12th Humanities Subjects For CBSE & ICSE 2026 Board Exams

Overview: Humanities subject deals with the study of aspects of human society and culture. The class 12th Humanities subjects incorporate History, Geography, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. Therefore, being aware of the subjects and syllabus of Class 12 will help candidates succeed better in the exam.

• Before starting the preparation, candidates need to be aware of the detailed Class 12 Humanities Syllabus, as it will help them to know the important topics of all the subjects from an exam point of view.
• According to experts, understanding the subjects in Class 12 Humanities will help candidates plan their preparation to cover all topics according to the syllabus.

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Class 12th Humanities Subjects 2025-2026

• The humanities stream is popular among students who wish to seek a profession in the Civil Services, education, or other social sectors. 
• Humanities Subjects in the 12th include four compulsory subjects and one optional subject.
• Additionally, you can select up to two optional subjects in Class 12 if you are interested in studying six Humanities subjects rather than five.

Let's take a look at the table below to see the 12th Humanities Subjects for both the CBSE and ICSE boards.

Humanities Subjects in 12th CBSE & ICSE	CBSE	ISC
History	Mandatory	Mandatory
Political Science	Mandatory	Mandatory
Language (According to the medium of school)	Mandatory	Mandatory
Geography	Mandatory	Mandatory
Psychology	Optional	Optional
Economics	Optional	Optional
Entrepreneurship	Optional	Not Available
Legal Studies	Optional	optional
Fine Arts	Optional	Not Available
Mathematics	Optional	Optional

12th Humanities Subjects 2025-2026

Referring to the best 12th-grade Humanities Books will help candidates enhance their preparation and score well in the upcoming Class 12 exams. Here is the list of 12th Humanities Subjects and preparation books for all the subjects.

• History
• Political Science
• Economics
• Geography
• Sociology
• Psychology
• Optional Subjects like Maths, Home Science, Legal Studies, Fine Arts, Physical Education, Media Studies

History

History is a field of investigation that utilizes a narrative to examine and analyze the sequence of events, and attempts to explore and investigate impartially the various patterns of cause and effect that determine the fate of global events and individual occurrences.

The History Syllabus has a goal to:

• To give precise information on the most critical events and characters of the period under examination, in the set and the setting.
• To build up the ability to marshal facts, assess proof, and examine issues from a historical perspective.
• To build up the ability to read historical views in the light of new proof or new understanding of evidence.
• To energize the reduction of ethnocentric preferences and to build up a more global approach to dealing with world history.
• To build up the capacity to communicate perspectives and contentions clearly by utilizing the right terminology of the subject.
• To acclimate students with factual proof, whereupon clarifications or judgments about the period must be established.

Preparation Books For History

The following are some of the 12th Humanities Subjects recommended books:

• ISC History For Class XII by Sachhidananda Banerjee
• ISC Political Science Class 12 By K.K. Ghai Paperback
• NCERT Books Class 12 History - Themes in India Part 1
• NCERT Books Class 12 History - Themes in India Part 2
• NCERT Books Class 12 History - Themes in India Part 3

Political Science

• Political Science, also known as politology, is a social science that deals with different frameworks of administration, the investigation of political activities, political contemplations, related constitutions, and political conduct.
• Solving CBSE Class 12 Humanities Question Papers will help you know the difficulty level of the paper and the type of questions asked in the exam.
• Political Science involves various subfields, including comparative politics, political economy, international relations, political theory, public administration, public policy, and political methodology.
• Moreover, political science is identified with and draws upon, the fields of economics, law, sociology, history, philosophy, human geography, journalism, political anthropology, and social policy.

The Political Science Syllabus has a goal to:

• To empower students to increase comprehension of fundamental ideas in Political Science.
• To encourage the securing of information and comprehension of the practices of administration.
• To create logical thinking, exploration, and application abilities.
• To create familiarity with rights and obligations and to sensitize students towards various social concerns at both national as well as on international levels.
• To open students to unique perspectives and urge them to build up their worldview.

Preparation of Books For Political Science

The following books are recommended to students for better preparation for Political Science, one of the 12th Humanities subjects.

• ISC Political Science (Class-XII) by K.K. Ghai
• NCERT Class 12 Political Science Part 1
• NCERT Class 12 Political Science Part 2

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Geography

• A literal interpretation of the term Geography would be "to portray or expound on the Earth". Geography as a Humanities Subject in 12th can be extensively divided into two auxiliary fields: human geography and physical geography.
• The former concentrates generally on the built environment and how space is made, seen, and managed by people as well as the impact people have on the space they possess.
• The latter analyses the natural environment and how the climate, vegetation & life, soil, water, and landforms are produced and interact.

