UPHESC Assistant Professor History Syllabus 2026

UPHESC Assistant Professor History Syllabus

The written exam has two parts: General Knowledge (30 questions, the same for all subjects) and History (90 questions). Both syllabi below are the official ones of the Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission, Prayagraj.

Part 1: General Knowledge (30 questions, 90 marks)

Compulsory for all disciplines. Download PDF (0.3 MB)

Unit 1: Current Affairs

• Major events and current affairs: national and international
• Personalities in news
• Sports news
• Current research in the field of science

Unit 2: Teaching and Research Aptitude

• Teaching: nature, objectives, need, methods, evaluation and factors affecting teaching
• Research: meaning and methods
• Data: source, collection and analysis
• Role of UGC in qualitative development in higher education

Unit 3: Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

• ICT: meaning, advantages and disadvantages
• Basics of internet and e-mailing
• General abbreviations and terminology

Unit 4: People and Environment

• People and environment interaction
• Environmental degradation: causes and solutions
• National and international efforts for a better environment
• Environmental control

Unit 5: Indian History and Geography

• Salient features of Indian culture
• Indian National Movement (1857–1950)
• Origin of the universe and the solar system
• Indian geography (general)

Unit 6: Indian Constitution and Economy

• Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles
• Indian political system: legislature, executive and judiciary
• Election Commission and Public Service Commission
• Population, poverty, unemployment; planning and development; income tax
• Agriculture, industry, trade; money, currency, banking and capital market

Part 2: History (subject code 30) – 90 questions, 270 marks

The History paper is at post-graduate (Master's) level. The complete official syllabus is below. Download History syllabus PDF (1.3 MB)

1: Medieval Indian History

I. Sources

• Graphic and numismatic materials, monuments and other Archaeological Evidences.
• Literary sources- Persian, Sanskrit and Regional languages.
• Foreign traveller's accounts.

II. Political Developments

• The Sultanate - the Ghorids, the Turks, the Khaljis, the Tughlaqs, the Sayyids and the Lodis.
• Foundation of the Mughal Empire and its resistance - Babur, Humayun and the Suris; expansion from Akbar to Aurangzeb. The resistance of Rana Sanga, Hemu, Maha Rana Pratap, Naga Sansyasis etc.
• Challenges to the Mughal Power & its decline political, administrative, economic & cultural causes, Challenges by Ahoms, Bundelas, Sikhs and Jats, Later Mughals and disintegration of the Mughal empire.
• The Vijayanagara and the Bahmanis - rise, expansion and disintegration. The Maratha movement, the foundation of Swaraj and Hindu Pad Padshahi by Shivaji; its expansion under the Peshwas; Maratha Confederacy-causes of decline.

III. Administration

• Administration under the Sultanate - civil, judicial, revenue, fiscal and military.
• Sher Shah's administrative reforms; Mughal administration - land revenue and other sources of income; Mansabdari and Jagirdari. (with special reference to its naval power)
• Administrative and military system in the Deccan - the Vijayanagara, the Bahmanis and the Marathas (with special reference to its Naval Power)

IV. Economic Aspects:

• Agricultural production - village economy; peasantry.
• Urban centers and population.
• Industries - cotton textiles, handicrafts, agro - based industries, organization, factories, Science and technology; (with special reference to Indian knowledge system)
• Trade and commerce - State policies, internal and external trade; European trade, trade centers and ports, transport and communication.
• Financing trade, commerce and industries; Hundi (Bills of Exchange) and Insurance.
• Currency.

V. Society and Culture

• The Sufis - their orders (silsilas), beliefs, practices, activities and their interaction with Siddihas and Yogis.
• India Knowledge system and Bhakti movement - Shaivism and its branches; Vaishnavism and its branches.
• The Saints of the medieval period - north and south - their impact on socio - political and religious life.
• The Sikh movement - Guru Nanak Dev and his teachings and practices, Adi Granth; the Khalsa.
• Classification ruling class, major religious groups, the mercantile and professional classes.
• Rural society petty chieftains, village officials, cultivators and non cultivating classes, artisans.
• Position of women and the Harem in Medieval India.
• Educational Systems and their motivations.
• Literature; Sankrit, Persian and regional languages.
• Fine Arts - Major schools of painting; music.
• Decay and destruction of Ancient monuments and development of new architecture in North and Soth India; Indo - Islamic architecture.

