Mass Communication Courses - Careers, Salary, Jobs, Scope

Why Mass Communication?

Mass Communication deals with the procedure of transmitting a message to the general population through media channels like radio, newspapers, magazines, television, and internet. While earlier a degree in literature and good communication skills were enough to hire a person, the scenario has now changed due to rapid advancements and technology. The demand is high for skilled professionals who are fast and efficient in communicating with a large audience.

A professional in this field need to have excellent oral and written communication skills, patience, passion and hard work to be successful. They can work in companies in the film sector, media and news, and entertainment sector wherein they have plenty of job opportunities available.

These professionals may be required to work indoors or outdoors depending upon their job role. Travel is involved in most of the career options. For most of the jobs, the average number of working hours in a week are around 35-40 hours whereas some others with a hectic schedule require working at odd timings for completion of the project by deadline.

Mass Communication Courses

Degrees offered at diploma, undergraduate courses, and postgraduate level are as follows:

Jobs and career opportunities in Mass Communication Industry

Some of the popular job roles in this field are:

Art Director: They are responsible for coordinating the concepts and designs for promotion which can be in print or digital form. They are required to focus on the concept and delegate the work to other artists.

They need to have excellent communication, teamwork and creative skills. They are required to work within the budget without sacrificing on quality. The average salary of an art director is Rs 5,97,743 per year.

Producer: These are those professionals who are involved in the making of a project right from conception to completion and also in the marketing and distribution process. They bring together the key members of the creative team.

They can be employed in the television, film or news industry. Their average salary is Rs 4,91,561 in case of film/ TV producer and Rs 468,000 per year in case of news producer.

Editor: These professionals are involved in writing content to impress and attract the audience on behalf of the company where they work. They usually work in films, broadcasting and news production companies.

They can also work as a freelancer. Usually employed in print media or digital media they need to have strong written communication skills. Their average salary is Rs 3,59,978 per year.

Event Manager: These professionals are responsible for planning events as per the requirements of the customer. They create and schedule the events and also work with third-party vendors by keeping the budget and deadlines in mind.

They need to have strong customer service and communication skills and ability to work under pressure. Their average salary is around Rs 3,70,755 in a year.

Public Relations Officer: These officers are responsible for planning, developing and implementing marketing and communication strategies for an organization. They are the ones who communicate with the media and press to ensure a positive image is created about the company.

They may be required to write speeches or make presentations, press releases and organize public events. They need to have strong oral and written communication skills, interpersonal skills and creativity. Their average salary is Rs 2,40,790 in a year.

Other Job Roles-

• Film Director
• Radio Jockey
• Screenwriter
• Sound Engineer
• Fashion Photographer

Salary in Mass Communication Industry

Mass Communication has rapidly gained importance due to the advancements in technology thus, increasing the demand for skilled professionals. The job opportunities are many in various fields and the high demand has made the careers in mass communication high paying for the professionals. The salaries are expected to be on the rise.

The salary of a fresher varies depending on his/her skills, courses and institute. A pass out from a well-known college is likely to get a good placement and handsome salary than regular and lesser-known colleges.

The starting salary of a mass communication professional is expected to be around Rs 15,000 to 25,000 in a month. With a work experience of 5 years and above payscale is expected to be anywhere between Rs 50,000 to 1,00,000 /month.

Mass Communication Recruiters

Among the top recruiters are in the mass media and news & entertainment sector.These professionals can also work for TV channels & production houses. Some of the recruiters are:

• Hindustan Times Group of Publication
• NDTV Network
• Zee TV Network
• Times of India Publication Group
• Viacom
• BBC
• TV 18 Group
• Big Entertainment
• Red FM
• Radio Mirchi

Specializations offered

• Journalism- Journalism is concerned with the compilation and transmission of news through print media and electronic media. It is an area through which information is made available to the public. These people may work for independent enterprises or national press. 

• Advertising- It is a type of marketing communication related to the promotion or sale of a product or service. It can be viewed through various mediums such as magazines, websites, newspapers, television, radio or direct mail. There are a variety of jobs and job titles available in advertising.

• Public Relations- It is about managing reputation of the clients in front of the media and gaining support for them from the public. It includes communication of key messages, sometimes by using third party endorsements, to the audience to establish an understanding between the organization and the public.

