MA (COMMUNICATION)

Two year Post-Graduate Programme

Programmes of study
The department offers two post-graduate programmes that have a judicious mix of theory and skill, but with different emphases–one of which would be primarily focused on media practice and the other, on theory and research. The idea, in each case, is to build practitioners with a sensitivity to the conceptual underpinnings of media and society, and to build critical researchers with an understanding of media practice.

MA Communication (Media Practice): With a convergent journalism media practice and technology focus resulting in the ability to tell engaging stories for a variety of purposes and in a range of contexts.

This two-year programme that exposes students to an array of media skills and practices, ranging from writing to audio-visual and digital media production, preparing them for jobs in the media industry or for independent media practice. Courses under this specialization build on a foundation of media and communication theory while equipping students with the skills, techniques and understanding to function in a variety of media roles, from content creation to dissemination to management in the rapidly converging media ecosystem.

Programme Learning Outcomes

On completion of the two-year MA Communication (Media Practice), students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate a broad understanding of the history, structure and functioning of the media industry in India
  • Understand the various creative and managerial roles that media practitioners play
  • Identify and apply the ethical practices and legal norms that govern media practice
  • Combine critical analysis with high-level skills to build a more ethical, creative and socially responsible media practice
  • Demonstrate skills needed to enter the media industry, including the ability to write, produce and disseminate multimedia content
  • Demonstrate and apply skills (writing, audio-visual production, editing, dissemination) in a range of media platforms and contexts
  • Independently produce and package content in selected formats (text, image, sound, multimedia)
  • Work in diverse teams to produce complex media outputs
  • Identify the broad trends and dynamics that drive the media industry nationally and globally
  • Critically analyse media content and apply this critical thinking to their own media practice

MA Communication (Media Studies): With a theory, research and critical focus, this two-year programme exposes students to the theoretical and conceptual foundations of the discipline as well as building in them the skills to apply these principles in the field as practitioners and researchers. Courses under this programme range from understanding how communication and media interface with issues of development and social change to critically analyzing media industries, popular cultural phenomena, histories of media, and digital culture.

Students can select from a range of courses while meeting the requirements of their chosen programme, in a manner that blends theory and practice even as it may emphasize one or the other. The programmes are enriched by supplementing teaching with regular workshops by experts/ industry professionals.

Programme Learning Outcomes

On completion of the two-year MA Communication Programme (Media Studies), students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate a broad understanding of the history, structure and functioning of the media industry in India
  • Recall and apply theoretical and conceptual foundations of communication and media studies
  • Demonstrate a critical historical perspective of the study of communication, conceived broadly
  • Identify, restate and critically review the complex interactions of media, society and culture in local, national, regional and global scales
  • Apply a range of research tools to study issues in the field of media and communication
  • Use digital tools such as audio and video for documentation
  • Utilise software to input and analyse media and research data
  • Provide theoretical and practical insights into the ways in which communication relates to social, economic and political change
  • Critically engage with media practices and products for purposes of commentary and research