MA in Mass Communication program consists of three streams of specializations. Students are free to choose any stream of specialization from the courses offered:
- Advertising and Marketing Communication
- Corporate Communication (Corp. Comm.) & Public Relations (PR)
- Journalism (Print & Electronic)
This program offers a hands-on approach that allows students to explore a full range of theoretical and technical skills besides building a suitable personality exploring their conceptual, innovative, artistic and creative skills that are required to become accomplished practitioners in the field of mass communication and journalism.
Through an innovative and comprehensive pedagogy, students will be exposed to master both theoretical and practical aspects of Media and Communication in the specialised fields of study such as Advertising, Marketing Communication, Corporate Communication (Corp. Comm.), Public Relations (PR), and Journalism both Print & Electronic. As a result, students of School of Communications – graduates of the XIM University will be able to distinguish themselves in a diverse media related careers as producers, creative directors, filmmakers, reporters, editors, camerapersons, designers, scriptwriters, copy writers, PR professionals, event managers, corporate communicators, social media professionals, researchers and scholars.
School of Communications was in July 2015 to train students as media professionals in the spirit of Magis (Excellence). The excellence in media and communication studies at School of Communications is achieved through its state-of-the-art infrastructure, production labs, Air-Conditioned classrooms, round the clock Wi-Fi, industry speakers, industry visits, talent shows, conferences, symposiums, live projects, closely monitored two time internships and many more student driven activities.
School of Communications houses professional audio studios, studio floor, online TV Production set-up, Edit suites lab and professional training in top high-end software in the industry like Final Cut Pro, Avid Media Composer, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, Dreamweaver, Maya (educational version) and InDesign besides offering training in 4C+ and QuarkXPress.
“Xavier Studios” is equipped with online video production facilities along with professional lights and grids. The school possesses Panasonic P2HD (5) and Panasonic 4K cameras besides a Steadicam for Film & TV production. The lab has registered Adobe suite (academic version) for imaging and graphic design besides Final Cut Pro and Avid Media Composer for real time Film & Video Editing. Workstations give students ample chances to practice what they learn in classrooms. Professional editing of video is done on all the systems using Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro and Maya. Audio is an important component of film and television production. Professional audio studios are part of Xavier Studios. The studio has the latest registered software Presonus Studio One Professional with a midi keyboard.
Another specialty of this school is that all the media equipment are made available to the students to have hands-on experience. The students use high-end cameras like Panasonic P2HD PX 270 cameras and Canon 5D and Nikon D7000 for their productions. Professional lights, Steadicam and professional tripods enhance the quality of their productions.
Besides the qualified in-house faculty at School of Communications, visiting faculty for School of Communications are drawn from both academics and industry. They are basically from the media industry coming from different disciplines of Film, Radio, Television, Journalism, event management, Advertising and Public Relations.
The School of Communications conducts Conference, symposium and workshops to bridge the gap between classroom teaching, industry and research. Special workshops and “expert talks” are held on a regular basis to supplement academic activities held at the School. Film, photo and art exhibitions are conducted to showcase student works and accomplishments. Student outbound learning and visits to media houses are undertaken as per the course requirement. Visiting faculty from the industry are invited to take some specialized courses to put the students on a different platform while studying in the School. Internship opportunity (three times during the program in a specialized field of media and communications) helps the students to have sufficient hands on experience before venturing into their career.
ELIGIBILITY:
The minimum requirement for admission to the program is a three-year Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline, with at least 50% marks in aggregate from a recognized university. Applicants who are highly talented and skilled in media related works who do not meet required aggregate in UG, could be permitted to apply as a special case. Candidates who expect to complete the final part of their degree examinations by June 25, 2020 can also apply.
ADMISSION PROCEDURE:
Applicants are required to fill-up the application form online at: www.xim.edu.in. The eligible candidates will have to appear for a written test/write a statement of purpose and appear for the personal interview at the School of communications/over skype.
SELECTION PROCESS:
Candidates for the program will be selected based on the performance in the aptitude test/statement of purpose, personal interview, undergraduate degree marks and own creative works (such as art works, news items, photography & videography, campaigns, event coordination, leadership, acting skills, music and other).
ACADEMIC SYSTEM:
The Academic System of School of Communications follows a semester pattern. Entire academic program is spread over four semesters. The program consists of both theory and practical courses. Students will have to earn about 100-115 credits to complete the program. There will be common core courses taught to all the students and specialized courses will be taught as per the choice of the students. Specialization in a field offered by the School must be chosen by the applicant, at the time of admission into the program.
INDUSTRY INTERFACE & EXPOSURE
Over and above the regular courses offered in the program, students are exposed to media industry practices through talks that are conducted by experts from media field. Moreover, project assignments, conferences, symposiums and exhibitions will enable students acquire practical knowledge about their field of interest. At the end of Second Semester and in the fourth Semester of the program, students are expected to complete two and three months of internship respectively, in the chosen field of specialization. School of Communications will facilitate the internship program for those who require support from the University to choose the fields of work and industry. On successful completion of the program, students will be awarded M.A. in Mass Communication Degree with specialization by XIM University.
DEGREE
The XIM University awards MA in Mass Communication with Specialization to the students who have successfully completed the program they have registered to study with earned credits equivalent to 96 or more, fulfilling prescribed academic standards, completion of final project, summer internships and minimum attendance to the courses undertaken by the students as per the prescribed norms in the Academic Manual of Policies. The degree is awarded to the qualified students during the Annual Convocation of the University. In normal circumstances it is usually in the month of March/April.