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Emerging LLM Courses

One career pathway that runs through all the three organs of the Government viz Legislature, Executive and the Judiciary, is LAW. If you’re dead serious about law and already have some legal working experience behind you, an LLM could be your passport to success.

Why an LLM?

Once upon a time, the only people who pursued an LLM did so to become familiar with another legal system, generally that of the US or the UK, or as a stepping stone to a career teaching law. The increasing complexity of modern legal systems has pushed ever more lawyers to seek additional training. In most developed countries, for instance, lawyers routinely take continuing legal education courses in a way that would not have been recognizable a decade ago. More and more lawyers are currently pursuing LLMs. And it is not just lawyers wrestling with the increased complexity of legal practice who now pursue LLMs. Some seek simply to strengthen their core skills, writing, and research, for instance, to be better at traditional lawyering.

An LLM degree offers many specializations.  Two emerging options in LLM  are in the field of Environment and Natural Resources Law and  Specialization in Infrastructure and Business Laws.

Let us examine them in detail

LLM ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

The specialized LLM in Environmental and Energy Law is designed for lawyers interested in careers in environmental, land use, and energy law. Individuals who aim to work for governments, international organizations, or NGOs; who aspire to cutting-edge private practice with law firms; or who will pursue academic careers, study with leading experts in these areas. Each year, students in the program form a close community that enjoys the benefits of being a distinct cohort within the larger student body.

Course Content:

 

The primary focus of LL.M. specializing in Environment and Natural Resources Law stream is to understand how the legal framework can reorient economic activity towards sustainability. This reorientation can happen in different ways like prohibiting or regulating environmentally damaging activities, assigning liability for environmental harms, clearly defining property rights and providing adequate incentives for benign environmental activities. The course will also address the principles of allocation of natural resources according to the concepts of due process of law and equity. This specialization offers a broad range of introductory and specialized courses.

LLM Environmental Law course covers local and international legal frameworks for environmental protection, climate change protection and vital use of natural resources. During the programme, you would be exposed to many issues like water law, business and trade, different forms of pollution, land issues and environmental justice.

As a student of LLM Environment Law, you would get to study topics like Environmental Law and Policy, Energy Law, Mining and Mineral Laws, Forest Law & Policy and International Environmental Law and also the Environmental Aspects of Business Activities, Climate change, and law and Hazardous Waste Law.

Getting in:

LLM Environmental Law is a 1-2 year postgraduate degree in law with an environment as the subject specialization. The colleges offering LLM Environmental Law are conducting the course in full-time mode and distance learning mode as well. The course can be pursued by candidates possessing BA LLB or LLB degree with a minimum of 45% or 50% marks in aggregate. The admission procedure shall differ for each college but primarily be based on merit or entrance exam conducted by the concerned college.

Given below is the list of colleges around India offering LLM Environmental Law course:

Institute in Focus:

The TERI School of Advanced Studies (TERI SAS), New Delhi is a not-for-profit Deemed University sponsored by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) with the objective of building capacity in various themes of sustainable development. Currently, TERI SAS offers Ph.D. & Master’s programmes in Legal Studies, Biotechnology, Policy aspects, Energy and Environment, Business Sustainability, and Natural Resources and various other executive programmes. While offering these programmes the University adopts an interdisciplinary curriculum incorporating the most contemporary, research-based evidence.In 2016, the Centre for Post Graduate Legal Studies (CPGLS) was established at TERI SAS as an interdisciplinary Centre of excellence dedicated to legal research and teaching on issues pertaining to sustainable development. Currently, CPGLS offers the following research-based academic programmes:

               

  1. Ph.D. in Legal Studies (with a focus on Law and Sustainability)
  2. One-year LL.M. in Environment and Natural Resources Law
  3. One-Year LL.M. in Infrastructure and Business Law

TERI SAS offers one-year LL.M. programme with specialization in Environment and Natural Resources Law and Infrastructure and Business Law fully in tune with the UGC norms. 

The highlights of TERI SAS LL.M are that the courses are designed in consultation with industry and focusing on National and International developments and are aimed at balancing theoretical rigor and practical application with a prime focus on skill development through research assignments, field visits, case study, group work, role-play, guest lectures, seminars, and workshops.

 

Online options:

Lewis & Clark Law School in the Northwest of the United States is now offering its LLM degree in Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law via a distance-learning online option.

The online LLM in Environmental, Natural Resources & Energy Law is specifically designed for attorneys who want to practice more effectively with today’s global environmental legal issues, but that can’t or don’t want to relocate. The online LLM draws on the expertise of Lewis & Clark’s on-campus Environmental Law Master of Laws, that has been helping lawyers enhance their careers for 30 years.

The LLM in Environmental, Natural Resources & Energy Law includes study modules on Climate Change, Energy Law, Environmental Law, Wildlife Law, and Public Lands. It has been designed for those interested in this field, including lawyers who are in private practice, those who serve as government employees, elected officials, energy advisors, and natural resources law specialists.

 

LLM INFRASTRUCTURE AND BUSINESS LAW

LL.M. with specialization in Infrastructure and Business Law addresses the policies and laws relating to major sectors viz., transport (including railways and civil aviation), energy, telecommunications, urban infrastructure, and water. The purpose of this specialization stream is to provide an insight into the fundamental legal concepts relating to business in general and various infrastructure sectors in particular including the issues involved in the development, financing, and management of projects. The programme will address issues relating to public-private partnership in detail.

Career Avenues

For LLM students from premier Law schools, there are excellent career opportunities.

LLM degree prepares a candidate to become a teacher, researcher, litigating lawyer or a corporate lawyer. An LLM in Environmental Law degree program prepares attorneys and legal professionals to promote environmentally sustainable legal outcomes in cases dealing with pollution control and remediation, land use and infrastructure, resource conservation and management, and more.

Furthermore, having an LLM in Business Law could put you in a good position to pursue a career as a company secretary, provided you go ahead to earn the required professional qualifications because law and/or business degrees are considered attractive for company secretary positions. If your first degree happens to be in business, economics or management then your attractiveness as a candidate would be greatly enhanced.

Summing up:

Therefore, if you wish to push the law envelope further and hone your lawyering skills, options like LLM in Environmental Law and LLM in Infrastructure and Business Law are worth exploring.

Pharmacovigilance - Keeping up the Vigil

Pharmacovigilance – Keeping up the Vigil

One sector that would always boom and is recession proof is Healthcare and its cousin, Pharma. With many drugs hitting the market, there is a  growing need for vigilance and a check to prevent and monitor the adverse effect of drugs. There is a complete science to it. It is called Pharmacovigilance.

Let us understand what it is and what are the careers in this growing field.

