Postgraduate diploma in journalism, Asian College of Journalism, Chennai

The Asian College of Journalism (AJC) was set up by the B.D. Goenka Foundation in Bangalore. It later merged with the Asian Media Institute (AMI) and moved to Chennai. The ACJ and AMI are housed in the Kasturi Centre, which is a state-of-the-art, centrally air-conditioned building.

ACJ follows teaching methods developed in the best journalism education programmes in the world, adapting these to Asian conditions and introducing innovations. It combines a rigorous academic curriculum with intensive practical training, endeavouring to strike a balance between education — that is, acquisition of knowledge and the methods for acquiring knowledge — and training or the imparting of professional skills. In other words, the ACJ programme seeks to combine the “how to” aspect of journalism with a critical and reflective “why” perspective that will enable the young journalist to keep up with the demands of a dynamic work environment and a changing society.

The college has state-of-the-art facilities, including a print newsroom, media lab, digital broadcast facility, computer with LAN, library, lecture halls and classrooms equipped with the latest technological aids. All students have access to computers, work stations and software packages. Student counselling is provided round the year.

The college counsels students on placement and assists them by arranging on- and off-campus interviews. ACJ graduates are currently working in news organisations throughout India as well as in some South Asian countries. Employers of ACJ alumni include The Times of India, The Economic Times, The Hindu, The Indian Express, The New Indian Express, The Asian Age, The Telegraph, The Statesman, The Hindustan Times, Frontline, Business Line, Digit, UNI, NDTV, CNN, CNBC, Aaj Tak, Headlines Today, Star News, Sun News, ANI, Reuters, ETV, Miditech, Vijay Times, Jeevan TV, India Vision, I-Labs, Sify.com and MoneyControl.com.

AJC offers a postgraduate diploma course in journalism with four specialisations — print, New Media, television and radio. A 10-week TV journalism module run by BBC is part of the broadcast specialisation. Those who complete the course are awarded a BBC certificate .

ACJ’s one-year programme of postgraduate education in journalism is spread over three trimesters. It is designed to introduce students with a bachelors degree, but no prior experience in journalism, to the various branches of the media and help them acquire the knowledge, skills and discernment necessary for the profession. There are several electives on offer. These provide an opportunity to study some of the subject areas in greater depth and learn certain specialised kinds of reporting.

At the time of application, students have to choose the medium in which they intend to specialise. In the first trimester, all students follow the same curriculum that gives them a basic grounding in all the streams.

Specialisation begins in the second term, when students begin producing work in their chosen medium, and this continues through the third semester. The programme concludes with all students preparing a major piece of investigative reporting and writing a dissertation.

The core of the ACJ curriculum in the first term is a series of substantive lectures, designed to introduce students to the history of the media, legal and other aspects of professional journalism, and many critical economic, political, social and environmental issues of our times.

The academic year ends with a two-week internship. The faculty assists in arranging these internships, which give students first-hand experience of journalism.

The application form may either be submitted online or downloaded (www.asianmedia.org). The filled-in application form, two passport size photographs and a demand draft of Rs 1,000 (drawn in favour of Media Development Foundation and payable at Chennai) with your full name and address written on the back should be sent to the Asian College of Journalism, Kasturi Centre, 124, Wallajah Road, Chennai-600002.

Candidates are required to indicate in their applications the stream they wish to specialise in.

Eligibility

Candidates with a bachelors degree in any discipline as well as those awaiting their final year results may apply.

Entrance exam

Those who meet the eligibility criteria have to appear for a written test in May that is held at various centres around the country. Successful candidates will be asked to appear for a personal interview in Chennai in mid- June.

Pattern of exam

The examination is in two parts — English language skills and awareness of current affairs and general knowledge. It also tests a candidate’s writing ability and assesses his or her analytical thinking and problem-solving skills.

The language paper tests the fluency and grammar skills of candidates while the general awareness paper assesses their knowledge in a number of areas, including science, history, geography, personalities and events. Candidates also have to write a short essay on one of three topics given.

How to prepare

You should have the aptitude for expressing your thoughts well and the ability to pick up, store and process information easily. You should also be well-informed about events in the country and abroad.

To brush up on your English, practise exercises in comprehension, usage, correction of sentences, tense, preposition and punctuation from a good grammar textbook.

Since the questions in the general knowledge section mostly pertain to current affairs, it is essential to read some good preparation books like the Manorama Yearbook, G.K. by Maniram Agarwal and the CSR Yearbook.

Read the newspaper daily and take a look at magazines such as Outlook, Frontline, India Today, Economist, Time and Newsweek regularly. You could also check out the websites of newspapers such as The Guardian and The Independent and The New York Times.

Maintain brief notes on all important national and international issues and keep track of developments.