JU to suspend Mass Comm PG Diploma after low applications

Kolkata: Jadavpur University has decided not to run its self-financed postgraduate (PG) diploma course in Mass Communication this year after receiving only 60 applications, a number officials said was insufficient to sustain the programme.

The decision was taken by the department under the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, Law and Management (ISLM) after the application window closed on December 3. Faculty members said actual enrolment is typically much lower than the number of applications received, making the course financially unviable this year.

ISLM dean Parthasarathi Chakraborty said the course would not be conducted in the absence of a “reasonable number” of applicants. The move marks a break in the programme’s run since its introduction in 1989.

University officials said the course had earlier attracted 140 to 150 applications, with enrolment stabilising at around 70 to 80 before falling to about 50–55 last year. With only 60 applications this year, officials said there would be no scope for screening or selection.

Professor Subir Ghosh, one of the founders of the programme, said journalism education required strong practical training and sustained engagement with working professionals.

He said at least half the curriculum should focus on hands-on training and new technologies, adding that limited exposure in these areas may have reduced student interest. The department has also faced administrative controversies in recent years, including allegations of arbitrary marking that required re-evaluation of answer scripts. Students also faced delays in receiving final mark sheets. Observers said such issues may have affected the confidence of prospective students.

The decline in applications has also raised concerns within academic circles about the future of the university’s self-financed M.A. in Mass Communication programme, introduced in 2017.