Journalism Course - Careers, Salary, Jobs, Scope

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Why this Course?

Journalism the collection and circulation of information through print and electronic sources. The recent growth in the communication sector has led to multiple career opportunities.

With digitalization on the rise in India, communication medium and audience is constantly evolving.In the modern day journalism, electronic method is surpassing the old print method. Older methods like newspapers and magazines face tough competition from online news portals and blogs. The internet websites today have a sizable number of readers and subscribers.

Journalism programs can be divided into print, broadcasting and multimedia journalism.

The different areas of work in this industry involve reporting, writing, photographing, editing, cable casting jobs. The basic skills required in this field are Alertness, good communication skills, identification b/w facts and fiction, sensitivity towards various issues and most importantly patience and perseverance.

Journalism is a 24 hrs job, which means you have to be ready to explore and report various incidents around the clock. Events and calamities are not time bound and therefore may require the candidate to work overtime. Though this strictly depends on your job profile.

Also, this job involves traveling beyond familiar geographical boundaries. Exploring various cultural, social, political and religious areas is an important part of this field.

Jobs and Careers Opportunities

  • Reporter

The job of a reporter involves a collection of upcoming stories and presenting them to the audience.  The job is basic but plays an essential role in the communication industry.

They should have a ready-to-go attitude with an unbiased approach towards the story. Their job involves working at odd hours to gather first-hand information and conduct interviews.

Key character traits required are high standards of accuracy, working under deadlines, handle rejection and keep updated about current affairs.

The average salary earned by a reporter is around Rs Rs15-25,000 per month. With experience, they become special reporter/correspondent covering particular events like sports, political rally, etc.

  • Feature Writer

Feature writer’s job revolves around writing in-depth stories on specific topics which do not form part of the regular news. It is basically telling a story of an event which has already occurred and the writer presents his/her views and opinions.

Feature writing is different from news reporting/writing. Under news writing impromptu information about a recent event is provided. In case of feature writing, the planning and preparation are done in advance. Topics covered are opinion based and general in nature.

Good writing skills, avid reading, attention towards details, investigative and research skills, and patience are a few qualities of a good writer.

The salary is completely based on skills of a candidate and his/her expertise in any particular field.

  • Proof Reader and Sub Editor

A proofreader is a person who checks and corrects the grammatical errors in the pre-written story.  In the journalism hierarchy, it is a designation below sub-editor.

Once the proofreading is done, the article lands with the sub-editor. Their job involves making edits and paraphrasing it as per the requirement of the paper/tabloid. They are also involved in covering and writing ‘Page 1’ stories.

The average salary of a top newspaper/tabloid is around 4-7Lac.

  • Resident Editor

They are responsible for what finally goes into the newspaper. They are required to come up with new stories, factual checking, hiring and assigning tasks to senior journalist and final review stories.

A sub-editor is promoted to editor level after an experience of at least 5-7 years. Usually, they should have prior knowledge of reporting and proofreading. Excellent oral and communication skills, ability to meet deadlines, experience with desktop programs are the basic requirements to become an editor.

Since they are at the top in line in the communication industry, salary packages are lucrative. An editor earns around 12.5 Lac per annum.

  • Designer

The responsibility of a designer is to the newspaper interesting and catchy. Designing, space utilization, page layouts to assemble text and photographs are a few jobs done by a designer.

The candidate should have a creative mind and be well-versed with designing softwares.

The news reaches them after being proofread and edited by a sub-editor. They work with magazines, newspapers, books and websites.

The salary of a designer depends upon his experience and skills.

Other Job roles-

  • Commentators
  • Cartoonist
  • Artist
  • Photojournalist
  • Critic
  • Researchers
  • Broadcast reporter

Salary

The starting salary offered byTime of India (TOI) to journalism trainee/intern is around Rs. 12,000per month. Theyare paid around Rs 17-20,000 per month after completion of training by national media firms.

Personal attributes and experience plays a very important role in determination of remuneration.

Senior reporters/anchors draw a salary of Rs6 to 8 Lac. Growth in this filed can lead you to become a Chief Editor whose average salary is anywhere near 10Lac to 20Lac.

Senior personnel work as freelance journalist and guest writersfor various big print and electronic media distributors. They charge per article and even per-wordin some cases.

