Asian College of Journalism

What Asian College of Journalism does

Asian College of Journalism (ACJ) is a postgraduate journalism school in Chennai, India, founded in 2000 and operated by the Media Development Foundation, a non-profit established in 1999. The institution delivers two flagship one-year postgraduate diploma programs: a Postgraduate Diploma in Integrated Multimedia Journalism and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business & Financial Multimedia Journalism, the latter delivered in partnership with Bloomberg since 2017. ACJ also hosts the UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Centre for South Asian Journalism and runs the Lawrence Dana Pinkham Memorial Lectures and the Climate Change Media Hub workshop series. Its curriculum combines core journalism training with technical and analytical components, including a required Covering Deprivation course, an AI in Journalism offering, and 14+ electives for the 2025-2026 academic year, supported by 41+ faculty and 47+ guest lecturers (with the Bloomberg program drawing on 17+ dedicated faculty and 58+ guest faculty).

The Bloomberg co-branded program reports a 100% placement record over eight consecutive years, with graduates placed across financial and business media organizations; the wider ACJ alumni network exceeds 3,300 across more than 25 years of operation and includes senior editors, journalists across South Asia, and a sitting Nepal minister. ACJ operates a tuition-based revenue model with approximately 9 listed administrative employees, supplemented by South Asia Foundation (SAF) scholarships for South Asian students. Strategic positioning centers on a small, deliberately curated annual student cohort, deep industry partnerships (notably Bloomberg and UNESCO), and curriculum differentiation through specialized courses (AI, climate, deprivation reporting) that broader Indian journalism programs do not typically codify as required offerings.

Name

Asian College of Journalism

Legal name

Asian College of Journalism

Website

https://asianmedia.org.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Asian College of Journalism, founded in 2000 in Chennai, operates two postgraduate one-year diploma programs — including a Bloomberg co-branded Business & Financial Journalism track — serving a small student cohort with tuition revenue and UNESCO South Asian Journalism affiliation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Journalism Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Film, Television & Media Arts Colleges (EDAHAJAE)

Keywords

• Postgraduate journalism education
• Multimedia journalism training
• Financial journalism programme
• Journalism school India
• Newsroom skills education

Headquarters

HQ city

Chennai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue generated from postgraduate diploma programme fees covering Integrated Multimedia Journalism and Business & Financial Multimedia Journalism programmes

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Asian College of Journalism (ACJ) offers postgraduate diploma programmes in journalism, principally a one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Integrated Multimedia Journalism and a specialised Postgraduate Diploma in Business and Financial Multimedia Journalism delivered in partnership with Bloomberg. The curriculum combines core courses, electives, fieldwork, dissertation work, and Bloomberg Terminal training to prepare graduates for technology-driven media-neutral newsrooms.

Product overview

Asian College of Journalism (ACJ) operates as a dual-programme educational institution offering two postgraduate diploma programmes: the Postgraduate Diploma in Integrated Multimedia Journalism (the core flagship programme covering all journalism formats) and the Postgraduate Diploma in Business and Financial Multimedia Journalism (the Bloomberg Programme, a specialised track focused on financial journalism with Bloomberg Terminal training). Both programmes share a common academic structure with core courses, diverse electives (25+ offered annually), and experiential learning components. The programmes are designed to produce fully integrated journalists equipped for technology-driven media environments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Postgraduate Diploma in Integrated Multimedia Journalism
• Postgraduate Diploma in Business and Financial Multimedia Journalism (ACJ-Bloomberg Programme)

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% placement rate for ACJ-Bloomberg programme for 8 consecutive years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BloombergcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017ACJ-Bloomberg Programme offers Postgraduate Diploma in Business and Financial Multimedia Journalism. Bloomberg provides training on the Bloomberg Terminal, digital journalism standards, and industry exposure. All students of the programme are placed with top media organisations including Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, and others. Programme has achieved 100% placement record since inception in 2017.
• Media Development FoundationcoreOthersMedia Development Foundation is a not-for-profit public trust established in 1999 that founded and supports Asian College of Journalism to foster journalism as an independent, investigative, socially responsible, and ethical profession.
• UNESCOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNESCO Madanjeet Singh Centre for South Asian Journalism operates under the research umbrella of ACJ, conducting research initiatives in journalism education and media studies for the South Asian region.
• Climate Change Media HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint workshop organisation on climate finance topics, bringing together experts from iFOREST, climate journalism, and financial sectors for student education on climate-related financial journalism.
• SAF (South Asia Foundation)minorOthersSAF scholarships are offered to students from South Asian countries. SAF chapters in Nepal facilitate alumni engagement and networking among ACJ graduates across batches.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Xavier Institute of Communications (XIC): Mumbai-based postgraduate media school offering diploma programmes in journalism, advertising, and public relations. Directly comparable private Indian media school with similar programme structure and industry placement focus.
• Manorama School of Communication: Kerala-based postgraduate journalism school backed by the Malayala Manorama media group, offering PG diplomas in journalism. Comparable Indian private J-school with strong regional media industry ties and similar placement-driven model.
• Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication (SIMC): Indian private postgraduate media school offering MBA (Communication Management) and MA (Mass Communication) programmes with industry placements. Closely comparable private-sector peer operating in the same admissions segment with similar multimedia curriculum.
• MICA (Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad): India's leading strategic communications and marketing school offering a flagship two-year programme. Comparable as a prestigious Indian postgraduate media/communications school with strong industry placement record, though more marketing-focused.
• AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia: Academic department of a central university offering postgraduate diploma and degree programmes in journalism and mass communication. Comparable Indian postgraduate journalism programme with similar curriculum breadth across media formats.
• Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC): India's premier government-run postgraduate journalism institute, offering PG diplomas in journalism across multiple specialties. Directly comparable as an Indian postgraduate journalism school competing for the same graduate applicant pool, though larger and state-funded.
• Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media (IIJNM): Indian postgraduate journalism school in Bangalore offering diploma and degree programmes in print, broadcast, and digital journalism. Comparable private Indian J-school competing for the same South India applicant base.

Others

• SP Jain School of Global Management: Dubai/Mumbai/Singapore-based business school with media-related postgraduate programmes. Adjacent rather than direct — comparable in the postgraduate, English-medium, South Asia-recruiting model, but focused on management rather than journalism practice.

Broad incumbents

• Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism: World-leading postgraduate journalism school offering MS degrees with strong industry placement. Comparable at the category level as a top-tier global J-school, but at much larger scale, with Ivy League credentials and broader curriculum depth.
• London College of Communication (University of the Arts London): UK-based postgraduate media and journalism school offering MA programmes in journalism, publishing, and media communications. Comparable as an established global J-school but with broader portfolio of design and media programmes beyond journalism.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asiancollegeofjournalism

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Asian College of Journalism