Journalism is all about gathering, assessing, processing, creating, presenting and disseminating news and information to the audience. Journalism uses various channels in print media, broadcasting and digital media to distribute news and information accumulated through multiple resources. Technological advancements have also increased the number of means for distributing news. They now include webcasts, blogs, social media, podcast and e-mail.
Earlier, the field was confined just to reporting the news and events in newspapers. However, the area widened with time and now incorporates a broad spectrum and is now termed as journalism and mass communication.
Those who have flair for writing and aspire to become journalists can take up this stream after higher secondary education. Prestigious colleges and universities throughout India offer three-year Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communication courses.
Higher secondary in any stream from a recognised state or central board of education.
A minimum pass percentage is 50 percent in aggregate for general and 45% for reserved categories.
Candidates should have passed the higher secondary exam with English as one of the subjects.
The eligibility criteria and other requirements may vary as per the norms and standards colleges/universities offering this course have set.
Those who want to explore the realms of journalism further can opt for a one-year post-graduate diploma in journalism and mass communication or go for two years full-time degree course.
A minimum of 45% marks in aggregate.
Some colleges/universities also consider those with less than 45% marks but relevant experience in the field.
Minimum pass percentage also varies from 45% to 60%.
Maximum age limit is 28 years but extendable for those with relevant experience.
Students appearing in final year exam in any stream can also apply.
While performance in higher secondary exam remains the primary criterion, some top-level institutes also conduct Common Entrance Test (CET) before allocating seats for journalism and mass communication courses at undergraduate level.
For BJMC, there is no specific common entrance test Instead, some colleges and universities have their own pattern of the test, syllabus and specific requirements to fill up the seats for BJMC course.College specific exam tests:
Common Entrance Test for Journalism (IPU): GGSIPU conducts Common Entrance Test for Journalism (CETJ) for Bachelor’s degree courses in Journalism and Mass Communication. The test paper contains 150 objective type questions in all and 600 marks in total.Colleges in Delhi NCR affiliated to the GGSIPU and offering BJMC courses accept admissions based on the merit in CETJ.
Symbiosis Entrance Test (SET): Pune, Maharashtra based Symbiosis International University has two rounds that candidates have to clear to take admission in BJMC course. The first round is SET that includes objective type questions, whereas the second round consists of writing ability test and PI.
Asian College of Journalism (ACJ) Entrance Test: After the careful assessment of applications, shortlisted candidates at ACJ are required to take an entrance test. The examination for journalism courses is conducted in two parts: the first part is aimed to test the applicant’s English language skills, whereas the second part checks the awareness of current affairs, general knowledge, analytical thinking, problem-solving skills and writing ability. Based on the cut-off list, candidates are invited for an interview at the college.
Counselling, Personal Interview and Seat Allocation - Candidates who score well in the entrance test get a call from the respective college/university for counselling. Some institutes offering journalism & mass communication courses interview candidates for checking their abilities in different domains and knowing their preferences to allocate seats accordingly.
Hundreds of colleges and universities in India offer admission for various journalism courses. College/university specific exams that are held from time to time are listed below.
Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) Journalism Entrance Exam - An internationally renowned learning centre under the Ministry of I&B in India, IIMC conducts journalism entrance exam for screening candidates for admission in Post-Graduation Diploma course in Advertising and Public Relations, Radio & Television Journalism and so on.
Jamia Milia Islamia University Entrance Test - The JMI University offers one-year post-graduation diploma and two-year degree courses in journalism and mass communication. It conducts an entrance exam followed by an interview and for some specific courses, GD.
Xavier Institute of Communication Entrance Test - For Post-Graduation Diploma in Broadcast Journalism in Xavier School of Communication, candidates need to crack the entrance test followed by an interview.
Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication (SIMC) Entrance Test - SIMC remains one of the coveted institutes for candidates to pursue Masters in Arts (Mass Communication) Course. Candidates need to appear for online entrance test followed by the panel interview.
|
Type |
Fee Structure |
Duration |
|
Full Time |
2.5 to 5 Lakhs |
3 years |
|
Distance Learning/Part-time |
35K to 1.5 Lakhs |
3 years |
|
Online |
1.5 lakh and above |
3 years |
The oldest form of journalism, print journalism involves the newspaper, journal, magazines, digests and text print media agencies.
During the course, candidates study Reporting and Writing for Print, Tools of Journalism, Advanced Newspaper Writing, Magazine Writing, Convergence across Media, Ethical and Legal Issues in Journalism, Liberal Arts, Critical Thinking in Journalism and English.
The candidate can work as a Writer, Feature Writer, Leader Writer, Columnist, Critic, Reporter, Correspondent/Special Reporter, Associate Editor, Sub-editor, Editor and Proof Reader.
Electronic journalism or media today involves TV, the internet, radio and web journalism (blogs, online news websites and social media). Increasing involvement of social media, internet and technology in the field has widened the sphere of journalism considerably.
Core courses in that field of electronic media include Reporting and Writing for Multimedia, Advanced Online/Multimedia, Tools of Multimedia, Convergence across Media, Liberal Arts, Critical Thinking in Journalism, Ethical and Legal Issues in Journalism, Electronic Multimedia and English.
Candidates can work as Reporters, Production Workers, Researchers, Floor Managers, Sound Technicians, Public Relations Officers, Media Managers, Corporate Communication Officers, Television and Film Production Officers.