Journalism Career: A Guide

Our freedom depends on the freedom of the press. A Journalism career educates individuals with important news and information. From working for newspapers to magazines, broadcast networking to new-age digital platforms, journalists hold the power to inspire the thinking of the citizens of a country. India is a diverse country with a population equivalent to nearly 17.71% of the total world population. In this quest to massively disseminate knowledge in the best possible way, there is a constant need for professionals in the field. This paves the way for a range of job opportunities for students aspiring to pursue various programs in Journalism. 

Course Name	Journalism
Popular Course	Graduate Program Postgraduate Program Doctorate Program
Duration	Graduate Program- 3-4 Years Postgraduate Program- 1-2 years Doctorate Program- 2-5 Years
Career Prospects	Journalist, Radio Jockey (RJ), Content Creator, Public Relations Professional, Publicity/Advertising Industry, Broadcasting and Production etc.
Popular Countries	USA, UK, Canada, Australia and Germany.

What is Journalism?

Journalism revolves around the concept of broadcasting information about the relevant incident through different types of mass media across the globe. It is distinctive in nature with a single source of information. An act of writing for a magazine, news website, blog, print media or to prepare news for the telecast falls under the category of Journalism.

Also Read: Mass Communication Courses After 12th

Who is a Journalist?

While considering the growth of a nation, a journalist’s contribution is a vital inclusion. At the most basic level, journalists are involved in the investigation, collection and presentation of information in newspapers, on television and radio broadcasts or online through blogs, podcasts, social networking sites and other platforms. The valuable duty of enlightening people on various social causes is laid on the shoulders of journalists. Instead of using the usual monotonous style of reporting, professionals can express views in storytelling formats such as Investigative Reports, Reviews, Breaking News, Feature Stories, Breaking News, Blogs, etc.

With each new day, comes new challenges for professionals in the media industry. It requires a lot of patience to overcome these obstacles. Good journalists are those who can effectively reach out to their audience. Below are some of the essential skills to be mastered to grow in this field:

• Confidence
• Objectivity
• Precision
• Strong Willpower 
• Curiosity
• Clarity
• Expressive 
• Ability to Accept Criticism
• Fluent Communication
• Capability to Distinguish the Relevant Matter

Also Read: Radio Jockey Course

Courses in Journalism

There is no absolute educational requirement for those planning to build a Journalism career. However, the right degree course can help you demonstrate your knowledge base and the practical skills to grow in print, broadcast or web-based journalism professionally.

Let’s take a look at some of the relevant Journalism courses that students can opt for:

Undergraduate Courses

• BA (Hons) in Journalism
• BA in Politics and Journalism 
• BA in Journalism and Design
• BA in Journalism and Media Studies
• Bachelor of Communication (Journalism)
• BSc in Magazine, News and Digital Journalism
• BCom & Bachelor of Journalism Dual Degree

Postgraduate Courses

• Master of Journalism
• Master of Media in Journalism and Communication
• MA in Journalism
• MA in News Journalism 
• MA in Broadcast Journalism
• MA in Magazine Journalism 
• MA in Multimedia Journalism 
• MA in Journalism (Arts & Culture)
• MA in Political Journalism 
• MA in Business and Economics Journalism 
• MSc in Journalism
• MSc in Investigative Journalism
• MSc in Data Journalism 

Doctorate Courses

• MPhil/PhD in Journalism
• MPhil/PhD in Media, Culture and Journalism
• PhD in Journalism and Communication Studies

Also Read: Journalism Courses after 12th

Top Institutes Offering a Journalism Career

Studying abroad in one of the prominent institutes to build a Journalism career is a great opportunity to gain a new perspective. You are not just exposed to excellent quality education but also get the chance to acquire extensive training programs and work with some of the leading companies in the media sector. In addition to the traditional forms of mass communication, graduates in Journalism are skilled in social media content creation and media production required to grow in the modern world.

Below are some of the renowned universities offering exciting courses in Journalism.

• University of British Columbia
• University of the Arts London
• Columbia University
• Western University
• University of Lincoln
• City, University of London
• Staffordshire University
• Macromedia University of Applied Sciences
• Solent University
• The American University of Rome
• Bath Spa University
• Rey Juan Carlos University
• University of Kent
• Anglo-American University
• Southern Utah University

Job Opportunities in Journalism Career 

Journalism is a vast industry with professionals involved in gathering information for public consumption in a variety of media. There is a range of business sides of journalism from researching to reporting to writing newsworthy topics. The table below illustrates various job profiles in Journalism and the work associated with it:

Print Journalism Career	Responsibility
Feature Writer	Individuals involved in the core writing process i.e., writing articles and stories in-depth on specific topics.
Reporter	Professional who quickly apprehends and clearly report the news story.
Special Reporter or Correspondent	This includes special reporting of a particular field or ‘beat’ like finance, politics, sports, health, etc.
Lead Writer	The profile comprises of putting down views on several news topics.
Proof Reader	With great grammatical and language- proficiency skills, one has to proofread the news articles.
Photo Journalist	A professional working in diverse conditions to get the best pictures to be incorporated into the news story.
Critic	With comprehensive knowledge in a particular subject, one can look for a professional career as a critic.

Electronic and Broadcasting Journalism Career	Responsibility
Broadcast News Analyst	An on-air personality or behind the scene writer, reporter or producer involved in interpreting news events and crafting them into stories for the broadcasting purposes.
Researcher	Professional involved in skilled research to dig out something peculiar in the news story.
Presenter	With excellent communication skills, news anchor or presenter introduces a broadcasting programme.

Also Read: Multimedia Course

FAQs

We hope that you are now familiar with various aspects of a Journalism career. You can also reach out to our experts at Leverage Edu, who can guide you in choosing the right institute that can help you build a solid foundation in the journalism field.