Journalism After 12th: Complete Course & Career Guide

Last Updated on July 31, 2023 by Vishnu Nambiar

In this article, you will be reading about journalism courses (Degree and Diploma) to pursue after completing 12th standard. Topics covered in this article includes- different types and formats of journalism courses available in India, course details, pg courses, specializations, career prospects and job profiles available after completing the course.

Journalism: An introduction

In simple terms, journalism is all about collecting and circulating/spreading information to a specific or general audience. This spreading of information can be done through two main mediums- Print Media and Electronic Media.

Newspapers, magazines and circulars are well known forms of print media. Television, radio and internet entities (news portals, blogs and e magazines) are well known forms of electronic media.

The field of journalism is a very vast one. Numerous career opportunities exist in this field. Some such job profiles available within the field of journalism are- analysts, correspondents, editors, writers, news presenters, investigative journalists, photographers etc.

We see journalists in action each day, bringing news, information, latest events and opinions belonging to local, national and international levels to us through print and electronic media. In short, the task of a journalist is to find the information from the source, edit it, report it and thus relate it to an audience.

To build a rewarding career in the field of journalism, one must possess a particular set of skills. Below, I’ve listed the key skills required to thrive in this field.

Skills required to excel in the field of journalism

The field of journalism won’t suit one and all. If you possess the below mentioned qualities and/or skills, you may make it big in the field of journalism. Go through the qualities and skills listed below and check whether you are capable of building a rewarding career in this field-

• Good writing, editing and research skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Interest in politics and social justice
• Honesty and integrity
• Leadership and team working skills
• Interviewing skills
• Time management skills
• Expressing ideas and opinion
• Computer skills
• Will to travel a lot
• Will to take risks

If you possess most of the above mentioned qualities and/or skills, you are ready to jump into the world of journalism! Journalism is one such career that can be used to bring a change in the society and influence the lives of people. Let us take a look at the different formats of journalism courses available in India in the next section.

Journalism courses in India

There are 3 main formats of journalism courses available in India. They are- Degree programs, Diploma programs and Certificate programs. When it comes to value and usefulness, Degree and Diploma courses are the best ones. I’ll be listing only Degree and Diploma programs here.

1. BA in Journalism– 3 years long undergraduate degree program
2. BA in Journalism and Mass Communication– 3 years long undergraduate degree program
3. Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communication– 3 years long undergraduate degree program
4. Bachelor of Mass Media and Journalism– 3 years long undergraduate degree program
5. Bachelor of Communication and Journalism– 3 years long undergraduate degree program
6. B.Sc. in Journalism and Mass Communication– 3 years long undergraduate science degree program
7. BA in Media and Communication– 3 years long undergraduate degree program
8. BA in Media Studies– 3 years long undergraduate degree program
9. BA in Mass Communication– 3 years long undergraduate degree program
10. Bachelor of Mass Media– 3 years long undergraduate degree program
11. BBA in Mass Communication and Journalism– 3 years long undergraduate management degree program
12. Diploma in Journalism– 1 year long Diploma program

The above mentioned Degree and Diploma courses belong to undergraduate level.

Eligibility criteria

10+2 passed (any stream- Science/Commerce/Arts) from a recognized board is the minimum qualification required to pursue the above mentioned journalism courses. Some institutes do have a minimum marks criteria (at least 50% aggregate marks in 10+2 subjects) present in eligibility criteria.

Admission process

Most institutes follow ‘direct admission’ process. Seats are allotted to eligible candidates based on the marks scored by them in board examination (and in some cases state wise entrance tests too). In case of some reputed institutes, they have their own entrance test/qualifying examination, for screening candidates.

PG courses and specializations

Pursuing a postgraduate level course definitely adds more skills to a graduate’s skill set. It makes him/her more employable. The same theory is applicable in the field of journalism. Pursuing a PG course will also help one specialize in a particular discipline within the field of journalism.

Common PG courses available in front of graduates are-

• MA in Journalism and Mass Communication
• M.Sc. in Journalism and Mass Communication
• MA in Broadcast Journalism
• MA in Advertising and Journalism
• MA in Public Relations
• MA in Photojournalism
• MA in Mass Communication
• Master of Mass Media
• Master of Journalism

Other than them, PG Diploma courses are also available. Some well known specializations are-

• Sports Journalism
• Investigative Journalism
• Fashion Journalism
• Photo Journalism
• Business and Financial Journalism
• Editorial Writing
• Multimedia Journalism
• Print Journalism
• Broadcast Journalism

Other than the traditional PG journalism courses, graduates may also go for management courses. MBA is the best course available at the moment. Relevant MBA specializations such as Media Management, Advertising and Mass Communication will add to the value of a graduate’s CV! Also check – list of science stream courses, list of commerce stream courses & list of arts stream courses.

Career prospects and job opportunities

As I mentioned before, the field of journalism is very vast. Diverse job opportunities exist in this field. Different job opportunities and profiles exist in the form of reporters, editors, analysts, producers, photographers etc. To an extent, the job profile that one bags depends upon one’s specialization and skills!

You may also check –

Mass Communication courses

Visual Communication courses

The demand for unbiased and correct news is increasing each day. Print media is still doing very fine, despite the surge of electronic media in the recent years. Electronic media has seen a wide rise in consumption in the past few years. Especially the internet news sources have started to dominate the market!

Taking the above factors into consideration, it is safe to say that journalists are still in demand and will likely stay so in the near future also! Some of the common job profiles available in front of journalism graduates are-

Print Media job profiles-

• Journalist
• Reporter
• Technical writer/writer
• Advertising specialist
• Correspondent
• Freelance Correspondent
• Editor
• Associate Editor
• Analyst
• Photographer

Electronic Media job profiles-

• TV Producer
• Photographer
• Magazine Editor (E Magazines)
• Narrator
• NEWS Director
• Newscaster
• Anchor
• Reporter
• Production Assistant
• Radio/Television Announcer
• Station Manager (Radio and TV)

Some well known places where graduates may find a job includes-

• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Internet publishing houses
• TV/Radio channels & production houses
• NGOs
• Corporate Sector (PR)

Vishnu Nambiar

I am Vishnu Nambiar a career and educational blogger from India. I am also a full time educational consultant having more than 12 years of experience in the educational sector.

I share articles related to courses, colleges, careers, exam tips and more here.