Pharmacovigilance (PV or PhV), also known as drug safety, is the pharmacological science relating to the collection, detection, assessment, monitoring, and prevention of adverse effects with pharmaceutical products. As such, pharmacovigilance heavily focuses on adverse drug reactions, or ADRs, which are defined as any response to a drug which is noxious and unintended, including lack of efficacy.Medication errors such as overdose, and misuse and abuse of a drug as well as drug exposure during pregnancy and breastfeeding, are also of interest, even without an adverse event, because they may result in an adverse drug reaction.

Simply put, Pharmacovigilance, is drug safety. It can be defined as the study and prevention of adverse effects caused by pharmaceutical products. Pharmacovigilance is the reason that many drugs are withdrawn from or not even brought into the market at times.The government supports and helps to implement courses in pharmacovigilance as their primary goal is to ensure students of medicine are aware of the adverse effects of certain pharmaceuticals. Pharmacovigilance makes it possible to implement quality systems in all pharmaceutical companies that manufacture large amounts of medicine.

Information received from patients and healthcare providers via pharmacovigilance agreements (PVAs), plays a critical role in providing the data necessary for pharmacovigilance to take place. In fact, in order to market or to test a pharmaceutical product in most countries, adverse event data received by the license holder must be submitted to the local drug regulatory authority. Ultimately, pharmacovigilance is concerned with identifying the hazards associated with pharmaceutical products and with minimizing the risk of any harm that may come to patients. Companies must conduct a comprehensive drug safety and pharmacovigilance audit to assess their compliance with worldwide laws, regulations, and guidance.

Who are Pharmacovigilance officers?

Pharmacovigilance officers are drug safety officers. They are responsible for monitoring and reporting the effectiveness and any adverse effects or side effects of pharmaceutical products on the market in the general population and in hospitals and research trials. They must liaise closely with medical and drug company representatives, patients, doctors, and other healthcare professionals to record the effectiveness of drugs and other treatments. The data is meticulously recorded, analyzed and processed because the informed opinions of pharmacovigilance officers will help pharmaceutical companies maximize product safety and performance, and cut down on adverse effects.

Genesis:

Pharmacovigilance (PV) was officially introduced in December 1961 by an  Australian doctor who first suspected a causal link between serious fetal deformities and thalidomide, a drug used during pregnancy: Thalidomide was used as an antiemetic and sedative agent in pregnant women. In 1968, the World Health Organization (WHO) promoted the “Programme for International Drug Monitoring”, a pilot project aimed to centralize world data on adverse drug reactions (ADRs). In particular, the main aim of the “WHO Programme” was to identify the earliest possible PV signals. 

Career scape:

Pharmacovigilance is a great career option for life science and pharmacy graduates. It is a scientific discipline that is primarily concerned with reporting and analyzing of drug side effects. It is primarily due to the work of Pharmacovigilance professionals that the drugs in the market that we consume are mostly safe and those that are found harmful are taken off the market. Pharmacovigilance professionals continuously monitor the safety of the drugs in clinical trials as well as the drugs already being sold in the market. After a drug side effect is reported, the Pharmacovigilance professionals enter the event in relevant databases, follow up with the case to gather more information and forward these reports to regulatory authorities and other applicable bodies. The Pharmacovigilance professionals identify signals in data that may point towards a potential side effect and probe the case further.

Job responsibilities:

  • recording and reporting adverse reactions received from healthcare professionals and consumers
  • conducting in-depth interviews with patients and healthcare professionals
  • developing a thorough knowledge of products
  • completing periodic safety update reports on drugs and other treatments
  • writing and reviewing serious adverse effects reports and forms
  • flagging up early warning signs of adverse effects of drugs
  • minimizing the risk of serious side effects
  • completing safety audits
  • working on clinical trials of new drugs

Getting in :

Candidates of pharmacovigilance can pursue both certificate and diploma courses.In order to pursue a career in pharmacovigilance, the minimum eligibility criteria to apply for the course is:

  • A postgraduate or graduate degree in Bioscience/Life Sciences (with any of the following subjects: Botany, Zoology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Genetics, Biotech) with at least 50% marks in aggregate
  • A postgraduate or graduate degree with Chemistry as a subject with at least 50% marks in aggregate
  • A postgraduate or graduate degree in Pharmacy or Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • A postgraduate or graduate degree in Medicine

Institute scape:

  • Institute of Clinical Research, India, postgraduate diploma in Pharmacovigilance. 
  • Clinical Research Institution and Management Academy, CREMA, Mumbai, and Bangalore offering postgraduate diploma in Pharmacovigilance.
  • Apeejay Stya University, Gurgaon, Certificate in Drug Regulatory Affairs.
  • Innovative center for BioSciences Clinical Research, Mohali,postgraduate diploma in Pharmacovigilance. 

Career Pathways:

Till a few years ago, B.Sc and M.Sc graduates were hired for Pharmacovigilance. Soon companies started getting B.Pharm people in the same pay scale as B.Sc n M.Sc. hence companies started hiring Pharmacy graduated and postgraduates. You can make a career in creating, Individual Case safety reports(ICSR’s), PSUR Periodic Safety update reports, Signal detection, Risk Management, Medical Coding, and Medical Writing.

An entry-level job in Pharmacovigilance is DSA (Drug Safety Associate). DSAs are mainly involved in case  creation, checking for MSI (Minimum safety information – a patient, a reporter, a suspect drug and an adverse event), reconciliation and followup process, data entry of all information available in the document and medical coding. Once a candidate has 2-3 Years experience and builds required skill sets (Medical coding, narrative and scientific writing, good understanding of medical terms and basic understanding of regulatory affairs, ICH-GCP and compliance) he can go on to become a DSS (Drug Safety Scientist). 

Top recruiters:

You can find good job options in the following sectors:

  • Pharmaceutical Companies (MNCs & Indian) & Biotech companies.
  • Clinical Research Organizations.
  • Regulatory Agencies like DCG (I) & CDSCO
  • Pharmacovigilance units in Medical colleges & Hospitals

Asian clinical trials serene, Bioserve, Clin invent, Clintec international, Clinigene, Dr Reddy’s lab, Elly Lilly,  Glaxo SmithKline, IGATE clinical research, Johnson & Johnson, Lambda therapeutic research, Lupin limited, Matrix laboratories ltd., Merck, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Pharmanet, Quintiles, Ranbaxy, Roche India, Sristek, Siro Clinpharma, Synchron, Sanofi Aventis, Torrent Pharma,  Reliance life science,  Amed,  Accutest, Actimus, Adroit insights, Alembic, Asian Clinical Trials.

The Road Ahead:

The career in  Pharmacovigilance is quite bright. At present, India is the fourth largest producer of pharmaceuticals in the world and therefore is a surfeit of drug brands with more than 6,000 licensed drug manufacturers and over 60,000 branded formulations. India offers unique advantages for the growth of Pharmacovigilance that include rapid induction of New Chemical Entities (NCEs) and high technology pharmaceutical products in the market, an abundance of patients with genetic diversity, presence of Lakhs of formulation in the domestic market and a large world-scale Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) database.

