s: Objects Out of Place, the Unexplained and the Unexplainable
Mahabharata
The Novel
Comparative Mythology
Indian Penal Code
Revisiting the City: Urbanization, Urban Aspiration and Urban Reality
20th Century- Bloodiest Century in Human History
Haiku Poetry
Introduction to Theatre Making
Roots of India: Ancient Indian History and Culture (Pre- history to 1200 AD)
India and Growth of Islam in Medieval Era (1200AD - 1700AD)
Verily Food is Life: The Story of India through it’s Food
Modern Drama from around the World
Soundscapes of Pune City
Culture in Making
Dance/Movement Therapy
The Poetic Body, Absurd and the Surreal
Art, Philosophy and Society
Scientific Inquiry and Learning Science
Buddhist Philosophy: The Indian Tradition
Phenomenology and Existentialism
Introduction to Social Sculpture and the Field of Freedom
Evolutionary Psychology
Cinema, Masculinity and Culture
Programming Concepts and C Language
The Literature of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Imagery in Creative Writing
Innovation Management and New Product Development
Health and Wellness Management
Adaptation: Cinema and Literature
Foundational Course in Economics
Mathematical Methods for Economics
Other Asian Imaginations: Cinema from Japan and China after the Second World War
Understanding Hindi Cinema since Independence
Introduction to the 20th Century Theory: I
Introduction to Linguistics
Critical Writing: Writing as Resistance, Writing as Recovery
Knowledge: Contested, Contextualized, Confirme
Literary Imagination in the World
From Marxism to Post-Marxism: Critical Discourse
An Introduction to Culture Studies
Modern Indian Theatre and Performance: History, Theory, Text and Culture
Re-conceptualizing the Noir Film
Labour in India-Past and Present
Understanding Urbanity: Classical and Contemporary Approaches
Religion and Rebellion: Roots of Resistance in the Ground of Tradition
Use of Signs and Symbols for Marketing and Branding
Love in Literature; Literary Expressions and Explorations across World Cultures
The Politics of Difference
Critical Ideas of the 20thCentury
Postmodernism: Literature and Philosophy
Crisis in West Asia
Colonial Encounters: Literary Representations and Theoretical Reflections
Introduction to Human Genetics
World Drama: Text and Performance Traditions in their Cultural Context
Sport and Performance Psychology
Design Tools- I
Design Tools- II
Postmodernism: Literary and Philosophical Perspectives
The Psychology of Good and Evil
Sustainability for the post-2015 World
Critical Debates in 21st Century Technology
Politics of Ecology and Environment in Developing Countries
Creative Writing - Media, Advertising, Content, and Screenplay
Contemporary Fiction Today: A Junior Seminar Course
Design Tools-III
Design Tools- IV
Introduction to Web Design
Introduction to Python
Foundation of Web Technologies
Mobile Programming
Internet of Things
The Illbeing – Disease, Health and Socio-politics
Of Scripts and Shots
Caste in India: Origin and Practice
Introduction to the Microbial World
Principles of Taxation Law
American Foreign Policy in the Post-Cold War World: Processes, Policies and Debates
Literature and Religion
Everyday Physics
Women and Environment Eco-feminism
Gender Justice and Law
Class Caste Race and Patriarchy
Women in Conflict and Peace Process
Feminist Criticism, Semiotics, Psychoanalysis
Indian Parallel Cinema/Art Cinema/Regional Cinem
Cinema and the Market; Digital Cinema and the New Media
Film Analysis and Research
Introduction to Social Work
Politics and the Media in India
Natyashastra: An Indian perspective of Performing Art
Science as Muse: Intersections of Science and the Arts
Carnatic Music in Indian Musicology
Intermediary Econometrics
Introduction to Moral Philosophy
Communication for Social Change
An Introduction to Maker Culture: Developing Technological Interventions for Societal Needs
Global Justice
Micro Economics II
Hindi 1
Hindi 2
Basic Hindi I
Basic Hindi II
Decoding the Genetically Modified
Comparative Literature
Logic Designing and Research Techniques in Pytho
Human Rights and related Laws
Flexi Credit Course
Ecology and Evolution
Reproductive and Developmental Biology
Applied Biology and Biotechnology
Mathematical Biology
Behavioural Biology (Cognitive Science, Sociobiology and Evolutionary Psychology)
Comparative Economics
Economic, History and Thought
Contemporary Indian Economy
Conversational Skills in Spanish
Conversational Skills in French
Conversational Skills in Chinese
Conversational Skills in Japanese
Conversational Skills in German
Sociology of Health
Classical Hinduism: A Study through Scriptures
Permaculture Design and Regenerative Ecosystem
History and Story: Through the Looking Glass of Fiction
The History of Small Things
From Products to Self: Personal, Image & Reputation Brand Management
The Self, Individuality and Identity – A Biological Perspective
Role of Armed Forces in International Politics
United Nations Peacekeeping Operations - Resolution and Management of Conflict for Sustainable Peace
Basics of Western Music
Maritime History of India
Urban Studies: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives
Introduction to Hindustani Classical Music
Global Mental Health
Contemporary India
Internal Security in India
Conversational Skills in Korean

The college always supported anything a student wanted to do and all that was needed was enough interest, enough research and as long as it was pitched well, they would support to get it done.

Sana Vaidya

SSLA has definitely provided a space with ample opportunities – both academic and extra-curricular for students to develop skills that can be used across the board and will cater to whatever interests you may have, regardless of your major.

Ira Deshmukh

SSLA really trains its students to thrive in the atmosphere of multi-tasking… by the end of those four years, everyone learns to manage SSLA’s academic rigour while pursuing their talents and their skills outside of the classroom… which prepares you for life.

Shivani V

Events at SSLA

OPT

SLF 2024

Symbiosis Literary Festival

Armadhaam. Onam Celebration at SSLA

Home is where the liberal heart is

Hon. Penpa Tsering on Why Tibet Matters

ICE-SSLA

Natak Society

Onam celebration

Republic Day

Sports@SSLA

Traditional Day

Welcome home

SSLA Speaks

Our Blogs

SSLA Speaks is a space where our community pauses to think about what we do and why we do it. Anchored in an environment of interdisciplinary learning, it offers a peek into SSLA’s evolving process of learning, innovative pedagogies, research, and community building to think, evolve, and excel.

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