Are you a student thinking about whether or not to read general arts or you are already a general arts student wondering what jobs are available for you? Perhaps you are a parent wondering if your ward should pursue general arts in school. In today’s rapidly evolving job market, finding a fulfilling and lucrative career path can be challenging, especially for general arts students in Ghana.
What are the general arts courses in Ghana? General arts students read all core subjects: Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, ICT, and English Language in addition to other elective subjects such as Government, Economics, Elective ICT, History, Christian Religious Studies (CRS), Geography, Elective Mathematics, English Literature, Elective Physics, French, and Twi.
This article will help you identify the best job opportunities that are available for students who read general arts in senior high school. We will also see what courses you need to study at the university to be able to succeed in these careers.
These are the 10 best jobs for general arts students in Ghana;
- Lawyer
- Lecturer
- Engineering
- Journalist
- Fashion Designer
- Nursing
- Software Developer
- Editor/Publicist
- Librarian
- Administrator
- Lawyer
To become a lawyer in Ghana, you should study these courses at the university; Political Science, Philosophy, English, Economics, Mathematics, or Business. Although there is no preferred major for law students, it is usually best to major in one of these subjects as a general arts student.
To read law, you should read general arts at the senior high school level with some of these electives: government, economics, elective math, and/or literature. Science students and business students can also read law at the university.
After a four-year degree in Law (LLB), you have to enroll at the Ghana Law School for two years. So in total, it can take up to six years or more, especially for WASSCE candidates to become a lawyer in Ghana.
How much can you earn as a lawyer in Ghana? Lawyers in Ghana earn about 6,000 cedis a month and their salary can range from 2,000 cedis to 15,000 cedis a month. Earning a lot of money as a lawyer in Ghana depends on your qualifications and experience.
There are different specialties in the law profession in Ghana. You could major in immigration, civil rights, family and divorce, personal injury, bankruptcy, criminal defense, and real estate, among others.
2. Lecturer
A general arts student can become a lecturer. The good news is that you can become a lecturer with any of your electives which includes elective mathematics, geography, economics, literature, government, French, or history.
After studying general arts at the senior high school level, you have to obtain a bachelor’s degree in your chosen field from the university. You also need a master’s degree, which is a minimum requirement to become a lecturer. In recent times, most universities require lecturers to obtain a PhD or Doctorate.
This means that, if you choose to become a lecturer, you have to school for many years but once you complete school, you will have a good and respectable career. The good news is, almost all universities offer general art and very few people are willing to invest time and money to become a lecturer and so the demand for lecturers is always high.
Before you choose to become a lecturer as a general art student, make sure you have these qualities: a passion for the subject, meaning you love your subject, good communication skills, meaning you can transmit complicated ideas, patience because students learn at different paces, and love for research.
3. Engineering
General arts students can offer the following engineering courses: civil engineering, computer engineering, geological engineering, geomatic engineering, and many others. This also depends on your electives.
Students who offer geography can offer these engineering courses: Geomatic Engineering, Geographic Information Systems Engineering (GIS), Environmental Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Water Resources Engineering, Geological Engineering, or Civil Engineering. This means your electives should include geography and elective mathematics.
To read engineering courses, students must read in addition to core subjects, these elective subjects; Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry. However, geography is accepted in place of chemistry in some universities such as KNUST.
4. Journalist
Journalists report information through investigative reports, news, features, columns, and reviews. General arts students can become journalists in Ghana. It is best to read literature as an elective at the senior high school level to become a journalist in Ghana. However, students can read any course including general arts at senior high school to become a journalist.
After senior high school, students can enroll in any journalism school and earn a certificate, diploma, or Bachelor’s degree in communication studies. You can pursue various types of journalism in Ghana, including investigative journalism, broadcast journalism, sports journalism, entertainment journalism, political journalism, etc.
Some high-level journalism jobs require a master’s degree or some experience, so you may need to further your education depending on your journalism type. To gain admission to read journalism in Ghana, WASSCE applicants must possess passes (A1-C6) in six (6) subjects comprising three (3) core subjects, including English, Mathematics, and three (3) elective subjects.
5. Fashion Designer
General arts students can read fashion design. You can read any elective under general arts and still pursue fashion design at the university in Ghana. However, it is best to read home economics specifically clothing and textiles at the senior high school level in Ghana to become a good fashion designer.
Learning clothing and textiles under Home Economics equips you with the basic skills needed to become a fashion designer. You can offer a diploma, certificate, or BA in Fashion and Textiles at the university after senior high school. Some universities, such as UEW require that those who want to read fashion should have at least one of their three electives in fashion or textile to gain admission.
To become a fashion designer in Ghana, it is best to read clothing and textiles under home economics at senior high school and after, pursue a diploma, certificate, or degree in fashion and textile at the university. General arts students can also become fashion designers if they get a good grade in WASSCE. They can gain admission to read fashion at the tertiary level although they may previously have little to no knowledge in fashion.
6. Nursing
General arts students can read nursing in Ghana. This was not the case in the past but fortunately, some universities in Ghana now admit students who offer general arts in senior high school in nursing.
General arts students must obtain a higher grade than science students if they want to read nursing. For example, the University for Development Studies (UDS) cutoff point for science students who want to read nursing is 9/10 while it is 7/8 for general arts students.
At the university, students can read a diploma or Bachelor of Science in Nursing or Midwifery.
7. Software Engineer/Developer
General Arts students can become software engineers in Ghana. In senior high school, general arts students should read elective mathematics and/or elective ICT in addition to other electives and all core subjects.
A general arts student who offers ICT as an elective can also become a software engineer. At the university, you can read a diploma, HND or Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Data Science, or Bachelor of Science in Information Science. You can still be admitted into the university to read computer science or IT even if you did not offer elective ICT in senior high school.
8. Editor/Publicist
As a general arts student, you can become an editor or a publicist in Ghana. Any general arts elective you read qualifies you to become an editor, however, it is best to study literature as an elective subject at the senior high school level.
To become an editor in Ghana, some of the skills you need are to be good at finding just the right word to convey a point, make complicated pieces of information simple, and be good with text, graphics, and design. There are several career opportunities for newspaper editors, magazines, online websites and blogs, video production units and movie studios, and e-commerce portals.
At the university, you can offer a diploma, HND, or bachelor’s degree in English, Publishing Studies, or Mass Communication.
9. Librarian
To become a librarian in Ghana, it is best to study literature as an elective subject in senior high school and then continue to read Information Studies at the university. You can read any general arts course to become a librarian, provided you perform well in WASSCE.
After completing senior high school, you can read library studies or information studies at the university to become a librarian in Ghana. You can obtain a diploma, HND, or bachelor’s degree in library studies, Library Science, or Information Studies at the university.
10. Administrator
A business administrator is an individual who oversees the daily management of an organization. General arts students can become business administrators in Ghana. General arts students can read any elective subject in senior high school and can continue to read a bachelor’s degree in business administration to become an administrator.
Students should note, however, that to gain admission to read business administration in Ghana, they must score excellent grades in WASSCE as most universities have a very high cutoff point for business administration. A bachelor’s degree in business administration will train you in Accounting, Banking and Finance, Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Management, and Marketing. This training can also open up a career for you in Banking.