The Geography Syllabus has a goal to:

• To empower students to get knowledge and to build up a comprehension of facts, terms, symbols concepts, principles, generalizations, hypotheses, problems, trends, processes, and methods of Geography at the national as well as the international level.
• To apply the information on the standards of Physical Geography in clarifying the causes and outcomes of natural disasters and recommend methods of coping with them through sustainable development.
• To create aptitudes for drawing maps, surveying, and drawing statistical diagrams and topical maps.

Preparation Books For Geography

For Geography, one of the Humanities Subjects 12th, the following books are suggested to students for thorough preparation:

• ISC Geography For Class-XII By Dr. Khullar
• NCERT Books Class 12 Geography - Fundamentals of Human Geography
• NCERT Books Class 12 Geography - India People and Economy

Psychology

• Psychology is a science, an academic discipline, and an applied field that encompasses the scientific study of human or animal mental capacities and functions.
• In this field, an expert specialist or analyst is known as a psychologist. Analysts are classified as social or behavioral scientists.
• Psychologists endeavor to comprehend the role of mental functions in individual and social conduct, while additionally investigating hidden physiological and neurological cycles.

The Psychology Syllabus has a goal to:

• To build up a comprehension of human conduct: the nature of people and members from various social groups.
• To develop an understanding of the research and study strategies employed in Psychology.
• To build up a valuation for the practical value of Psychology and its applications in day-to-day life.

Preparation Books For Psychology

For Psychology, as a class 12th humanities subject, the following books are recommended to students for a better understanding of concepts and terms:

• ISC Psychology by Papri Chattopadhyay
• NCERT Class 12 Psychology English Medium

Sociology

Sociology is the investigation of society. As a subject, sociology prepares an individual for a lifetime of change, building an individual's appreciation for diversity, a love of learning new things, composing and studying skills, along with a foundation of knowledge about human behaviour, social relationships, and culture.

The Sociology Syllabus has a goal to:

• To acquaint students with the fundamental ideas of Sociology and Anthropology.
• To develop an understanding of the various forces that shape social life and social issues.
• To create awareness of the process of change and development in general, and specifically regarding Indian culture.
• To give students the means whereby they can get a superior comprehension of different societies just as of their own.
• To cultivate the habit of examining social assumptions and convictions in the light of scientific evidence.
• To present a more profound investigation of the subject for the tertiary level.

Preparation Books For Sociology

For Sociology, one of the 12th Humanities Subjects, the following books are suggested for students to prepare from:

• ISC Sociology For Class XII By Manjir Ghosh
• NCERT Class 12 Sociology Part 1
• NCERT Class 12 Sociology Part 2

Courses After Studying 12th Humanities Subjects

A bunch of Humanities courses are available to take up that range from Arts, Fine Arts, and Journalism to Hotel Management, among others, for those who hold a certificate in Humanities in the ISC or CBSE curriculum.

Here are a few commonly chosen Courses After 12th Humanities that offer great career growth opportunities.

• Arts and Humanities: Includes investigation of the humanities, dialects, and music. You may also seek specialization courses in fields such as psychology, history, archaeology, economics, journalism, sociology, geography, languages, social work, and physical education, among others.
• Fine Arts: Open to humanities students who are inclined toward expressive arts, such as music, dance, photography, painting, and sculpting.
• Business Administration: If you aspire to make your career in the corporate world, you may consider pursuing a BBA, which will expose you to subjects such as business statistics, marketing, business law, and human resource management, among others.
• Integrated Law: Such a law course is available to humanities students across several law schools and universities in India.
• Elementary Education: This is a 4-year integrated professional degree course offered to humanities students after completing higher secondary school.
• Hotel Management: With India emerging as one of the world's renowned tourist destinations, the travel industry has secured a significant position, and the hospitality business has also experienced exponential growth. This course can be selected by a student studying humanities in Class XII. With experience and success in their careers, hotel management students may have the opportunity to see the world.
• Media Studies: The main prerequisite for these courses is decent proficiency in English. As the ISC and CBSE Class 12th Humanities syllabus places an incredible emphasis on language acquisition, it does not impede students seeking to take up courses in journalism, visual communication, and electronic media.
• Fashion Designing: Do you incline, design and fashion? When you take up the humanities in Class XII, you could soon observe yourself fraternizing with celebs, fashionistas, and models.
• News-casting and Mass Communication: With the exponential growth in communication, apart from traditional media, online and electronic media have emerged as well-known career alternatives. Do you love English or have a solid base in the language? Journalism could very well be the correct career option for you.