2: History of Modern India

I. Advent of Europeans and Rise of British Power:

• European traders in India in the 16th and 18th centuries – Portuguese, Dutch, French and the British, The cultural & economic base of Colonialism and early native. resistance against them.
• The establishment and expansion of British dominion in India.
• British relations with and subjugation of the principal Indian Powers - Bengal, Oudh, Hyderabad, Mysore, Marathas and the Sikhs.
• Evolution of central and provincial structure under the East India Company, 1773 1853.
• Paramountcy, Civil Service, Judiciary, Police and the Army under the Company and Crown.
• Local Self-Government.
• Constitutional changes, 1909-1935.

II. Economy and Society :

• Changing composition, volume and direction of trade; the forms of Trubutes to Raj. Expansion and commercialisation of agriculture, land rights, land settlements, rural indebtedness, landless labour.
• Decline of industries and Modernization Myth; changing socio – economic conditions of artisans; De - industrialisation.
• British Industrial Policy; major modern industries; nature of factory legislation; labour and trade union movements.
• Monetary policy, banking, currency and exchange, Railways and Road Transport.
• Growth of new urban centres; and monuments.
• Famines, and epidemics during British Rule.
• Economic Thought - English Utilitarians; the Drain theory.
• Contact with Christianity - the Missionaries- construction of the myth - Bharat a Pagan society, critique of Indian Socio-Religious and Cultural practices; Educational and other activities.
• Colonial Education -Content, Structure and Objectives
• Nationalist initiatives in education with special reference to Arya Samaj, Madan Mohan Malviya, M.K. Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar.
• Socio-religious reforms: Reforms breaking away from tradition and socio-religious reforms in defense of tradition; emergence of middle class; caste associations and caste mobility.
• Women's Question: Nationalist Discourse; Women's Organisations; British legislations concerning women; Constitutional position.
• Development of the Press:Pro Imperialist and Nationalist, Measures by colonial Government to subjugate the Nationalist expression-Press Laws
• Vernacular literature and its literary forms - reorientation in painting, music and performing arts, revival of folk arts during Swadeshi movement.

III. National Movement

• Different interpretations of Indian Nationalism, Rise of Indian nationalism, Resistance to Colonial Milieu - social, cultural and economic bases of nationalism.
• First War of Independence: 1857 participation of different social classes, Geographical extent of 1857
• Resistance by Tribals and peasants to the Colonial Government
• Ideologies and programmes of the Indian National Congress, 1885 - 1920, with special reference to Tilak's idea of Swaraj, Gokhale's vision of India and Sri Arbindo's political philosophy, Home Rule movement.
• Ideology of Swadeshi and trends in the Swadeshi movement, Government response to Swadeshi movement
• Ideologies and programs of Indian revolutionaries in India and abroad with special refrence to V.S. Savarkar, Lala Hardayal, HRA and HSRA
• So called Indian trials: Nasik conspiracy case, Chauri Chaura Trial, Meerut conspiracy case, Lahore conspiracy case.
• Gandhian Mass Movements.
• Subhash Chand Bose-fallout with Congress and INA
• Ideology and program of the Justice Party.
• Left Wing Politics- The Communist ideology and politics in the national movement;
• Role of Congress Socialist Party
• Movement of the Depressed classes.
• Communal politics and genesis of Pakistan.
• Towards Independence and Partition.

IV. India after Independence (1947-1964)

• Question of Refugees and Rehabilitation after Partition.
• Integration of the Indian States; The Kashmir Question, the Hyderabad Question and Sardar Patel
• The making of the Indian Constitution.
• The structure of Bureaucracy and the Policy.
• The demographic trends.
• Debates on the question on Development; Economic policies and the planning process.
• Linguistic reorganisation of States.
• Foreign policy initiatives.

V. World History: Concepts, Ideas and Terms & Researches in History :

• Feudalism
• Non - alignment
• Parliamentary Democracy
• Nazism
• Commonwealth
• Colonialism
• Neo-colonialism
• Mercantilism
• Imperialism
• Capitalism
• Socialism
• Balance of Power
• Apartheid
• Rights of Man
• Cold War
• Post - modernism
• Globalization
• Scope and value of History
• Objectivity and Bias in History
• History and its auxiliary sciences
• Emerging trends in Indian history writings; some eminent historians; R.K. Mukherjee, Vasudeo Sharan Agrawal, Dharampal, A.S. Altekar, K.P. Jaiswal, R.C. Majumdar, jadunath Sarkar etc.

How to prepare

• Match the official History syllabus unit by unit with your Master's notes and mark weak units first.
• Solve previous UPHESC/UPESSC Assistant Professor History papers (Advt 51 re-exam of April 2026 is the most recent).
• Do not leave GK for the end: Teaching and Research Aptitude and ICT are scoring units of the GK paper.
• Practise MCQs under time limits because of negative marking (-1 per wrong answer).

Syllabus PDFs of all 43 subjects are on UPHESC Assistant Professor.