If you are a creative person, have excellent communication skills, and a passion to work with the news industry or media house, then mass communication could be the perfect career for you!
Though popular belief is that mass communication revolves around journalism, that is not the case. Dissemination of information to the larger audience is the main task of mass communication. It also includes advertising, public relations, and mass media. Mass communication can be thought of as a big tree whose branches are
- PR
- Advertising
- Journalism
- Mass media
- Event management
- Direction and production
Hence the field of mass communication is vast and there are vast opportunities as well. With the expanse of electronic media, there are more and more opportunities available worldwide. Read on to know more about the course of mass communication.
Quick Overview of Mass Communication
- Students can pursue their graduation in any of the subjects of mass communication or can pursue it as a masters.
- The courses available at the Bachelor’s level are:
- BJMC Bachelor of Journalism and mass communication
- BJ Bachelor of Journalism
- BMC Bachelor of Mass Communication
- Eligibility for all these courses is 50-60% in class 12th and students from any stream can pursue it.
- The field of mass communication is vast and one can pursue any extra courses like video production, broadcasting tools, and techniques, etc to improve their CVs.
- The course of mass communication is in itself quite interesting with field trips, internships, documentary making, film making, etc.
Subjects Taught in Mass Communication
The various courses have varied subjects under them. Some of the subjects that are taught in all of the subjects are as follows.
- Media law and ethics
- Media management
- Media research
- Communication research
- Radio journalism
- Basics of camera, lights, and sound
- Indian economy
- History and politics
- Advertising and journalism
And the list is more than the ones stated above. In addition to all this, you also learn about filmmaking, video production, direction, creative production, etc. Basically the entire field is quite creative in nature.
Skill Enhancement
With every course comes the enhancement of skills. Through mass communication, you learn some of the following skills.
- Writing and editing
- Visual and graphic communication
- Teamwork
- Collaboration
- Adaptability
- Critical thinking
- Creative intellect
- Observation and research
Need in Industry
Media is an effective aspect of our daily lives. Media is in the form of anything be it entertainment or news reporting. And today with more and more creative styles seen in the media, the opportunities for newcomers are just increasing day by day. Hence there is a need for media people in the industry and that can be done through a mass communication degree. Moreover pursuing a degree in Mass communication opens the avenues in not just journalism but also across various other industries in the form of PR. With the proliferation of social media, the need for mass communication graduates has been doubled.
Hence this field is going to stay for years to come and one can explore many new avenues here.
Career Options in Mass Communication
There are a wide variety of career options in this field.
- Print journalism
- Film or documentary making
- Anchoring
- Radio journalism
- Public relations of the corporate sector
- Publishing or broadcasting firms
- News reporters
- Directors and producers
- Editors
- Screenwriters
- Corporate media manager
- Advertisers and digital marketers
- Event management
- Food and travel journalism
Some New-age Careers
All the above-mentioned portfolios are probably the ones that are already there. But now I am going to tell you some of the new careers that can be made as your niche.
Fashion Industry
Who doesn’t like the glamour of the fashion industry? Well if you love fashion and do have a mass communication degree, you can build a career in the fashion industry by writing about fashion events, becoming a stylist, or handle the media and production there.
Journalism with New Technologies
Gone are the days when journalism was limited to news reporting, writing, and broadcasting. Now many new technologies are enabling people to step up the game of journalism. Maybe learn a new tool to broadcast the information in a good video format or use digital media to enhance it a bit. You can learn and use new tools and technologies to amalgamate journalism with tech.
Content Marketing, Developing and Blogging
These are all types of careers that have been on the rise due to the increase in social media. With a formal degree in mass communication, you can work in all these fields for good companies or work as a freelancer. You need to do courses or internships in these fields so that you are well equipped with the technicalities.
Top Companies to Work with and Perks
Some of the best companies in this field include Hindustan Times, Indian Express, BBC, Balaji Telefilms, Sahara One Media, Star India, All India Radio, Network 18, NDTV, etc.
All the different profiles entail different remuneration but an initial salary could be somewhere between 12k to 20k. It all depends on your skill sets, ability to work, and experience.
Also, this type of profession is indeed prestigious as it gives you a voice to be vocal about fellow citizens’ problems and issues.
Backup Options
If you feel you do not want to join any of the media houses but have a passion for the field, you can train a new generation of youth in mass communication by becoming their teacher (and mentor!). You can even go for higher education and research abroad. It is also not necessary that you need to be in this industry only, you can always upscale your skills and broaden them, and then shift to some other career.
Myths Related to Mass Communication
In every profession, there arise various misconceptions. It is our duty to let you know the reality and the myth. Read this article to know more about the myths related to mass communication.
Famous Personalities in Mass Communication
We all know Barkha Dutt, Rajat Sharma, and Rajdeep Sardesai. They are some of those people who started from the bottom and are now leading journalists and owners of media houses. You can read more famous personalities here.
What To Do for Getting Into This Wonderful Course?
Well, for starters, you need to give entrances and get into a good college for pursuing any of the degrees. You can even go for a diploma or post-graduate in media studies. For more information on colleges, entrances, etc. pertaining to mass communication, check out individual exam info under Eazyprep’s Exam Menu.