The semester-wise syllabus, paper codes, generic / skill split, theory & practical marks distribution and credit structure for the Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication — affiliated to Panjab University, Chandigarh and offered under the UGC National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF).
Eligibility CriteriaTwo generic foundation papers paired with three skill-based core papers covering reporting, mass communication theory and practical computing.
| Paper Code | Title | Component | Mode | Theory (Int / Ext) | Practical (Int / Ext) | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN-101 | Communication Skills | Generic | Theory | 20 / 80 | — | 6 |
| GEN-102 | Fundamentals of Information Technology | Generic | Theory | 20 / 80 | — | 6 |
| JMC-01 | Reporting & Feature Writing | Skill | Theory & Practical | 10 / 40 | 10 / 40 | 6 |
| JMC-02 | Mass Communication | Skill | Theory & Practical | 10 / 40 | 10 / 40 | 6 |
| JMC-03 | Basics of Computer | Skill | Practical | 10 / 40 | 10 / 40 | 6 |
Objective: develop communication skills, discover what business communication is about, and adapt these skills to life and the business world.
Unit I — Introduction to Communication: need for effective communication; the process; levels and flow of communication; use of language; communication networks; significance of technical communication; barriers, types of barriers, miscommunication, noise, overcoming measures.
Unit II — Verbal & Non-Verbal Communication: planning, preparation, delivery, feedback — public speaking, group discussion, presentation, audio-visual aids, personal interview. Body language, posture, gestures, facial expressions; positive attitude formation.
Unit III — SWOT & Etiquette: self-management; self-image and self-esteem; building self-confidence; power of irresistible enthusiasm; social, office, telephone & e-mail etiquettes; importance of listening and responding.
Unit IV — Report Writing & Correspondence: business reports — types, characteristics, importance, elements of structure, process, the final draft, checklists. Inviting / sending quotations, placing orders, tenders, sales letters, claim & adjustment letters, social correspondence.
Objective: familiarise students with developments in IT, the Internet, and the use of computer systems at the OS and application level.
Unit I — Computers: introduction; characteristics; organisation; hardware, software, data, information. Types — digital, analog, hybrid; micro / mini / mainframe / supercomputers; desktops, laptops, workstations, PDAs. Generations & applications.
Unit II — Hardware & Storage: input devices — keyboard, mouse, light pen, joystick, trackball, microphone. Output — printers (types), plotters, speakers, scanners, displays. Storage — bit, byte, RAM (static / dynamic), ROM / EROM / EPROM / EEPROM, magnetic, hard, floppy, optical disks, CD-ROM, SSDs.
Unit III — Software: application & system software. Operating systems — functions, types. Data processing — batch, online, time-sharing, real-time; single-user, multi-user, client-server; distributed and parallel processing; translators — compilers, interpreters, assemblers.
Unit IV — Networks & Internet: LAN, WAN, MAN. Internet & WWW — evolution, services (WWW, e-mail, telnet, FTP, IRC, news), access methods, browsers, future and applications.
Objective: introduce students to the basic techniques of writing news stories and features; train them in the art and science of news and feature writing.
Unit I — News: definition, concept & types; elements (5 W's & 1 H); news values; news gathering; sources of news; press conference, press release, meet the press, press briefing, newswires.
Unit II — The Reporter: role and responsibilities; concept of beats; investigative, interpretative and developmental journalism; yellow journalism; scoops; sting operations.
Unit III — Writing & Interviewing: writing techniques and styles of news reports and features; interview — objectives, types, purpose, techniques.
Unit IV — Features: definition, meaning; importance and types of features; news analysis; articles.
Practical: identifying types of news & features in newspapers; preparing a news-clipping file; writing a feature; writing 4 news reports of events in your area.
Objective: develop understanding of different types of communication, elements, principles and their importance.
Unit I — Foundations: meaning, definition, nature, need, process, functions, barriers, the 7 C's of communication. Types — intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, public and mass communication.
Unit II — Modes: verbal and non-verbal communication; traditional and folk-media communication.
Unit III — Models: Aristotle, Lasswell, Shannon & Weaver, Wilbur Schramm, Berlo, Gerbner, and the Dance Model.
Unit IV — Theories: two-step and multi-step flow; individual difference; personal influence; selective exposure / perception / retention; uses & gratifications; cultivation; dependency; agenda-setting.
Practical: conducting interviews; debate & declamation; group discussions; poetry recitation, vox pop, announcements, anchoring, news gathering.
Objective: familiarise students with computer applications required for print production.
Unit I — Windows & Internet: Windows basics, accessories, file & program manager; computer applications across fields. Internet — how it works, WWW, browsing (open, view, save, print, bookmark), browsers, search engines, creating an e-mail ID.
Unit II — MS Word & PowerPoint: Word — create / save / open / import / export, formatting pages, paragraphs, sections, lists, headings, fonts, find & replace, page breaks, headers / footers, tables, printing. PowerPoint — presentation creation, menus, dialogs, slide / sorter / outline views, formatting, audio & video.
Unit III — CorelDraw 9: Pick, Shape, Knife, Eraser, Zoom, Freehand, Natural Pen, Dimensions, Ellipse, Polygon. Transformations, trimming, welding, intersection, snapping, Object Manager.
Unit IV — QuarkXPress & Adobe Photoshop: features, photo editing tools and techniques.