Recruiters

  • The Times Group
  • Hindustan Times
  • India Today
  • Hindu
  • Pioneer
  • Malayala Manorama
  • Jagran Prakash Group
  • All India Radio (AIR)
  • Outlook
  • India TV
  • NDTV
  • Zee Network

 

Syllabus

Course Topic
B. A (Journalism) §  Language- English

§  Basic Psychological process

§  Introduction to Mass Communication

§  Fundamentals of Journalism

§  Child Psychology

§  Media Law and Constitution

§  Reporting Methods

§  Media Management

§  Intro to Advertising and Media Relations

B. A- Hons (Journalism) §  Communication and Mass Comm- Concepts

§  History of Communication Media

§  Intro to Journalism

§  Indian Business and Economics

§  Media and Cultural Studies

§  Reporting and Editing of Print

§  International Politics

§  New Media Technologies

§  Radio and TVProduction

§  Seminar on Current Issues

B. A (Journalism and communication studies) §  Introduction to Journalism

§  Media Disclosures

§  Core Issues in Journalism and Communication

§  Magazines

§  Critical Writing and Editing

§  Media, Events and Ethics

§  Independent Project

B. Sc (Mass Comm and Journalism) §  Fundamentals of Communication Skills

§  Fundamentals of Journalism

§  Writing for media – Theory and Practical

§  IndianConstitution

§  Radio Broadcasting- Theory and Practical

§  Photojournalism

§  Basic of Indian Cinema

§  Magazine Journalism

§   Media Criticism and Research

§  Media Law and Ethics

M.A Photojournalism §  Introduction

§  Digital Photography

§  Education in Photography

§  Camera Typology and Operations

§  Photo Journalism Ethics

§  Case Studies

§  Analysis of Photo Journalist’s work

§  Photography Equipment  and Handling

§  Master’s Thesis

Master in Journalism and Mass communication §  Introduction

§  Print Media

§  Reporting, Editing and Specialized Writing

§  Seminar on Current Affairs

§  Communication Skills

§  New Media Technology

§  Media Organization and Management

§  Film Studies and Appreciation

§  TV and Radio Journalism

§  International and Intercultural Communication

§  Graphic tools

Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication (PGDMC) §  Intro to Mass Communication

§  Photography and Photojournalism

§  Principles of Mass Comm

§  Media Law and Ethics

§  Advertising and Corporate Communication

§  Dissertation

§  Development Communication

§  Issue before Media

§  Radio and TV Production

Ph. D (Journalism and Mass communication) §  Research Methodology I

§  Research Methodology II

§  Seminar on Review Literature

§  Mass Communication Theory and Practice

§  Thesis

Popular Colleges offering Journalism courses

 

Lady Shree Ram college of commerce

The college was established in 1956 by Lala Shri Ram in memory of his late wife Phoolan Devi. It is a prestigious women college providing excellence in fields of commerce, arts, and social welfare.

The journalism department of the college is designed to provide women an effective voice to break social myths and initiate change.

The learning process is enriched with attending lectures, workshops, seminars and writing assignments.

The departments provide Honours degree in Journalism. LSR was ranked 1st in the “Top colleges in India” category of NIRF 2017.

Admission is based on Class 12th merit basis. Last cut off for journalism in 2017 was 97%.

Popular recruiters include Times of India, CNN IBN, The Hindu, Aaj Tak, The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, NDTV etc.

 

Madras Christian College

Set up 1837, MCC is one of Asia’s oldest educational institutes. It is affiliated with University of Madras but functions as an autonomous institution from its campus in Chennai.

The department of journalism was formed in 2005. It offers BA Journalism to aspiring candidates. As per the university website, the course emphasizes on print as well as electronic media and provides regular updates on the changes in the industry. This helps students to understand and face the competition in the industry.

The undergraduate BA degree in journalism is of 3 years. Specialization is offered in disciplines such as Print, electronic, photography, web designing and film journalism.  The admission is based on merit basis of class 12th examination.

The university is accredited grade ‘A’ by NAAC and ranked 7th by India today survey in 2016.

 

Amity School of Communication

Established in 1999, ASCO is affiliated to the prestigious Amity University. The guiding principle of this premier communication institute is blending modern and sophisticated techniques with rich Indian heritage.

The institute offers Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Ph.D. programs.

The basic eligibility criteria for UG program is the clearance of class 12th exam.

Below are the details of a few popular courses offered by the Institute –

Course Duration (years) Fee-1st  year (Lacs)
B.A (Journalism and Mass communication)- Continent 3 1.84
B.A (Journalism and Mass communication) 3 1.21
B.A (Mass communication)- International 3 1.5
M.A (Journalism and Mass Communication) 2 1.13
Ph.D. (Mass Communication) 3 0.50
Ph.D. (Mass Communication)-Part Time 4.5 0.335

 

Lovely Professional University

LPU is one of the largest private universities in India. Established in 2005, it is recognized by UGC, AICTE, COA, PCI and many other accreditation bodies.

It university offers both undergraduate and postgraduate programs in Journalism and Mass Comm.