All this makes India an escalating platform for an exciting and lucrative career in Pharmacovigilance.

B.Sc Mathematics

B.Sc. Math Honours is a 3-year graduate degree program, the minimum eligibility is XII class with Mathematics as one of the subjects. You can get admission in the course on the basis of your performance in a relevant entrance exam, and subsequent round of counseling. This course builds up comprehension of analytical skills and purposeful abilities and competencies in Mathematics. The program deals with the comprehension of fundamental applications of mathematical strategies that are applied to general concepts outside the extent of theoretical mathematics.

Institute scape:

  • Punjab University, Chandigarh, offers B.Sc Maths, Honors.
  • GNDU Amritsar
  • NIT Jalandhar
  • Punjabi University, Patiala
  • LPU, Jalandhar
B.Sc. Math Honours degree course serves as a reason for further studies in this discipline, for example, M.Sc., M.Phil., and Ph.D. Degree program in Mathematics, after its successful completion the candidates can be eligible for the post of a lecturer in various colleges and institutes. B.Sc. Math Honours degree program is very supportive in attaining different degrees in accounting and statistics, for example, ICWA, and so on. After finishing B.Sc. Math Honours course, you can go for post-graduation in Mathematics, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Astronomy, Actuarial Science, MCA/MBA/CA/CS and in some more fields. You can follow the teaching profession by teaching in schools or opening their own coaching classes. B.Sc maths degree holders are also required in Banking and Business services, Government Jobs, Investment and Insurance among many other employment areas. Besides, Mathematics would hold you in good stead for the SSC competition, IBPS, and Bank PO.
SSB 2018

Gearing up for the SSB

One of the most prestigious and coveted body known for analysing candidates holistically- cognitive, affective and behavioral domain is the SSB, the Services Selection Board that conducts personality and intelligence tests and interviews to determine suitability of a candidate applying for Indian Military Forces.

 

SSB Examination

Candidates applying for the Army/Navy/Naval Academy and Air Force have to secure the minimum qualifying marks separately in written test & Officer Potentiality Test.Candidates applying for the Air Force,  also have to qualify the Computerized Pilot Selection System (CPSS) & Pilot Aptitude Battery Test (PABT) separately.

 

SSB Interview 2018 for NDA 142 will be commenced in the month of January 2019. SSB (Service Selection Board) is an organization which is set-up by the Ministry of Defence, India. Service Selection Board is the body that schedule, organize and conduct the SSB Interview of the candidates applying for Indian Military Forces. SSB screens the candidates for the Army, Navy and Air Force. SSB Interview is five days long procedure which includes two stages of testing as stage I & stage II. This procedure is organized at the SSB Centers (designated by SSB). SSB Interview  includes Intelligence & Personality Test. 

 

SSB Interview Procedure

The SSB Interview Procedure comprises of two stage selection process: Stage I & Stage II. Candidates, who qualify the Stage I, only they are permitted to appear for Stage II. 

Stage 1:

This stage consists of Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception & Description Test (PP & DT). Stage 1 is a screening test. Candidates will be shortlisted on the basis of combined performance in OIR Test and PP & DT.

Stage 2:

This stage is conducted for four (4) days. Stage II consists of Psychology Tests, Group Testing Officer Tasks (GTO Tasks), Interview & Conference.

 SSB Selection Procedure

Day 0 (Reporting):

On this day, candidates have to report to the selection center. Candidate’s original documents along with photocopies will be verified. After the documents verification, Personal Information Questionnaire (PIQ) Forms will be filled.In this form, candidates have to fill their personal details regarding educational profile, family background, etc. 

Day 1 (Screening Test):

Candidates have to give an Intelligence Test (Verbal & Non-Verbal) & Picture Perception Test. In PP test, slide (hazy or clear) is shown for 30 seconds & candidates have to write the story. After finishing this test, the group discussion round takes place. This sequence is commonly known as Picture Perception and Discussion Test (PPDT).

Intelligence Test:

It comprises of both; verbal and non-verbal questions. It is a written test which includes multiple choice questions. The time allotted to answering each question is 30 seconds.

Picture Perception and Discussion Test (PP & DT):

This test includes story writing and discussion. A picture will be shown to the candidates for 30 seconds and candidates have to write a story based on the picture in 3 minutes.

Day 2 (Psychology Tests):

It is a set written tests, organized by a Psychologist. In these tests, candidates psychological suitability will be checked to be an officer. These tests include:

  • Thematic Apperception Test (TAT):

    It is called as Picture Story writing. This test is very similar to PPDT. In this test, about 11 pictures will be shown. Each picture will be displayed just for 30 seconds after that candidates have to write a story based on the picture within 4 minutes. After 4 minutes another picture will be displayed and the same procedure will be followed till the last slide. The twelfth slide will be blank where a candidate is supposed to write any story of their own choice.

  • Word Association Test (WAT):

    It is the second psychological test of SSB selection procedure. In this test, 60 words will be shown back to back for a period of 50 seconds. Candidates have to write the first thought that comes to their mind for those words.

  • Situation Reaction Test (SRT):

    In this test, candidates will get a booklet with 60 situations written on it. Candidates have to write their responses based on those 60 situations.

  • Self Description Test (SD):

    In this test, candidates have to write their opinion about their parents, themselves, friends, teachers & others. The time will be allotted 15 minutes.

Day 3 & Day 4 – Group Testing Officer Tasks (GTO Tasks):

These tests are interactive indoor and outdoor activities as a combination of mental and physical work. These tests are as follows:

  • Group Discussion:

    In this round, a certain situation or topic (mostly current affairs) is given to a group of candidates. They are expected to discuss the various aspects of the issue. Group Task Officer observes each candidate during the course of the group discussion.

  • Group Planning Exercise (Military Planning Exercise):

    In this round, a model of real life practical circumstances is presented to a group of applicants. They have to write their own plan of action for the mentioned problem.

  • Progressive Group Tasks (PGT):

    In this round, the group of candidates has to cross some obstacles with the help of supporting materials such as rope, plank, wood log etc.

  • Half Group Tasks:

    This round is same as PGT but the numbers of group members will half. Candidates get more chance to show their potential.

  • Individual Obstacles:

    In this round, candidates are required to attempt 10 obstacles individually.

  • Group Obstacles Race or Snake Race:

    In this round, all group members will compete to the other groups. Candidates are required to cross certain obstacles with the snake-like rope.

  • Command Task:

    In this task, an aspirant will be a commander. He will be required to cross some obstacles with the help of 2-3 subordinates.

  • Lecturette:

    In this round, each individual has to give a lecture for 3 minutes on a topic selected by them.

  • Final Group Task:

    It is same as PGT. Candidates have another chance to show their potential.

