The Course of Study for Post Graduate Diploma In Journalism (PGDJ) Program offered by Directorate of Distance Education of Patna University, Patna is as follows:

Paper-I
(Mass Communications and History of Journalism in India)

Group-A
Information need: Theory of communication-person to person, person to group/mass: Mass society-a society of mass consumption needs, mass production and mass media for its information needs: Different mass media (Print, electronic traditional folk theatre, puppet show, fairs and festivals). Their strengths and weakness. Knowledge Industry and its coming of age.

Group-B
History of Journals (regular publications) in India-English, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali and some other languages. History of news and feature agencies; their role and utility.
Role of the Indian’s Freedom struggle, the press in princely states in pre-independence India.
Current Status of the Indian Press: A survey, history of some leading Indian newspapers. Some (about 10) Indian journalists.

Group-C
Newspaper management in India. Ownership patterns, current status, changes in production technology.

Paper-II
(Principles of Journalism)

Right of Information (UNESCO declaration), Definition, Principles, objectives and ethics of journalism. Freedom of the Press and the Indian Constitution. The National Press, the Regional Press, district and small newspapers, their readerships requirements, their problems and prospects (Indian context).
Types of Publications: daily newspapers, periodicals (news magazines)/other publication), specialized publications (business, sport, cinema, arts professional). Journalists and the law (Indian)

Paper-III
(Reporting)

News: Definition, what makes news, structure, lead body, presentation of facts, News and news analysis. The making of a reporter: Understanding the desk. Special Correspondents Reporting for: a local paper, outstation paper, agencies. Identification of news sources, preparations for covering assignments, regular beats, deadlines, transmission facilities and their use, interviewing.
Parliament and Legislatures: Bills, Money bills, adjournment motions, no-confidence motions, call attention notices, budged (central and state): what to look for: Election process, privileges of members, the Houses and presiding officers.
Finance, Industry and Commerce: Important Government decisions, market trends, performance of different sectors of the economy including the manufacturing and service sectors, the corporate world, changes and personalities.
Sports: Art & Culture, War Civic and academic affairs, other Community activities Crime and Court.
Development and Rural Reporting: “between the menu card and the mud fields” developing ability to perceive and discern changes (Absorption of news technologies, skills), bringing the rural masses in contact with the urban and vice-versa, social tensions and conflicts (old and new), the rural population’s ability to probe and question.

Paper-IV
(News Editing)

Editor and his term: Assistant Editors, Feature Editors, Columnists, News Editor, The Chief Sub-Editor and Sub-Editors.
New Desk: Role of the News Editor: meeting the concerned community’s information needs, watching and regulating news flow, planning of pages and space utilization, keeping contact with the reporting team/special correspondents, anticipating news fall, deployments of shifts, Co-ordination with the production department.
The chief sub-editing: The unsung hero of the news rooms and his team.
Principles of copy-editing (news and features), re-writing, headlining.
Typography and lay out, use of photographs (discuss role of photo journalism in brief), cartoons (History of cartoons and introduction to some well-known cartoon in brief).
Editorial page: Editorials, letters to editors, special articles.
Feature page: meeting public taste, feature writing, what is beneath the news, facts and fiction, presentation, use of background material.
New Desks needs: dictionaries, reference material, Photo library, maps and atlas, year book, lexicon on idioms and phrases.
Principles of translation-language of communication, idioms and phrases, technical and scientific terms. Glossary of words: editing and proof reading, signs.

Paper-V
(PR, Advertising and Industrial Journalism)

PR and similar activities: PR vis-à-vis publicity, propaganda, liaison, lobbying.
PR-definition, objectives, planning PR actives/campaign, Government PR departments (Central and State). PR for local bodies, voluntary organizations.
Media Relations: Building contacts with different media, understanding their needs and working, press released, press conferences, sponsored visits, arranging coverage of different activities and extending facilities to media persons.
PR in industries: management functions and planned continuing activities. Identifying” concerned publics” concerned publics” and their information needs.
House journal and other publications; House Journals: management voice or communication tool/News sources for house journals, collection of news, budgeting, distribution, industrial journals vis-à-vis business and financial journalism. Short history of house journals.
Advertising: Role, needs and benefits of advertising, commercial, non-commercial (Social) and institutional (PR) advertising. Advertising decisions (Planning and strategy), Advertising agencies and their set up, media decisions (Print, radio, TV, outdoor), direct mailing etc.

Paper-VI
(Broadcast Journalism)

History of broadcasting (Radio and TV): special reference to India. AIR News setup. TV news set-up, their working. News editors. Correspondents, writing of news and commentaries. Interviewing for radio and TV. News Desk: Radio TV, use of voice casts, visuals, uses of equipment and familiarity with technology employed: Satellites, micro-waves etc.