Dr. Ranjana Das Sarkhel is the HOD of the English Department at MATS School of Education. She holds a PhD from North Eastern Hill University, Shillong along with UG and PG degrees in English from Jyoti Nivas College, Bangalore. Dr. Sarkhel spent her childhood in Nagaland and Assam, where she did her schooling. She has published her work in international journals. Besides her regular academic duties, she also guides M.Phil. and PhD scholars with their research.

MATS School of Education

What is the latest program that you are offering in your institute or department which helps students outperform and stand apart from the crowd?

I would like to tell you about the three programs that are currently run by our department, BA English learners with mass communication, MA English, and a PhD in English. The first program is an undergraduate program that is like any other BA program but with a specialization in Mass Communication. After completing this degree, they can opt for higher education degrees, such as our MA program in English literature or in mass communication. Both subjects complement each other, which gives students a lot of options, not only for higher studies but also for careers.

What are the factors that make this program the best for a student to opt?

Our degrees open up a lot of avenues for our students. Not only can they take admission to higher education degrees, but they can also work in a variety of industries like print media, electronic media, filmmaking, and journalism. Our students are eligible to work in mass communication and in English. This would be the significant factor that makes our program stand out from others.

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How did you train yourself/faculty to deliver this program to the students?

As teachers, we take part in continuous training programs to keep ourselves updated on our subject. The best part about English literature is that we merely have to keep reading books. We have an extensive library at the institute that can help in this regard. However, we also need to stay connected with what is happening around us and train ourselves on a personal level. 

What are the types of projects that the student are working on through this program?

At the undergraduate level, students have to undergo a compulsory internship in the sixth semester, where they work and get trained by media houses or publication companies, which exposes them to hands-on practice in what they have studied. At the postgraduate level, students have to write a dissertation that can help them pursue further research, and our PhD scholars are actively involved in research. These are some of the kinds of projects we use to keep our students involved in their subjects.

What are the benefits and career options after pursuing this course?

After pursuing this course at the UG level, most students opt to keep studying, but they can also work. They are eligible to teach at English medium schools. As they have specialized knowledge in mass communication, the field of media is also open to them. After our students complete their master's degree in English, teaching is again the first option, and the second is to go into research. They can also go into the industry where they can take part in imparting corporate training, content writing or corporate communications, PR, and outreach programs. For our PhD students, academics is the first option again, but they can also work for NGOs where extensive knowledge of English is an advantage.