“The medium is the message,” said Marshall McLuhan, the famous media theorist in the 1960s. He was writing in the context of the rise of television and how it transformed communications. The point was that when the medium of communication changes, it fundamentally transforms the message itself. Something similar is happening in India now, where old forms of media – print, TV, radio – are transforming into digital platforms. With media consumption now largely happening on mobile phones, how content is produced, consumed and distributed is fundamentally changing. The rise of digital media has significantly disrupted the media industry. The shift is towards integrated newsrooms, mobile journalism, podcasts, social media feeds, OTT platforms, search engine optimization and so on.
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The communications and media industry is undergoing a drastic change, with every media channel quickly turning towards becoming digital. The shifting media landscape makes it absolutely necessary for a complete overhaul in media education.
“A media professional of today and tomorrow need a 360-degree skill set to grow – which includes not just having domain knowledge about content but also hands-on social media skills, understanding of data and data visualization, shooting and editing with mobile phones, podcasting and digital marketing among others. That what’s we at UPES School of Modern Media are teaching. In addition to that, as per our unique academic framework, media students have the unique flexibility of being able to choose minor courses such as artificial intelligence, environment, data science etc., from other UPES schools. This multi-disciplinary approach along with life-skills training transforms a student into a successful professional,” says Dr. Nalin Mehta, Dean of School of Modern Media. Dr. Mehta is a media industry veteran and award-winning social scientist who has spent more than 20 years in television, print and digital media platforms in India and internationally. He shares why the School of Modern Media is unique and best suited for serious students about making a long-lasting career in the media industry.
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- A Digital First Media School: It is the only digital-first media school in India, which means students are made well-versed with the latest technologies, content formats, different media platforms and are trained to think and operate in a digital work environment. School of Modern Media offers a BA Journalism and Mass Communication program with specializations in social media and SEO; data, analytics & visualization; media management, public policy and strategic communications; digital publishing/website management. It also offers a BA Digital and Mass Media (Broadcasting) program with specializations in mobile journalism, video production and monetization; digital audio broadcasting; and digital studio management.
- Industry experts in the classroom: The School of Modern Media has some of the best media leaders who have shaped the media industry as a part of the teaching faculty. These include Chanpreet Arora- SVP & Head of Business, Voot; Anubha Bhonsle, founder of Newsworthy and former Executive Editor of CNN- News18; Sanjeev Singh, former Editor, Digital Broadcasts, Times Internet; TM Veeraraghav, former Resident Editor, The Hindu; Subha Chatterjee, former Group Editor-Special Projects, Network18; Soma Wadhwa, former editor, HT on Saturday (Hindustan Times); Karnika Kohli, Growth manager, Scrollstack and more. Veterans in media and communication have come together to help students become media leaders of tomorrow.
- Advanced Infrastructure: For practical and hands-on learning, the School of Modern Media has built a state-of-the-art digital studio with the latest equipment and software for video and audio production. The media lab at UPES also provides a startup accelerator for those who want to start their own media companies.
- Industry Relevant Curriculum: The curriculum at UPES School of Modern Media has been carefully designed after detailed conversations with industry veterans. It offers UG and PG programs and is the only university providing multiple specializations in each degree at graduation level, which are new age and in-demand professions. The undergraduate courses offered are- BA in Journalism and Mass Communication (Digital), BA Digital and Mass Media (Broadcasting) and BBA (Events, Public Relations and Corporate Communications). At the postgraduate level, UPES offers MA in Journalism and Mass Communication (Digital) and MA in Digital and Mass Media (Broadcasting)
- Global Partnerships: School of Modern Media is forging some interesting global partnerships with multi-national media giants to ensure that the students are learning from the best and emerge as the best.
Dr Nalin Mehta, Dean, School of Modern Media, UPES, says, “Keeping abreast with modern times, at UPES School of Modern Media, we believe that students cannot learn by sitting in a classroom. We have undertaken an approach of hands-on learning which is built on continuous evaluation. From communicating persuasively in different formats to engaging in classroom projects and professional opportunities, students get every exposure to unleash their potential and showcase their talents through workshops, seminars and internships.”
To know more: https://www.upes.ac.in/schools/school-of-modern-media
