Established in 2007 with the mission of providing quality media education, the School of Journalism and New Media Studies caters to the needs of the booming media sector in India
Established in 2007, School of Journalism and New Media Studies (SOJNMS) at IGNOU was set up with the mission of providing quality media education and churning out skilled human resource for the ever expanding media industry. SOJNMS, as it is popularly known as, recruited ten expert faculty from diverse fields of media. It has opted for a judicious blend of on-campus and Open and Distance Learning programmes. This mix enables the School to reach out to all the segments of the society. It also helps to open up a dialogue between the teaching and learner communities, thereby enriching the content of both the modes. Hence, ODL continued along with the Regular Programmes and efforts are on for the launch of Online Programmes.
The School took to on campus teaching in a big way, launching two full time Masters' Degree Programmes.
Collaborative Partners
Deutsche Welle Germany and SOJNMS are in an agreement to host skill development progrmmes in niche areas. The Train the Trainer programme provides trainings on Web 2.0. UNESCO, CEMCA and MAAC are partners ensuring standardised delivery of media education and providing financial aid to marginalised students.
Face to Face Programmes
Two full time Post Graduate Degree Programmes are being run by the School. Imparting practical training to the students chosen through rigorous entrance test and interview is the prime motive. Masters in Journalism (MA JMC) follows the curricula designed by UNESCO adapted to suit the needs and requirements of the Indian media. This degree is certified jointly by UNESCO and IGNOU.
The Masters in Electronic Media Production and Management (MA EMPM) has a syllabus focused on production work. Camera, editing and scripting remain the primary focus areas. Students bring out lab journals, make documentaries and radio programmes. Internships and research dissertations enhance their skills even further.
Open and Distance Learning
All the basic areas of mass communication are dealt with through the well prepared study materials and counselling at the Study Centres.
Post Graduate Diploma in Audio Programme Production (PGDAPP) is offered in both English and Hindi. Prasar Bharti is the collaborative organisation that trains the students during a field
Training Programme included in this Diploma. Productions, writing and editing aspects are covered in the study material painstakingly drafted by the experts and revised from time to time. Assignments and practical training help the students to be prepared for jobs in the field of radio.
Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA) offers hundred percent scholarships to the students pursuing the Certificate Programme in Community Radio (CCR). Extremely popular among the practitioners of Community Radios and the laymen alike, this Programme has recently been launched in Hindi and will soon be offered in at least four regional languages including Marathi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu, to reach the pockets of rural India in every direction.
Collaborative Programmes
Certificate in Digital Film Making (CDFM) that can be extended to a Diploma in Computer Generated Imagery (DCGI) and a Degree Programme ie. BA in 3D Animation and Visual Effects as per the needs and demands of the student is being offered through many centers all over India. These programmes are run in association with the Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC). These target the skill enhancement in the demanding arenas of animation and film making.
Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication (PGJMC) is the most sought after Programme through the ODL mode. Offered though study centers all over India, it gets over a thousand students every year
Programmes under Development
SOJNMS faculty is working towards staring Distance Learning Programmes to capture the expanding industry demands beyond Delhi. All India students from diverse socio economic backgrounds must be trained in varied media areas. Understanding this responsibility the following OLD Programmes are under development: MA in Journalism on the lines of the UNESCO draft of the syllabus and MA in Broadcast Media to cater to the growing demand of the burgeoning Voice Industry will soon be available to the students. MA in Online Journalism will be first launched on the Web to offer an Internet based study model.
A Diploma in Television Journalism, PG Diploma in Science Communication, PG Diploma in Advertising, PG Diploma in Community Media are to be soon launched. Need surveys and working out collaborative industry endeavors to give its students the best is what the School is looking at.
It is also being planned and worked out to start on campus Masters in Journalism in all the SAARC countries based upon the UNESCO model curriculum to provide highly standardised skill enhancement to the budding media professionals in these nations. SOJNMS with UNESCO's aid shall be the primary implementing body to ensure smooth running of these Programmes.
Research Activities
SOJNMS has a Doctoral Programme that remains hugely in demand. Only a few are selected from amongst the hundreds of applicants and grilled through a written test and interview. They then go through academic course work before actually launching into the much coveted PhD.
Research and Teaching Assistants (RTAs) have also been chosen to carry on the much demanded research activities in the field.
The School has a Research Officer with rich experience and zeal. Workshops and seminars are regularly organised to offer a common platform to the academic cream from the discipline. Proposals to start a Research Journal to publish good work being done in the subject will soon be materialised.
Media Mapping
The mission of establishing a well standardised media education scenario in India and abroad is being further taken forward through the Media Mapping Project that is under progress in collaboration with UNESCO.
Based upon well researched and prudently thought over criterion of media education, SOJNMS IGNOU and UNESCO are in the process of monitoring and grading the media study departments of India and the SAARC nations. Surveys, inspections and interviews will lead to a three tier grading of the institutes. Centres of Excellence, Potential Centers of Excellence and Centres of Reference, will be decided based upon the mapping. A lot of media training departments have welcomed this endeavor and are collaborating to give media education the much needed and lacked criterion of standardisation. SOJNMS being the convener of this mapping exercise is presently engaged in setting up the parameters for evaluation.
True to its mission of raising
the standard of media education and providing resources to meet that enhanced standard, the School draws upon an eminent panel of media professionals to expose the learners to the realities of the media world, after a thorough theoretical grounding provided by the faculty members. Working in tandem, the team of in-house faculty, experts and guest faculty provide the learners a rich and hands-on learning experience.
To meet the demands of the industry, SOJNMS networks with market leaders in the industry and offers cutting-edge technology programmes to equip the learners to compete successfully in the profession.
School of Journalism and New Media Studies at Indira Gandhi National Open University May be a new establishment, but with the pace that it is treading forward, it will soon be the name to reckon with in Media Education. 