Day 5 (Conference):

On the final day, candidates & all the SSB members sit together and have a chat to the candidates to ask a few general questions. The conference is just to decide whether you recommend as an officer in Indian defense forces or not. 

Medical test:

After the SSB results,recommended candidates appear before the medical board for their medical test. It takes 4 to 5 days time for the concerned

Military Hospital

to complete the medical board and after that the candidates are dispersed.  NDA candidates are examined both for Army and Navy unless otherwise instructed and endorsement of fitness status will be made accordingly.  

Physical Fitness Standards at IMA/OTA

  • Running : 2.4 KM in 15 minutes

  • Push ups: 13 Nos

  • Sit ups: 25 Nos

  • Chin ups:  6 Nos

  • Rope climbing: 3-4 metres

Candidates are advised to build themselves up by physical training, sports, running, swimming etc, so that they meet the training goals successfully.

Medical Standards:

  • The candidate should be free from wax (EARS), DNS, Hyrocele/Phimosis. Defective Colour Vision, LASIK Surgery, Over/Under Weight, Under Chest, Piles, Gynecomastia, Tonsillitis, Veri-Cocele and Aids.

  • You should be able to read 6/6 in a Distant Vision Chart

  • Colour Vision Standard should be CP-III

  • Minimum 14 Dental Points With Sound Teeth

 

 

Selection in SSB  

For selection in SSB, all three techniques namely Psychology, Interview and Group Testing  are important. Each technique has equal weightage. SSB is assessed out of 900 marks. Out of this, 225 marks are reserved for board conference and the remaining 675 marks are divided between the three techniques which mean each assessor has 225 marks to award. The conference marks are divided into three parts with the Interviewing Officer having a slightly larger share.It is not important to pass in all three techniques. In fact, most successful candidates are cleared in two out of the three techniques. Very few candidates are cleared by all three and there are also few candidates who actually pass in only one technique but get cleared by the board after discussions during the board conference.It’s also possible that a candidate initially clears in all three techniques and yet fails in the end of board conference. 

  When should you start preparing?

Well, the earlier you start them the better. One more thing the quantity of time never matters for preparations, what matters is the quality of time you put in and how sincerely you are preparing.The OLQ’s which are the most important aspect of SSB can’t be developed in a day. 

Have an in depth knowledge of the pattern:

To get through the SSB, remember, you should know what all would be asked in each test. What would be the pattern? What kind of candidates normally make it? The knowledge of all this would hold you in good stead since you will start practicing early. In the psychological tests, you cannot fake it. Give ample amount of time to know yourself, and analyze your positives’ and negative. 

Introspect:

Do a SWOT analysis of yourself. Write down everything you need to know about yourself and your near ones. This includes your positives, negatives, achievements. Basically an introspection of your personality. Your hobbies, interests and information related to that. Information related to your friends, family and their likes dislikes, and your likes and dislikes in them.Remember, you can’t fake it in SSB so either you have the personality they want or you don’t.

 

You come to know whether you have the right ethical values and whether you are cut out for the role.

Discipline your mind and body:

The singular quality that would set you apart from others is discipline that becomes evident in the way you walk and talk. It is not just about walking in line and reaching on time. Discipline is when your mind directs your body not to walk on wrong lane, it is when you stand straight in assembly when a long speech is being delivered from stage, its when you attentively listen to others without showing negative gesture indicating lack of interest. It should be in your conscience

.

To be an officer you need to develop the qualities of an officer, and these cannot be developed overnight.

Therefore, if you have to gear up for the SSB, start preparing now. Wear the most positive and outright attitude you can and steal the show.

Tectonic Shift in Health Care

Recently, two states – West Bengal and Karnataka – announced their decision to opt out of the National Health Protection Scheme this week, Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Ananth Kumar said that the scheme, ‘Ayushman Bharat’, has the potential to “turn India into the largest pharma manufacturer of the world in about three years. He said that Ayushman Bharat “will lay down an ambitious framework for Universal Health Coverage by giving assured affordable and quality health cover of Rs 5 lakh per year to about 50 crore poor people in India.

It seems to be one of the most aspiring and pioneering steps in healthcare, not only in India but across the world. For its successful implementation, it requires intervention in various spheres like management, delivery channels, healthcare investments and many more. This step will undoubtedly, create a new spiral of jobs in Pharmaceutical Sciences that fringe on drug development, research, quality, clinical trials and management using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
Pharmaceutical Sciences- Upskills and New Skills.

The careers in the Pharmaceutical Sciences will need an upskilling and also learning of new skills. Till now it required a strong interest in mathematics, biology, and the scientific process with a sharp focus on a specific phase of the drug-development cycle — research, testing, or manufacturing.
With Ayushman Bharat, healthcare system will focus increasingly on availability, authenticity and affordability without compromising on quality.Therefore,a candidate wishing to pursue Pharma Sciences would also need to develop a consumer focus with an error free and efficient patient care using the latest technologies such as AI and ML to minimise TAT( TurnAround Time).

Institute scape:

  • Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal
  • University institute of pharmaceutical sciences, Chandigarh
  • Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi
  • Poona College of Pharmacy, Erandwane, Pune
  • Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University, Ahmedabad
  • Bombay College of Pharmacy, Mumbai
  • Birla Institute of technology, Ranchi
  • Amrita School of Pharmacy, Kochi

Emerging Career Options:

With the Modicare scheme in place, the number of directions a career in pharmaceutical science can take is nearly limitless. Developing new medicines or improving the way they are delivered. Investigating crimes and providing regulatory guidance. Enhancing the durability of paint. All these roads begin in the same place.

Let us explore some of them:

Global Pharmaceutical Companies:

Working for a pharmaceutical company is one of the more obvious options open to pharmaceutical science graduates, but it is also one that offers a huge variety of career paths. Particularly within global companies there are opportunities to explore new areas of expertise, develop strong business skills, and travel and work globally. You may be required to develop products as a Business Manager, and scope external innovation initiatives to bring into the company.

Regulatory affairs:

With Ayushman Bharat, the government needs to use this opportunity to create a robust regulatory framework keeping in mind the interest of all stakeholders. This would increase careers in Regulatory affairs. The work involves ensuring a company and its products meet government regulations. For companies producing new pharmaceutically-based products, it is a crucial discipline. A skilled Regulatory Affairs Officer can be the difference between an effective product reaching the market or not.

Regulatory professionals are expected to know the ins and outs of the medical marketplace, and to understand how changing regulations will impact their industry. There is a growing need for qualified professionals who see regulatory oversight not as something that blocks progress but rather an opportunity to help bring more safe, affordable and efficient innovations to market.

Business Development:

With more and more Pharma companies coming up with affordable drugs, they would need professionals to market it. You can team up your degree in Pharma Sciences with an MBA to get this role. The best people for selling the benefits of a product are often those with the deepest understanding of how it works. For complex products developed and manufactured using pharmaceutical or chemical science, there is often a need for Sales and Marketing representatives able to talk with authority about the science behind the product.