• Filmmaking- It is basically the entire process of making a film which includes production, recording, and editing which are further divided into various parts. Students with this specialization are offered cinematography, editing, and sound design as courses along with the mass communication classes.

• Digital Media- This specialization is for journalists and media and communications specialist and it prepares students for careers in digital media arts. It includes fundamental concepts in art and design and involves the mode application of talent in digital video editing and production, 3D modelling and motion graphics.

Syllabus

The course content for some courses are mentioned below:

Top colleges offering Mass Communication courses in India

Below is a list of some of the popular colleges in India offering Mass Communication courses–

Let’s look at some renowned colleges that provide this course in detail:

Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi

Indian Institute of Mass Communication was established in 1965 and is the flagship of JNU, Delhi. It was established with a mission to create a work environment which nurtures ideas, creativity, research, and scholarship. It provides world-class teaching, training, and research and thus preparing students for the competitive world.

Recognition: Ranked 1^st by Outlook for Mass Communication Institutes

Fees: INR 1.32 lakhs

Course: PG Diploma in Mass Communication

Eligibility: Graduation from a recognized stream

Placement: IBN7, Headlines Today, Star News, NDTV, Red FM, Radio Mirchi

Average salary: INR 2 lakhs to 12 lakhs per annum

Asian College of Journalism, Chennai

Asian College of Journalism was established in 1994 and is dedicated to the task of producing such journalists who are educated and professionally skilled and also possess the broad knowledge, integrity and social commitment that will make them outstanding journalists.

Recognition: Ranked 6 by Outlook for Mass Communication Institutes

Fees: INR 2.95 lakhs

Course: Post Graduate Diploma

Eligibility: Graduate in relevant stream

Placement: SIFY, CNBC, Reuters, Hindustan Times

Average salary: INR 3 lakhs per annum

 Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune

The college was established in 2008 under Symbiosis International University, Pune with a mission to promote ethical learning, nurture creativity and develop global competencies amongst students. The institute is the premier pure-play Media and Communication School for nurturing and developing future leaders.

Fees: INR 1.9 lakhs per year

Course: B.A. in Mass Communication

Eligibility: 10+2 with minimum 50% marks from a recognized board

Placement: Ogilvy and Mather, Hindustan Times, Bloomberg, Viacom, Anurag Kashyap Films

Average salary: INR 3.5 lakhs per annum

 Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media, Bangalore

Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media was established in 2001 and is a journalism school that embodies the best practices in the media industry. Its mission is to educate students in practical skills and concepts and to train them for their significant careers.

Course: UG Diploma and PG Diploma in Mass Communication

Fees: INR 3.6 lakhs for UG Diploma and INR 3.25 lakhs for PG Diploma

Eligibility:

• For UG Diploma: 10+2 or Pre-university graduation
• For PG Diploma: Graduation in any stream from a recognized university

Placement: CNBC, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, Times Now, Bloomberg

Average salary: INR 3.5 lakhs per annum

 Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai

Xavier Institute of Communications was established in 1969 in order to develop scholarship and professionalism in the media. The mission of this institute is to provide education which is able to nurture citizens all over the world. It ranks among the biggest non-government media centers in Asia.

Recognition: Ranked 3 by Outlook for Mass Communication Institutes

Course: PG Diploma

Fees: INR 2.96 lakhs

Eligibility: Graduation in any stream from a recognized board

Placement: All major channels and TV studios

Average salary: INR 2.4 lakhs per annum

Requirements for Mass Communication course

The requirements vary according to the degree courses and institutes. In most institutes, the requirements are:

• For Undergraduate courses, the candidate must have done 10+2 or Equivalent with a minimum of 50% marks from a recognized board.
• For Postgraduate courses, the candidate must have done graduation related discipline stream in a recognized university.

Scope of Mass Communication in India

The job opportunities for a mass communication professional are available in a variety of areas such as films & TV, publishing, editing, direction, production, filmmaking, public relations, advertising, and journalism and so on. The students taking up this career can choose from a pool of options depending upon their interest.

Career opportunities are expected to increase in the next five years and new launches in the mass media, entertainment, and new channels are only going to increase the demand. India is the largest producer of films in the world and it has ample opportunities to create jobs in the film sector. FDI in the media sector is also expected to create jobs in this field.

Mass communication not only provides a high paying job but also job satisfaction, name, fame and a challenge worth living for. It thus makes a lucrative career option for students.