Below are the eligibility and other relevant data for the above courses-

Course Eligibility Fee Scholarship
B.A (Journalism and Mass Comm) Class 12th pass with minimum 50%(English) or equivalent. 64,500 Yes
M.A (Journalism and Mass Comm) Minimum 50% aggregate in Bachelor’s course (discipline) or equivalent 64,500 Yes

Aspiring candidates need to appear for LPUNEST (Lovely professional University National Entrance and Scholarship Test) as a gateway to admission into the university.

As per the University, 94.4 FM, Amar Ujala, Avain Media, Unipro education are few of the top placement companies.

Indian Institute of Mass Communication

IIMC  is a central government promoted and funded media center for education under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It was inaugurated in 1965 by then cabinet minister Indira Gandhi.

The top-tier institute has its headquarters in Delhi and additional 5 regional centers in – Mizoram, Odisha, J&K, Kerala, and Maharashtra.

The institute offers undergraduate and Postgraduate diploma programs. It also organizes various short-term media and communication courses for personnel from Ministry of I & B. As per the official website, a total of 692 short-term courses have been provided so far.

Below is a list of courses provided-

Course Duration
Diploma course in Development Journalism 4 Months
Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in Radio and TV Journalism 1 Year
PGD in Advertising and Public Relations 1 Year
PGD in Journalism (Hindi) 1 Year
PGD in Journalism (Odia) 1 Year
PGD in Journalism(English) 1 Year
PGD in Journalism (Urdu) 1 Year

As part of the admission process students need to clear IIMC entrance exam and personal interview session.

The fee structure of IIMC is quite reasonable with course fee ranging anywhere between Rs.60-75,000.

Other Colleges

  • Department of Media Studies, Christ University
  • School of Communication, Manipal University
  • Delhi College of Arts and Communication
  • Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication
  • Asian College of Journalism
  • Department of Communication and Journalism, Pune
  • Mudra Institute of Communication, Ahmadabad
  • Xavier Institute of Communication
  • Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, BHU
  • Indian Institute of Journalism and New media, Bangalore

Requirements for this specialization

The basic criterion for admission into an undergraduate program in journalism is the clearance of class 12th CBSE examination or any other equivalent state board exam. The candidate should have a minimum of 50% (5% relaxation to SC/ST/ candidates) aggregate and English is mandatory.

Prestigious communication institutes conduct entrance exams followed by a personal interview. The written test can be objective or subjective depending on the institute. The topic covered includes General Knowledge, Current Affairs, Case studies and English language.

The subjective exam may include English comprehensions and creative writing.

Admission into Post Graduate courses requires candidate to have a graduation in a similar field and minimum marks differ from institute to institute.

On the other hand, Doctorate programs require the candidate to have a post-graduate degree or at least 5-years of teaching experience in media or journalism.

Exams

Exam Conducting Body Course Eligibility
IIMC Entrance Test Indian Institute of Mass Communication PG Courses §  Graduate

§  General- Bore before 1st August 1993

§  OBC- Bore before 1st August 1990

§  SC/ST/Physically Challenged- Bore before 1st August 1988.

JMI Entrance Exam Jamia  Milia Islamia PG Courses §  For PG diploma in Journalism- Graduate from recognized college with min. 45%.

§  Other courses- Varies for different courses.

GGSIPU CET Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University UG & PG courses §  For UG- At least 50% in 12th.

§  For PG- At least 50% in Graduation with working experience.

BMMMC IP College, Delhi University UG Course §  Class 12th pass.
AUCET Andhra University and BR Ambedkar University PG Courses §  Graduate from any recognized University.
BHU Entrance Test Banaras Hindu University UG and PG Courses §  For UG- 50% in Class 12th.

§  For PG- 50% in Graduation.

Should you choose this specialization? (Scope)

The Internet has lately become a global community, attracting millions of visits per day across the globe. It has influenced the viewpoints of people on various social, political and economic issues. Moreover, providing information on the internet is cost-effective and user-friendly.

As per the KPMG 2017 report, 68.27% is contributed by TV and Print in the Media and entertainment industry. India’s print media generated $4.71 billion in the financial year 2017.

As per PwC, media and entertainment industry will outpace the growth of country’s GDP.

In India, the demand for newspaper sector alone will touch a mountaintop at $3.75 billion by 2021 as reported by Economic Times.

New portals like The logical India, SaadaHaq, scroll have given the industry a freedom which is beyond one’s influence. The media houses are competing with one another to provide the masses; news and not entertainment.

Various international Media giants like Huffington Post,Quartz, and Mashable have set up their base in India.

Considering this, a career in journalism will provide ample of opportunities for growth.

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