Product developer/formulator

Product development scientists work in a variety of industries, including food, biotechnology, pharmaceutical science, and medical device manufacturing. They are typically based in the lab, developing new foods, drugs, and medical technologies or researching and developing ways to enhance existing products. They typically possess a bachelor’s degree, but a graduate degree may be required for advancement.

He now works on the research and development of injectable drug formulations for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases.

Medicinal Chemist

Medicinal chemistry is an interdisciplinary science, drawing graduates from a range of different fields. A career in this area usually involves working on the development and testing of potentially therapeutic compounds. This might be within a company that is developing new products, for a research facility exploring new compounds, or at a regulatory agency testing pharmaceuticals for compliance. Medicinal Chemists can often find themselves working closely with Regulatory Affairs, both in the private and public sectors.

Patent Attorney

Pharmaceuticals are big business. It’s not all about research; to be successfully taken to market, new discoveries need to be commercialised and a company’s intellectual property protected. That’s where a patent attorney comes in. In the pharmaceutical sector, they will often come from a pharmaceutical sciences background. A patent attorney will typically work for a specialist consultancy, advising a range of clients within their field of specialisation.

Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance

The three A’s of Ayushman Bharat also hingle very heavily on Quality The whole idea is to make Healthcare affordable to the masses with no compromise on quality. This necessitates  a systems-based career, often focused on designing, implementing and managing new systems for the manufacturing process. And it can be an extremely satisfying; by ensuring the quality of the products being produced, you are making an important contribution to your employer’s reputation and commercial success.With the continual development of superfoods, non-animal protein alternatives, dietary supplements and new therapeutic remedies, and the rise of new regulatory systems to cope, 

Medical Science Liaison

The Medical Science Liaison (MSL) is a specific role within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and other health-care industries. An MSL typically has advanced scientific and academic credentials, including a doctorate degree in the life sciences.A medical science liaison usually concentrates on a specific therapeutic area, such as Oncology or Hematology, and works for a company developing pharmaceutical products for that therapeutic area.

Their primary purpose is to establish and maintain peer-to-peer relationships with leading physicians and opinion leaders at major academic institutions and clinics. They help ensure that products are utilised effectively and serve as resources for both the medical community and their internal colleagues.

Medicines Adviser

For graduates with a desire to work in the social advancement field, one career path is to work with an International Non-Governmental Organisation (“INGO”), like the World Health Organisation (“WHO”).With a goal to build a better, healthier future for people all over the world, WHO staff work side by side with governments and other partners to ensure the highest attainable level of health for all people. As a Medicines Adviser, a pharmaceutical science graduate is able to be part of an important humanitarian mission and play a part in improving lives around the world.

Science Writer

Completing any science-based degree requires you to learn how to write well about different scientific concepts and communicate your ideas and observations clearly. For some graduates, these skills can be the foundation of a career as a science writer.

Science writers research, write and edit scientific news, articles and features. If they work in the media, they can write for business, trade and professional publications, specialist scientific and technical journals, and the general media. If they work for non-media organisations, it is usually in a communications or marketing role, explaining scientific research to a professional or lay audience through articles, press releases and other written content.

 Biomedical researcher 

Biomedical researchers investigate how the human body works with the aim of finding new ways to improve health. Usually based in a laboratory, you will conduct experiments and clinical tests and record and report on the findings. In general, biomedical researchers within a university will tend to focus on improving tools and techniques, studying healthy biological processes and the causes and progress of diseases. It can be an extremely rewarding career path to follow, as the discoveries that you contribute can have a measurable and lasting impact on society. 

In addition to research labs within universities, a pharmaceutical science qualification can also lead to a career in biochemical research within the private sector. This path would often take a graduate into the pharmaceutical industry, where their research focus would be on generating and evaluating possible treatments for diseases and medical conditions.One of the biggest advantages to a private sector research role is the resources available. Private sector labs are usually developing high value products that generate considerable income for the company. This means they can invest in state of the art facilities and equipment for their employees.

Due to the commercial nature of the job, private sector biomedical researchers don’t always enjoy the same autonomy as their academic counterparts. 

Clinical Research Associate

Any new pharmaceutical-based product developed needs to go through clinical trials to ensure its safety and efficacy. As a Clinical Research Associate, you will use your experience in running experiments, gathering data and documenting the results during clinical trials. The typical employers for this role include Clinical Research Organisations (“CROs”), pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies or, less frequently, hospitals and universities.

However there are many more responsibilities. For example, every trial is overseen by an ethics committee who ensure it is conducted in an ethical manner. A clinical research associate will need to liaise with this committee and keep them informed of how the trial is progressing. Depending on the trial, there can also be a high level of contact with trial participants, so good interpersonal communication skills can be valuable.

The Road Ahead:

With Ayushmaan Bharat, the future of pharmaceutical sciences is to a great degree positive. Modi had announced that while the scheme would initially cover 10 crore poor families as per the socio-economic census of 2011, it will “in the coming days also benefit the lower middle-class, middle-class and upper-middle class” by way of jobs in the medical sector as new hospitals will open in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Modi said the number of beneficiaries of the scheme would be almost equal to the combined population of USA, Mexico and Canada or of the European Union. 

Thus, if you wish to ride on this once in a lifetime tectonic shift, tune in to  a career in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Ballooning the future

Do you wish to carve out your career in a  huge, ballooning industry? An industry that is about to become a part of our daily lives- the drone industry, that is becoming as important as automobile industry.

 

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are the wave of the future when it comes to aerial surveillance and find increasing applications both in civil and military fields. The military uses for UAVs are pretty obvious as they provide an enormous amount of intelligence without putting any human harm and also render the additional advantage of eliminating human fatigue. Illustrating this, UAV operators on long flights can simply transfer to other operators, something impossible on surveillance aircraft.

 

Currently, it is one of the important growth and research area in the defense sector. The military’s effective use of UAVs in recent conflicts has highlighted their successes, and thereby vigorously driving UAV technology developments everywhere.

 

What is Unmanned Aerial System(UAS) or a Drone?

 

A Drone, also known as an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) or an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), is an unmanned aircraft that is flown remotely, and ranges from small personal aircrafts that can be lifted by one person and cost a few hundred dollars, to military surveillance and attack aircrafts that cost over $21 million, can have up to 130 foot wingspan, and can be equipped with missiles.

 

Course Content and Pedagogy

 

This course introduces the initial designing and sizing process for rapidly growing fixed – wing UAV technology, integrated with its performance and stability analysis and prototype testing.

 

In the course content you will come to know how can we create agile micro aerial vehicles that are able to operate autonomously in cluttered indoor and outdoor environments. Besides, you will gain an introduction to the mechanics of flight and the design of quadrotor flying robots and  be able to develop dynamic models, derive controllers, and synthesize planners for operating in three dimensional environments. 



