By- Akanksha Yadav

About Mass Communication:

The Mass communication course is one of the most glamorous and exciting careers among students. Mass communication is a study of broadcasting and creatively structuring the news to spread to a large group of audience across the globe or nation.

If a student wants to pursue his/her career in the media field, he/she should first have his/her undergraduate (UG)/postgraduate (PG) degree from a reputed university/college/institute. During the Mass communication degree, students learn about various aspects of media. They learn about different types of media. The media field is very vast. During the course, students can specialize in any of the media forms. Specialization is usually done in the last semester of the degree. Students do specialization in various media fields like journalism, broadcasting, public relations, advertising etc.

There are many mass communication colleges/institutes available in India. They offer UG, and PG programs in this field. These courses are offered in offline and online modes. The average fee for a mass communication course is around INR 5000 to INR 7, 00,000 per annum.

After completing the degree, individuals can start their careers as radio jockeys, actors, journalists, editors, directors, screenwriters, advertising agents, event managers, media planners etc.

The eligibility criteria for Mass Communication courses:

The eligibility criteria for each program are different from others. Students can do BA or MA in the mass communication field. Before going for admission, students should always check the eligibility criteria of the course to avoid cancellation of admission to the desired college. The eligibility criteria for all the mass communication programs are given below for students' reference.

For the UG program:

• The candidate should have completed his/her class 12th examination with a minimum of 50% marks from a recognized board.

For PG Program:

• The student should have a bachelor’s degree in any stream from a recognized institute/college. The minimum mark should be 60%.
• The age should be a minimum of 23 years or more.

Subjects in Mass Communication:

Here is a list of subjects which are taught to students when they study mass communication.

• Aesthetics and visual communication
• Photography
• Journalism
• Audio-visual communication
• Camera and lighting
• Feature writing
• Audiography and music
• News reporting and editing
• Marketing and mass communication
• Public Relations
• Event Management
• Radio
• Advertising

What are the top entrance examinations in Mass Communication?

Mass Communication is offered in various colleges/institutes. The course is available in various modes. One can study mass communication as per their choice of study mode. Admission to Mass Communication colleges is usually given based on a student’s performance in written examinations and personal interviews. Some colleges/institutes take direct admission while some colleges conduct their entrance examination. Here is a list of the top mass communication entrance examinations.

• Jamia Milia Islamia Entrance Exam- conducted by Jamia Milia Islamia University, Delhi.
• XIC OET- conducted by Xavier Institute of Communications (XIC).
• IIMC entrance exam- conducted by IIMC, Delhi.
• FTII JET- conducted by the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI).
• JNUEE- conducted by Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi
• CUET- conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

Career opportunities:

After completing a mass communication course, students get ample career opportunities in various media fields. After doing a professional course in Mass communication, individuals can build their careers in television, films, publishing, journalism, editing, public relations, event management, production, script writing, direction, advertising and many more fields. They can work as radio jockeys, actors, journalists, editors, directors, screenwriters, advertising agents, event manager, media planners etc.

Top recruiters:

• Hindustan Times
• All India Radio
• India Today Group
• Indian Express
• NDTV
• Pioneer
• Zee Network
• Star India
• Balaji Telefilms Limited
• Network 18
• Yashraj Films
• Dharma Productions
• Doordarshan
• The Hindu
• Times Group
• BBC

Top colleges for mass communication-related courses:

Some of the top mass communication offering colleges/institutes is mentioned below.

• IGNOU, Delhi
• IIMC, Delhi
• Christ University, Bangalore
• LPU Jalandhar
• JMI New Delhi
• Amity University, Noida
• SRM University, Chennai
• Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune
• Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai
• Manipal Institute of communication, Manipal
• Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication, Bhopal
• Bennett University, Gr. Noida