The Most Meaningful Birthday Gift: My IGNOU MAJMC Degree
I completed MAJMC: Master of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication from IGNOU with 74% in September 2026.
जिसका मुझे था इंतज़ार, जिसके लिए दिल था बेक़रार
वो घड़ी आ गई, आ गई
आज, प्यार में हद से गुज़र जाना है…
(The moment I had been waiting for,
the one my heart had been longing for,
has finally arrived.
Today, I am going to take love beyond all limits…)
The love for life… the love for education… the love for lifelong education… the love for an ever-enigmatic Master’s/professional degree that defines who I am!!
The Dream Has Come True
Finally… Finally, the monkey is off my back. The silent pain of carrying something that I don’t possess… the feeling, the infinite love, the baggage, the long-cherished dream… it’s finally been conquered.
Before you start making assumptions, let me declare it outright that my 2-year MAJMC (MA in Journalism and Mass Communication) programme from IGNOU is over, and its provisional certificate and marksheet are right now in my hand.
So, yes, if you read the first few lines of this article, the Hindi couplet correctly describes my feeling. I am literally on cloud 9, no, sorry, on cloud infinity!! My happiness knows no bounds.
Coincidentally, I received my MAJMC final marksheet and provisional certificate exactly on 25th September 2026, which happened to be my birthday. So, I think there can’t be a better birthday gift for me than this.
I earned it through sheer hard work, countless nights burning the midnight oil, countless hours of study, the tensions of viva and term-end theory exams, and managing both work and studies together. So, I won’t call it a roller coaster ride, but rather a difficult ride with rough terrains here and there.
MAJMC IGNOU Was Not Just An Academic Program
MAJMC was never just another PG programme to me. It was always a dream that was about to be fulfilled but with no definite time period. Even I doubted whether I could ever complete MAJMC or not.
People run after MBAs and other hi-fi courses like fashion designing, medicine, architecture, etc., but my eyes and brain were stuck on MAJMC. Ever since I got into school, all that I wanted to do was writing.
Participating in school essay contests, speech contests and quizzes made me so happy that I forgot to even complete my homework. I literally enjoyed doing these things while the entire class enjoyed solving algebra and solving chemistry’s balancing chemical equations. Those equations gave me dreaded nights. I will discuss some other day.
The Day I Finally Held My MAJMC Degree
So, the feeling has not sunk in yet. It was my birthday. It was heavily raining. All that I was doing was waiting and waiting… going to the balcony, downstairs and roof, despite the heavy rain, just to have at least a glimpse of the postman, as I knew my D-day of receiving my life’s most possessed possession was about to come.
My final grade card was updated on 2nd September 2026, and I knew that within 20 days or so, my certificates and marksheet would be in my hand.
Ting Tong! The doorbell rang, and the postman was asking who Atish was. He took my name. I told him I was the guy, but he wanted to see my ID card. I showed him my ID card and signed the Speed Post document, and in a moment, both the certificate and marksheet were in my hands.
I was literally overjoyed to see that my penance and all my efforts towards earning this degree had finally paid off. I won’t say there were no traces of tears of joy in my eyes. Yes, I felt emotional. I felt the silent joy of the pain that I had endured for so long.
I Couldn’t Contain My Happiness
My pupils got dilated as I saw my name on both my MAJMC provisional certificate and marksheet. I felt as if I should go on top of the roof and shout it out loud that I did it.
Nothing in my life has ever been so enigmatic as this MAJMC degree. In fact, after a while, especially after I lost my mom, I gave up my dream of even studying further due to family responsibilities and my own demanding job.
But where there is a will, there is a way. God gave me a second chance to complete what I had left undone in my mind, heart, body and soul. It was all about getting a professional degree in doing what you love most: journalism, writing, content creation, etc.
And I am truly thankful to IGNOU for helping me do it with full gusto. Not only did I successfully complete all the 16 papers of this MAJMC programme, but in all subjects and papers, I achieved first-division marks except the project or main dissertation paper (MJMP-120), where I secured 58, despite giving it my all in creating the project with hard work and deep research. But it’s okay. I’m happy. As my final aggregate score came out to approximately 74%, I am happy with it.
Now, I am waiting for the convocation call to attend the ceremony and celebrate my academic journey like never before.
IGNOU MAJMC Degree Programme at a Glance
Name: MAJMC (MA in Journalism and Mass Communication)
Mode: ODL / Distance Learning
Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree in any discipline
Medium of Instruction: English / Hindi / Tamil
Minimum Duration: 2 years
Maximum Duration: 4 years
Total Credits: 80 credits (40 credits in the first year + 40 credits in the second year)
Programme Fee: ₹13,500 per year, excluding examination fees, as currently listed by IGNOU
Lateral Entry Scheme for MAJMC 1st Year-passed Candidates
Lateral Entry: PGJMC holders with 40 credits can enter the second year directly under the revised MAJMC structure. Earlier PGJMC batches with 32 or 36 credits have separate credit-deficiency provisions, which include studying additional 4/8-credit courses as per the university provisions.
>Programme Structure: The programme includes theory courses, practical components (2 portfolios/1 synopsis/3 vivas), elective/choice-based courses and research/project-related components (1 main project).
>Lateral Exit: Learners completing the first year can be awarded a Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication (PGJMC), subject to IGNOU’s applicable rules.
Holding My IGNOU MAJMC Degree Feels Awesome
So, I am literally seeing my MAJMC degree documents again, and all I can say is: do dream in life. Because dreams do come true.
No matter the obstacles, if you dream big, your obstacles will become smaller until a day comes when they won’t matter to you anymore.
I also dreamt of getting an MAJMC IGNOU degree in my life a decade or two back. I knew it was going to be difficult since I had the pressure to work and start earning at an early age due to paucity of funds, but that didn’t deter me from dreaming of something that I always wanted to earn.
And finally, two decades later, I conquered the dream.
What Will I Do With My MAJMC IGNOU Degree
Now, if you ask me what I will do with it, to be honest, even I don’t know, as I have already ensconced my career in writing. But some dreams and possessions in life have no answer when you get them. They become part of your cherished memory, be it academic or a memory of a lifetime.
At least, when I grow old, a mere glimpse at my MA Journalism degree will instantly bring a smile to my face and perhaps a few tears of joy as well. But remembering how I continued my studies despite all the hardship will inspire millions of others. It will motivate them to not only chase their dreams but work hard for them with their full perseverance, determination, and never-say-never attitude.
In Conclusion
While I want to share this news with everyone else, I am not keen on external validation. Their typical questions like “How will it help you earn?”, “It’s merely a paper”, “How much can you improve your earning with this degree?”, “A journalism degree is not going to give you jobs these days”, “Media is dying”, or “Media is at its lowest ebb these days” can bring out the curmudgeon in them, but I don’t mind.
Because this degree makes me feel grounded, happy, responsible, proud and more inclined towards academics.
So, let’s celebrate the joy first.
This moment won’t come back again!
(Atish Home Chowdhury)