Institute scape:

 

Colleges in India and across the globe are meeting the demand for commercial drones by offering certificates, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees on piloting, engineering, and repairing drones.



  • Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Kelambakkam, offers M.Tech – Avionics with specialization in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Vel Tech Dr.RR & Dr.SR Technical University, Chennai, offers  2 year Master of Technology Programme on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to provide  graduate engineers knowledge and skills to develop their own Unmanned systems for typical applications and need.
  • ​Indian Institute of Drones, Noida, affiliated with Consortium of Unmanned Vehicle Systems(CUVSI) India under the aegis of International Foundation for Aviation and Development(IFFAAD) offers Diploma in Multirotor Pilot Course and Diploma in Fixed wing Pilot Course
  • TechEagle,Lucknow is developing DRONEs/UAVs of 1-5 meter( wingspan), 1-10kg(Payload), 1-5 Hours(Flight Time), and Modular for Companies, Research Institutes and individuals and also  imparting Technical and Practical knowledge to the country’s youth in the field of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles/Drones.

 

Roles and Responsibilities:

 

Although at face value flying a UAV seems remarkably similar to playing a video game, the consequences of every pilot’s actions are deadly serious. Unmanned planes are at the forefront of gathering aerial intelligence around the globe, so in addition to being a skilled operator, the pilot must be able to analyze intelligence imagery in order to make snap decisions about when to pursue a lead or get out of dodge. Each UAV pilot must have the mettle to decide if and when to pull the trigger on someone half a globe away.

After completing their course get placed in top aeronautical industries and government agencies in India with the following roles and responsibilities:

  • Conduct air reconnaissance, surveillance, targeting and acquisition missions.
  • Plan and analyze flight missions.
  • Perform preflight, in flight and post flight checks and procedures.
  • Launch and recover air frame from runway.
  • Perform maintenance on communications equipment, power sources, light/heavy wheeled vehicles and crane operation.

Career scope:

 

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or Drones are used in every field importantly Aerial Photography, Search and Rescue, Traffic control, Environmental and Wildlife Monitoring, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Precision Agriculture, Air Sampling, Firefighting, Power line inspection, Postal delivery and many more applications. The unmanned systems industry is presently having tremendous growth. As a result there is an increased demand for unmanned vehicle systems designers. 

There are a predicted 100,000 drone-related careers set to flood the jobs market over the next few years. These will range from aerial photography and/or cinematography to mapping and modeling, not to mention thermography to name but a few. They range from full-time to contract based work, even internships across many industries and varying levels of experience required.

Drone Pilot:

Probably the most straightforward one to understand. Many potential employers do ask for the candidate to hold a suitable UAV certificate and knowledge of rules and regulations for flying things in the air. You will obviously control the drone to perform a wide variety of tasks and services that the particular company offers. This could be aerial photography or remote aerial surveying, for instance. Flying them is the simple bit, the skills that wrap around this are a bit harder to define. Why is the company using drones? For what purpose? If for surveying or inspection do you have other skills that would “guide” how you operate the drones.

Many other companies will also consider existing field engineers and technicians and train them up on the job. Depending on who you ask, this is likely to become the norm in the future of the industry. Other trends in the “business” strongly show that existing companies are bringing drone technology in-house to supplement their existing services. For instance, bridge inspectors use 3D scanning for remote monitoring etc. The types of jobs are huge, ranging from wildlife conservator to package delivery. 

Development:

Obviously with a large demand for drones at the moment the actual physical supply of them is another potential career. You could pursue careers with drone developers. These types of positions will clearly require some education in relevant fields like aeronautical engineering, robotics, mechanical engineering etc. Experience is of course always a bonus but you could start out as an intern and work from there. Pursuing a career with drone producers will obviously require key skills in STEM.

Marketing:

Clearly, you could try to develop your own and try to sell them. Or consider becoming a drone merchant and profiteer that way. If you are looking for employment rather than building your own business, you could consider becoming a sales rep for manufacturers or suppliers alike. They often ask for experience using drones. Of course, you could also work for defense contractors to build the “war” drones of the future. 

Maintaining and customization:

The massive growth in demand for drones, especially leisure ones, will inevitably lead to demand for spare parts and maintenance. Obviously many users are likely going to want to do as much maintenance and repair as they can. But everyone’s skill base ends somewhere, plus they will need spare parts. As with any new technology, the lust to customize will inevitably lead to career opportunities designed customizable pieces for existing models.

Training:

Careers in education crop up a lot. Obviously, you’ll need experience in operating drones in the first place, not to mention teaching, but this could be a very rewarding route. If you have other skills that can be “wrapped” around the operation, all the better. Drone operators of the future will need tuition from someone. Why not get ahead of the curve and position yourself to deliver this vital service.

Summing up:

The drone industry encompasses many other industries. Savvy entrepreneurs are likely to be able to exploit niches in the market and expand the diversity of career opportunities. You may be able to think up a novel use for drones and carve your own career out of the ether. At the end of the day, it is …Your call.

Best Performing REITs In First Quarter In Singapore 2018

When it comes to REIT’s ( Real Estate Investment Trusts), there is a myopia.
Distant things appear small and hazy, a closer view, a bigger view makes things better.
To come out of this myopia, we need to understand what good performance and bad performance with respect to REIT’s.

The Litmus test of REIT’s:

What does it mean when we say that REIT’s are performing well? For this we need to understand how REIT’s work.

REIT’s look like their cousin – stocks simply for the reason that they are traded on the stock exchange.

However, the kinship ends here.

The ‘T’ in REIT is significant. It is the game changer that differentiates REIT’s from stocks. It stands for Trust. Since Trusts are not taxed the way corporations are, they distribute substantially all of their profits to the unit holders  as dividends. So, good performance of an REIT is its 100 % payout ratio from pre tax earnings which dividends from the equivalent of pretax earnings. However, this may sometimes be misleading. 

The Payout ratio may not always be the barometer of an REIT’s success or good performance. Since REIT’s do not retain earnings, there is no hibernation food or a stockpile for rainy days. This may make them totally at the mercy of how  the Trust is performing operationally and there are no reserve funds that can level out the lean years. In simple words, if REIT Y and Corporation Z  stand at the same level of business risk, Y’s dividend will be  be a dwindling one, because it has no surplus fund butter that can be used to spread out the dividend in the rainy years.

Therefore the parameter of an REIT performing well is not the dividend payout ratio but also the funds from operations (FFO) instead. This is defined as net income less the sale of any property in a given year and depreciation. Simply take the dividend per share and divide by the FFO per share. The higher the yield the better.

Once you have an idea of how myopic your view can be if you just look at the payout ratio, here is time to look at the companies that joined the listing bandwagon in the first quarter of 2018 and also the ones who dropped the shelf and became privatised.

