Part I: The creative and not-so-creative side of advertising
Part III: An unusual career option

As part of our ongoing career series, some popular and some unique career options, this week, we look at various aspects of advertising and what it takes to carve a niche for yourself in the field. Yesterday, we looked at the different career paths available to youngsters, whether on the creative side of things or the client relations side. Today, we look at how you can gain the skills and prepare for a career in the ad-mad world. Here are some of the best courses: 

National Institute of Advertising
The National Institute of Advertising is a fully private educational facility belonging to the 'Awards Diplomas as Good as Degrees' category.

It offers a 15-month PG diploma in Advertising (full time) which has 14 courses (10 compulsory and 4 optional) which rage from Principles of Management to Creative Strategies and Marketing Research. The course costs Rs 1,98,000 plus taxes.

It also offers a one-year PG diploma in Advertising and Public Relations (full time). There are 10 subjects in total (all compulsory) and the fee is Rs 99,000 plus taxes.

Also on offer is a four-year graduate diploma in Graphic Design, a course which is deeply rooted in art, design etc. This demanding course costs Rs 90,000 per year. Students are selected on the basis of a written creative test and interview.

Students have found jobs with such companies as Everest Advertising, Lowe, McCann Erickson, Percept Advertising, Mudra Communications, Oglivy Mather, Rediffusion DY&R, MDTV, Outlook Magazine, Times Group, HT, Star TV, SAB and Zee TV among others.

Address: NiA Campus, 9, Institutional Area, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003
Telephone: 011-4356 0060/ 61/ 62/ 63/ 64/ 65
Email: admissions@niaindia.org
Website: www.niaindia.org

Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad
MICA offers a well-known 15-month PG diploma in Management (Communications). This diploma, which aims at training managers with an advertising background, claims a 100-per cent placement.

It involves 'global immersion' in which the student studies at one of the sister organisations abroad and a three-month industry internship.

The entire full-time residential course costs Rs 7.5 lakhs. It also offers a one-year Executive Development Programme in Media Management to teach the effective utilisation of media outlets. It costs Rs 99,000 and classes are held on Saturdays between 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm. It also offers certificate courses in:

• Retail Communication
• Visualisation (Visual Merchandising)
• Creative writing (Crafting Creative Communication)

These cost approximately Rs 2.5 lakhs each.

Students have worked with such names as L'Oreal, Leo Burnnet, Procter & Gamble, Ogilvy & Mather, CitiFinancial, Mindshare, NDTV, The Times of India, HLL [Get Quote], AC Nielsen ORG Marg, IBM, Star TV, CavinKare, Hutch and many more.

Address: MICA, Shela, Ahmedabad - 380 058, Gujarat, India
Phone: 2717-308250
Fax: 2717-308349
Website: www.mica-india.net

Indian Institute of Mass Communication
The IIMC offers a PG diploma course in Advertising and Public Relations under Dr Jaishree Jethwani. Preference is given to those who have a post-graduate course in any field or experience in anything related to the media.

It charges Rs 27,500 as course fees, with Communication, Marketing, Advertising, Concepts and Principles, Advertising: Creativity and Campaign Planning, Public Relations, Corporate Communication, Oral and Visual communication, Production Techniques and Methods, Media Planning, Research Methods and Application covered in the syllabus.

Address: Indian Institute of Mass Communication, JNU new campus, Aruna Asif Ali Marg, New Delhi - 110067.
Phone: 011-26742920/ 60
Fax: 011-26742462 
E-mail: pbapaiah@yahoo.com

Xavier's Institute of Communications
The XIC offers a 10-month postgraduate diploma in Advertising and Marketing. While they prefer graduates, anyone with five years of experience in advertising etc will also be considered. 

Preference is given to non-working students (due to the workload). The Xavier's placement service ('Xpress') is of good quality and the courses are career-oriented, so getting a job shouldn't be difficult. Candidates are selected on the basis of their college marksheet and a written online entrance exam

Address: Xavier's Institute of Communications, Xavier's College Campus, Mahapalika Marg, Near Churchgate Station, Mumbai-400001.
Phone: 022-2262 1366/ 2262 1639/ 2262 2877 
Fax: (91-22) 2265 8546
E-mail: edita@xaviercomm.org   
Website: www.xaviercomm.org

Part I: The creative and not-so-creative side of advertising
Part III: An unusual career option