MASS COMMUNICATION COURSES

Once considered the last resort for job seekers, mass communication in the last decade has transformed into
a serious career option for the youngsters today. It is a profit making industry today with as many as six media
companies listed in the stock exchange, each of the company valued over Rs.10,000 million ($250 million).
The current scenario is a far cry from about two decades ago, when the largest media company reported net
profits of about Rs.50 million (a little over a million dollars). The growth of technology, governments
liberalized policies and the increased purchasing power of the expanding middle class and their changing life
style has been the main driving force for this development.
In addition, the satellite channels, a series of Radio channels (FM) have also helped in the expansion. Every
metropolitan city of India has its own various FM radio stations where several radio jockeys are working. Print
media has also made a remarkable progress and dozens of Hindi, English and regional newspapers and
magazines have come-up in the market. Today mass communication industry is not just limited to its country's
boundary but has reached globally. It also covers all the latest updates and current happenings around the
globe. The other development in mass communication industry is advertising agencies. A number of big and
small advertising agencies have come up in the market and there are multiple career options available for
mass communication graduates. Needless to say that the growth in the industry has created an expanding job
market for the industry, this in turn has been instrumental in setting up of institutes offering mass
communication courses.
Mass communication course is a broad term which is an amalgamation of the study of all mass media that
helps communicate with the public. Hence, mass communication includes within its purview the study of
Journalism - Television or Radio Journalism or Print Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations, Marketing.
With the broadening of the definition of mass communication in recent times, the courses now also include
specializations like radio jockeying, event management, film making.
In India, mass communication has developed into a highly comprehensive field of study and at the same time
offering a challenging and bright career prospect. The advent and the growth of electronic media perhaps has
a large role to play in the increase in the popularity of the medium. It gives an instant recognition and fame to
the reporters as compared to the faceless bylines of the print media.
Several institutes across the country, in the metros and in the smaller cities today offer mass communication
courses at different levels. One can opt for a diploma, PG diploma, undergraduate, postgraduate and even
doctoral level programmes. The eligibility criteria differ according to the level of course opted for. For diploma
and undergraduate programs in mass communication, one should have passed the intermediate exam in any
discipline. For PG diploma and postgraduate degree courses, Bachelors degree in any discipline is required,
whereas for doctorate level course, Masters degree in mass communication is mandatory.
Majority of the private run or government institutes offer all the streams that fall under the mass
communication umbrella. But as the industry gets more demanding for better skilled professionals and the
competition gets tougher, several mass communication institutes now focus on one of the mass
communication subjects: be it journalism, advertising combined with management, film making etc. This
focused approach perhaps helps the institutes to produce better skilled students.
Getting admission in the mass communication institute is also getting tougher as the competition hots - up.
Most of the institutes that offer mass communication courses conduct an examination followed by personal
interview as selection criteria. Students seeking admission to such courses require a more than average
writing skill, good command over the language, a creative bend of mind in case of advertisements or film
making and an interest in current affairs if it is in journalism.
Like any top ranking management institutes, most of the reputed institutes offering mass communication
courses arrange for campus placements. In some of the top rated journalism colleges, media houses vie with
each other for the first slot for campus placement to pick up the best students. Several of the mass
communication institutes do include internship as part of the course that provides practical training to the
students and exposure to the working of the industry. In several cases, the internship does turn into a job with
the company.
While mass communication institutes have mushroomed all over the country, a students seeking admission
into a course should do a thorough study before joining an institute. He or she should find out about the
history of the institute, any affiliations to universities or well known organizations, the expertise and the
experience of the faculty, the placement history etc.
Although the remuneration in the industry varies from one field of mass communication to the other, yet for
beginners, on an average, the remuneration may range anywhere from Rs 20,000 to 30,000 per month and
increases accordingly with experience and time. The remuneration also depends upon the institute from which
the course has been pursued.
Students opting to making a career choice in this industry can take heart from the fact that the growth
projection for the industry is bullish. According to a joint report by KPMG and FICCI, over the next five years,
Media and Entertainment industry is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13 per
cent to reach the size of US$ 24.04 billion by 2014. Some of the factors that will drive the growth in the next
ten years will be digitisation, regionalisation, competition, innovation, process, marketing and distribution.