The writing on the wall was made very clear by  a report by PwC in 2017 that hinted at a hollowing effect of delistings.

Possible delistings will include companies across all sectors which may choose to be closer to the market they serve and to build product and brand recognition there, as well as those which believe that they are not garnering sufficient value and interest from investors on the SGX. The robust mergers and acquisitions environment and availability of funds will also result in companies being bought over and privatised,” says Max Loh, EY Asean and Singapore managing partner.

Europe Calling

Europe Calling

It’s a tough call deciding where to spend a semester abroad. Although our minds may wander to thoughts of spending a college term in romantic Europe, when it boils down to it, not every European city is best-suited to college students.

Roughly the same geographic size as the United States, Europe is a sprawling continent home to 50 diverse countries. No matter what your major, budget, or study abroad goal is, you’re sure to find a program that suits you in diverse, little Europe. And yet, it can be difficult to know where to start.

Amsterdam:

A popular holiday and bachelor party destination, Amsterdam has much more to offer than freely available marijuana and the titillations of the red light district. This is also a city brimming with culture, where you can take in works by famous Dutch artists and absorb the harrowing life story of Anne Frank, or just enjoy a peaceful drink at one of the city’s many canal-side cafes.

Amsterdam is home to two internationally-ranked universities: the University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA).

Build or Develop?

These days there is a lot of confusion in the minds of the students whether to go in for Engineering especially Civil or Design or a degree in Architecture. To make an informed decision, let us try to understand the differences between the two.

Who is an engineer? An engineer is a person who designs and builds things for the benefit of society. Engineers use math and science to design and build structures, equipment and processes.

Who is an architect? An architect is a person who develops the creative designs for buildings or structures. So, the jobs of an engineer and architect, although similar, vary in some details.

Architecture and Engineering:

Both are professional titles acquired through specific schooling and an examination process.Architects and engineers must work together closely to design and construct buildings. Although their duties overlap to an extent, they’re separate professions with their own unique skills and responsibilities.

Architects usually stick to designing only buildings, whereas engineers might design and build buildings, machines, roads, bridges, or any of a wide variety of other things. Engineers can also specialize in a number of different areas, such as civil, electrical, mechanical, structural, industrial, sound, and chemical engineering.

Entrance Exams

Lately, the Centre has approved the proposal of conducting a common entrance test for engineering and architecture from the session 2018-19. The IIT’s will continue to hold JEE mains and advanced.
JEE (Joint Entrance Examination) Main is a national level examination managed by Central Board Secondary Education (CBSE). It is organized for screening candidates for the UG engineering and architecture programmes. These courses are offered by NIT, CFITs and other institutions. It is also the eligibility test for JEE Advanced exam for admission to IITs & ISM.
To become an architect a candidate needs to do Bachelors in Architecture (B. Arch). Till now,a single window exam, NATA is being used for admissions to first year of 5 year BArch Degree Course at recognized Institutions all over the country. NATA scores are used for admissions to different Government, Govt. Aided & unaided schools /colleges of Architecture, to provide common measure for comparing the qualifications of applicants, for admission in addition to their scholastic performance in 10+2 or equivalent examination.
According to the Council of Architecture admission guidelines, a candidate applying to any school / college of architecture in India should have achieved 40% score in NATA, i.e. at least 80/200, for consideration of admission into first year BArch. On the other hand, for a 4 year Bachelor’s degree in Engineering you have to clear entrance exams like IIT JEE, and other university level entrance examinations.

Role and Responsibilities:

While both architects and engineers might be involved in the design and construction of a building, they tend to focus on different aspects of the job. For example, an architect will usually focus on the aesthetics of the building, including its appearance and function. An engineer, on the other hand, will oversee the implementation of the architect’s plans, determining what is physically possible, what materials will be used, and how issues of practicality and safety will be resolved.Therefore, with regards to the building industry, an architect is the generalist and an engineer is the specialist. Generally, the architect is the conceptual designer of the project, involved through all stages of a project. Engineers come and go and focus on a specific aspect of a building such as the mechanical systems or the structure. Architects and engineers together make up “the design team,” and they work together to make the design complete. Architectural elements may be moved for the structure to make more sense and vice versa. The architect is usually the overseer, communicating with all the disciplines involved. He would be most likely the first to notice that the proposed ductwork conflicts with a structural beam, for example. Architects deal with the whole building and include the design produced by each of the engineers within his overall design solution plus a few specialties that are not part of an engineer’s discipline, like roofing or non-mechanical ventilation.
As far as their responsibilities are concerned, architects design a structure by considering the customer’s needs and requirements. Engineers design the structure according to the architect’s design, including electrical drawings, structural layout and plumbing. To develop and present their designs, both architects and engineers use technical drawings called blueprints. A blueprint is the detailed drawing presented by an architect or engineer that outlines their design. Blueprints can be hand-drawn or drawn on a computer using a computer aided drawing program, such as AutoCAD® or SolidWorks®.
In designing any structure, an architect has to plan out his/her ideas by making a scaled drawing. Before an engineer can approve an architect’s design, they have to analyze the design and select materials that can safely uphold the structure. An engineer takes the blueprint presented by an architect and determines whether or not it is possible to build, and what are the best materials to use. Different materials have different advantages, such as greater strength or greater flexibility. There are a lot of decisions that go into every minor detail of designing and building structures. In order to design safe structures that will last for many decades, engineers must stay current on the properties of materials, know about design flaws and research new engineering technology.
Architects are responsible for all those areas in between the areas of engineers. The architect knows where to draw the line between his expertise and his knowledge supplemented by an engineering professional.
However, if the project is large enough, you might have two sets of architect teams: the design architect and the executive architect, also known as the Architect of Record. The executive architect has a more technical focus.
The technical aspects of architecture include compliance with building codes and figuring out all the building stuff related to the final product. For example, a plumbing engineer’s drawing will have a line on a drawing representing a plumbing line. An architect’s drawing might include a detail that shows that plumbing line as an actual pipe with a thickness with the bricks and cement block of the wall it is penetrating as well as whatever seal will be keeping the rain out.
On the other hand, Engineers deal with specialized fields: Structures, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, and other subspecialties like acoustics and lighting.

Institute scape:

Architecture:

  • School of Planning And Architecture, Delhi
  • Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
  • Sir J. J. College of Architecture, Mumbai
  • Birla Institute Of Technology, Mesra
  • Chandigarh College of Architecture, Chandigarh
  • Jamia Milia Islamia University

Engineering:

Summing up:

To sum up, architects deal with ‘Why’ whereas engineers deal with ‘How’. Architects deal with why the building is the shape, size and cost it is. Engineers deal which how to achieve the shape and QS’s how to achieve that cost for the size.

Because of the difference in role and scope between an architect and engineer, the engineer of a project will be working on many other projects simultaneously, while the architect is dedicated to a few or just the one.

