This article is written by Mohona Thakur from Team iPleaders.

If you have a keen interest in the field of media and entertainment law, and have made up your mind about pursuing a career in it, a list of the only institutions across India that offer this programme may be handy!

Google for ‘top law schools for media laws’, you fill find a couple of sorry LLM guides with no relevant information.

The truth is, most law schools do not have this subject even as an optional. The reasons could be many. To begin with, media laws in itself isn’t an absolutely prominent field of law that too many lawyers show an inclination for. Although massive opportunities are arising on the back of a burgeoning media and entertainment industry, with many opportunities for lawyers opening up very fast, studies with respect to media laws is at its nascent stage. Besides, law schools do not have qualified professors with adequate knowledge in this area for them to offer this as a subject in the first place.

With the lack of the subject in any decent curriculums in law schools, there are a few law schools across the globe and online academies that have taken a step towards consciously building a curriculum in this area of law.

When it comes to a conscious academic or career choice, no one would risk gaining unreliable information. They would rather hear it from the horse’s mouth. I thought I would bring the horse to you, you could always have a word with it yourself.

Here is a carefully curated list of courses across India that offer the niche subject of media and entertainment laws (in varied forms) with the links to their website from where you can take it forward:

• Diploma in Media and Laws by New Law College, BVP University, Pune

Eligibility: You must be a graduate from a recognised university in India or abroad.

Duration: 1 Year

Course Type: Full-Time

Examination Type: 80% Theoretical and 20% Internal Assessment

What’s in it for you – the good, bad and ugly!

For those of you looking for a diploma certificate by recognised law college, this may be a good idea. However, this course seems to have been launched recently. There is no available information about the course curriculum and structure. For more information on admissions, you can visit this page.

While the degree awarded is a diploma and comes from a NAAC accredited college, unless you are physically present in Pune, you shall not be able to pursue this course. If you’re in Pune and want to pursue a full time diploma, please do visit their college in Kothrud.

In addition, in order to pursue diploma, you need to have a graduate degree. Therefore, if you are a law student, in a five year law course, this is not an option for you.

• LawSikho’s Diploma in IPR, Media and Entertainment Laws

Eligibility: You must have completed 10 + 2 from a recognised board in India or abroad.

Duration: 1 Year

Course Type: Online

Examination Type: 600 Marks, 100 Marks MCQ and 500 Marks Exercise & Assignment Based

What’s in it for you – the good, bad and ugly!

It’s a relatively new course that was launched in May, and the first batch is to commence from August. Therefore, it doesn’t have any alumnus as yet. But then, all the other courses are pretty new too.

What’s interesting is that this media law course has an overwhelming industry panel with people like Forbes 30 under 30 lawyers, lawyers presently practising in this space.

The course contains 16 modules and covers all aspects of the media industry – print, radio, broadcast, telecom, digital. They teach through interactive videos and also have study material in hard copy. In addition, apart from feedback sessions, the course endorses weekly exercises that teach hands on the kind of work that you will be required to do when you work in this space as a lawyer. You can see the course content here. There are total 50 classes throughout the year (once every week), which you can attend at night (8-9 pm on weekdays).  If you miss a class, you could watch the recording later. This is definitely very convenient for busy lawyers and law students.

Cherry on the cake? You can access this course anytime and sitting anywhere in the world, even on your cell phones. Double cherry on the cake? They provide sample material for their course, for you to see and decide. You can subscribe for the sample material here.

The course also promises to help you with internships if you are a law student, and with jobs if you are a lawyer based on your performance in the course which is a huge added advantage.

• Post Graduate Diploma in Media Laws, NALSAR Proximate Education

Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a recognised university

Duration: 1 Year

Course Type: Distance-Education

Examination Type: 90 Mark Theory Papers x 4 Modules and 40 Marks for mandatory attendance for classes

The brand name is possibly the only take away for this PG Diploma, apart from 4 fat modules on Media Laws in India. The modules cover widely four broad categories – policy and media law, constitution and media laws, convergence and advertising laws.

The eligibility criteria is a bummer as it doesn’t allow law students enrolled in the five year law course to apply (since they do not hold a bachelor’s degree).

The course was sold at INR 16,500 last year. However, the course requires the students to mandatorily attend classes that only take place in selected metro cities on specified dates twice during the year. The cities that the classes take place in are: Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. In case you do not belong to these cities, it would be a choice you’d have to make between spending extra to get those 40 marks or opt out and lose on the 40 marks.

For more details on their admission procedure, you can visit their website here.

Presently, in India, these are the only three organisations offering a diploma in media laws. Very few law schools have come up with media laws as an optional paper. However, given the vast dimension that media and entertainment laws cover, a semester worth of studying can at maximum introduce you to the basics.

If you are serious about pursuing a career in this field, you shall have to take an extra effort and not only find internships in this field, but also continue enhancing your knowledge and skill set by pursuing media law courses that not only add a certificate to your resume but also value.

Good luck!