Practical: assignments and file work.
Foundation papers in soft skills and editing combined with skill papers across graphics, new media, electronic media, and a compulsory one-month industry training.
| Paper Code | Title | Component | Mode | Theory (Int / Ext) | Practical (Int / Ext) | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN-201 | Soft Skills and Personality Development | Generic | Theory | 20 / 80 | — | 6 |
| JMC-04 | Editing | Generic | Theory | 20 / 80 | — | 6 |
| JMC-05 | Graphics | Skill | Theory & Practical | 10 / 40 | 10 / 40 | 6 |
| JMC-06 | New Media Technology | Skill | Theory & Practical | 10 / 40 | 10 / 40 | 6 |
| JMC-07 | Electronic Media | Skill | Theory & Practical | 10 / 40 | 10 / 40 | 6 |
| JMC-08 | Training & Viva-Voce (Report 50 + Viva-Voce 20 + Practical 30) | Skill | Practical | — | Total: 100 | — |
Objective: expose students to "Human Development" — personal and interpersonal — with emphasis on the latent resources every human possesses, to meet the challenges of the modern world.
Unit I — Foundations: attitude and its formation; building a success attitude; SWOT analysis; self-management; self-image, self-esteem & self-confidence; power of irresistible enthusiasm; etiquette; public speaking; oral & written communication; body language; technical writing tips.
Unit II — Communication & Cooperation: functions, basics, networks; tips for effective internal communication; non-verbal communication; ethical communication — austerity in speech, value, ethics; communication aids; behaviour with customers; influence skills; multi-cultural skills.
Unit III — Personality Theory & Techniques: basics of personality; human growth and behaviour; theories; motivation. Techniques — mnemonics, goal setting, time management; stress management, meditation & concentration techniques; self-hypnotism; self-acceptance & growth.
Unit IV — Teams & Leadership: coordination in teams; leadership styles; leader vs team player; conflict management; profiles of great personalities; role of career planning; facing personal interviews and group discussions.
Objective: introduce students to the working of a newsroom; train them in the art and science of editing news, headlines and designing a newspaper.
Unit I — Sub-Editing: significance and principles of sub-editing; criteria for judging news copy.
Unit II — The Newsroom: structure of a news-room organisation; role and responsibilities of the News Editor and Sub-Editor.
Unit III — Page Make-Up: objectives, importance and types; the Dummy and its importance.
Unit IV — Headlines: importance, typographical patterns, purpose and types.
Practical: preparing dummies of 4 newspaper pages; visit to a newspaper newsroom and report writing; identifying types of headlines in an English daily; identifying the make-up of a newspaper.
Objective: introduce students to fonts, printing methods, and DTP publication.
Unit I — Design Principles: principles and elements of design; colour — physical forms, psychology, colour scheme & production.
Unit II — Typography: type design and classification — serif, case, face, point size and series; different sizes of newspapers.
Unit III — Printing Methods: letter press, screen, gravure, and offset.
Unit IV — DTP: basics of desktop publishing and publishing with QuarkXPress.
Practical: identifying design elements on the front page of a newspaper; publishing a 12-page in-house newsletter using QuarkXPress.
Objective: introduce students to the online journalism industry and prepare them for online journalism practice.
Unit I — New Media & Internet: what is new media; features. Internet — nature, features, advantages and disadvantages, convergence.
Unit II — Online Journalism: citizen journalism; accuracy and fairness; writing for the web; why print & electronic media networks are going online; creating online news packages; putting TV news online.
Unit III — Social Media & Blogs: dynamics, strengths, weaknesses; use for marketing. Blogs — concept, creating and writing for blogs; e-newspapers; e-magazines.
Unit IV — Cyber Crime & Law: Cyber Crime, IT Act, ICT.
Practical: creating PowerPoint presentations; writing news for the web; creating and maintaining blogs; writing online reviews.
Objective: introduce students to the electronic media industry — television and radio journalism practices.
Unit I — Electronic Media & AIR: meaning, definition, characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. History of Radio in India — All India Radio; organisational structure; News Service Division; objectives of broadcast (Information, Education, Entertainment); Commercial Broadcasting Service, External Service, National Service, Vividh Bharati and FM service.
Unit II — Three Tiers of Radio: local, regional and national; Public Service Broadcast; entry of private FM and Community Radio.
Unit III — History of TV: origin and development of television in India; formation of Doordarshan as a separate entity; SITE; DD as an information, education and entertainment medium.
Unit IV — Doordarshan & Liberalisation: organisational structure; functions of divisions and units; DD News; commercialisation of TV; the golden era of Doordarshan (1982-1993); liberalisation policy and entry of private broadcasters.
Practical: radio jockey and other radio formats; TV formats; production process.
Each student undertakes one month of compulsory training at a reputed media-industry institute. On completion, the student submits a performance report and the training certificate from the host organisation.
A viva-voce is then conducted by the external examiner.
Marks distribution: Practical — 30; Report — 50; Viva-Voce — 20.
Each JMC paper is divided into 4 Units with 9 questions in total. The first question is short-answer type covering the whole syllabus.
10 short questions of 25-30 words each; the candidate attempts any 8, each worth 1 mark — for a total of 8 marks.
Each unit has 2 questions with internal choice; the candidate attempts 1 from each unit (4 in all), each worth 8 marks.