Therefore, before you zero in on one of these options, get information and the roadmap of both the pathways so that you tread on the career path that is meant for you.

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Nuances Of News & Media

To be or not to be? 

Caught in a dilemma between Journalism and Mass Media? Often used interchangeably, these two options have subtle nuances between them. Let’s start with understanding the similarities and differences between journalism and mass media  to make your choice easier.

Meaning:

Both Journalism and mass media are different means of dissemination of information. Well, in a longitudinal spectrum, one comes before the other. It is said that journalism is the first draft of history. If mass media is the activity of dispersing news, journalism is concerned with collection and dissemination of news through the print media as well as the electronic media. This involves various areas of works like reporting, writing, editing, photographing, broadcasting or cable casting news items.  Journalism includes investigating, analysing and reporting local as well as world events, trends, current affairs, and so on. 

Journalism is more about informing people about something meaningful. It is more predictable in its approach in which the emphasis is on information and facts. But on the other hand, as the name suggests, mass media is all about disseminating information to the masses at local, national or international levels with or without a necessary intent. Journalism gravitates towards news reporting for newspapers, magazines or television, while mass media involves journalism too. There’s a difference between the two as mass media  is not a part of journalism but journalism is a part of mass media. There are the whole lot of things in mass media like radio jockeying, anchoring, content writing, disc jockey, video jockey, photography, cinematography, direction, scripting, advertising, corporate communications and so on. 

Simply put, mass communication is about relaying information to the general public in mass at one specific time, whereas journalism is about conveying information on different topics to the literate public on different occasions.

COURSE CONTENT AND PEDAGOGY

A Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communication (BJMC) program allows you to learn the skills needed for careers in reporting, news analysis and public relations. While earning this degree you will study subjects such as expository writing, newspaper writing, communications law, reporting skills, journalistic research techniques and news analysis. Some schools incorporate internship programs into the degree curricula, as well as a secondary major or area of emphasis outside of journalism. This course involves a subset of mass media in the sense that it calls for a professional familiarity with the various technologies involved in mass media like computer applications, respective software and hardware applied in print, radio, television, internet and other forms of media. 

 

A Bachelor of Mass Media (BMM) gives you an insight into mass media, different types of communication, digital and print media. This course has been planned to offer you a concrete ground in communication skills. 

Course Content

Normally, it is a three year course spread across 6 semesters. In the first semester, you will study about introduction to communication, media and journalism, Indian social system followed by the theory of communication, applications of computer in media, state politic and constitution and writing for media. In third semester the course content will include the media laws and ethics, media management, folk media and cyber media. Fourth semester will be about the development and communication, design and graphics, fundamentals of economics an Indian economy and national and international affairs. In the fifth semester, you will study about the introduction of public relations and advertising, tribal communication, communication research. In the last semester the focus will be on radio and television journalism and value education.

Bachelors of Mass media is also a 3 year course spread across 6 consecutive semesters. In the first semester you will study about effective communication skills, fundamentals of mass communication, introduction to computers, introduction to sociology and economics. In the second semester you will study about political concepts and Indian political systems, principles of marketing, principle of management and introduction of literature in English. In third semester the course content will be only be focusing on the introduction of advertising, journalism, public relations, media studies, culture studies and creative writing. In the fourth semester you will study mass media research, organisational behaviour, understanding cinema, radio and television, advance computers, print production and photography and advertising. In the fifth semester, you will study about advertising in contemporary society, copywriting, brand building, reporting, media planning, niche and magazine journalism, and consumer behaviour. In the last semester you will be studying the advertising and marketing research, legal environment and advertising ethics, contemporary issues, journalism, press laws and ethics, broadcast journalism and internet issue in the global media. 

To summarise, Journalism mainly involves the components of political science, economics, communication theory, history of journalism and research methodology. It aims to acquaint students with the social facts, theoretical frameworks and role of the media as a mediating agency.Journalism is a more focussed study dealing with collection of information, sifting through it and researching. BJMC course helps you to acquire theoretical and practical information on various areas related to journalism and mass communication. Bachelors in Mass Media is a broader field focussed on socio political and legal environment and its impact on media and includes a fusion of photography, filmmaking, journalism, advertising, public relations, content writing, etc.

 

Institute Scape :

  • Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi offering an Hons program in Journalism.
  • Delhi College of Arts and  Commerce, University of Delhi offering Hons program in Journalism.
  • Madras Christian College, offering BA Journalism
  • International Institute of Media and Communication, Kolkata
  • School of Communication, Manipal university,offering  Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication),
  • Amity School of Communications, offering Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communication.
  • Ramnarain Ruia College, University of Mumbai,  offering Bachelor of Mass Media (BMM) Indraprastha College for Women, University of Delhi, offering Bachelor in Mass Media and Mass Communication
  • KC College of Arts, Science and Commerce, University of Mumbai, offering Bachelor of Mass Media
  • Department of Media Studies, Christ University, Bangalore  offering BA in Journalism, Psychology, English and BA in Communication & Media, English, Psychology. 

Getting in:

For both the courses, the students who have completed their 10+2 studies from any of the recognized institutes are eligible to apply to the course. The qualification must be obtained with a minimum of 50% marks and English as one of the subjects. The candidate has to obtain the qualification in any of the streams of Science, Commerce or Arts. The eligibility requirements may slightly vary with the university that offers the course.

Job Roles

There are different roles that have to be handled by a Journalism and Mass Communication graduate according to the job profile. Some of them are like interviewing public in case of any incident, collecting the data and information from all the locations of the world, developing public relations and interactions, investigating the facts and information gathered by the sources and reporting and editing contents as per requirements. If you have a flair in photography, you can opt for photojournalism. 

With BMM, you have a variety of career options to choose from like advertising, journalists, anchors, radio jockey and the like. BMM graduates can start their career as scriptwriters and anchors in television channels, editing and reporting etc., either for major media houses or in their own right.It is essentially about the many media of communication used by the masses, such as newspapers, magazines, cinema films, radio, television, etc. With the audience increasingly viewing content through smart phones, digital media has opened its doors to fresh graduates.Digital media not only offers great exposure but also facilitates learning and experience. Prominent media houses like YRF (digital), Viacom18 hire graduates for assisting in, production of web-series, videos, shows, etc. You can also become a social media manager who has the dexterity to handle media accounts of companies or individuals.

The Road Ahead:

Which field has more scope?

Well, the future of one depends upon the other. Journalism is a form of expression or brain work that includes making news judgments, gathering evidence, constructing narratives and making sense of things. It is a method of capturing and representing the world of events and ideas as they occur. It is dependent on media but is nevertheless a distinctive form of expression on which modern democratic societies depend.

To sum up, if you are a person with a linear approach to things and events,you should be going in for Journalism whereas your creative bent of mind would always gravitate towards a  degree in mass media.