India's Best Colleges 2026

​The Department of Media and Communication Studies (DMCS) at Savitribai Phule Pune University was founded on a remarkably prescient idea. In 1990, when television was still emerging as a major force in India, Prof. E.V. Chitnis—the space scientist who helped establish ISRO and later chaired the Press Trust of India—recognised the potential of electronic media after a visit to the US. At the time, the university’s well-known Ranade Institute was the primary destination for journalism education in the region. Chitnis pushed for a separate department focused on the emerging world of electronic media, laying the foundation for what would become DMCS.

More than three decades later, the department continues to evolve alongside the industry it was created to serve. Its flagship MSc programme in Media and Communication Studies admits 50 students annually and offers specialisations in media research and media production. The research stream spans areas such as corporate communication, brand management and public relations. The department also runs a postgraduate diploma in Indian Film Studies and has around 14 doctoral scholars. According to Dr Madhavi Reddy, head of the department, its classrooms bring together students from diverse academic backgrounds, including international enrolments. Its growing stature is reflected in the rankings, where it has climbed from No. 4 in 2022 to No. 2 in 2026, making it the most improved college in its category.

What has driven the department’s recent rise is its focus on industry relevance. Reddy says feedback from alumni working across media and entertainment has prompted a stronger emphasis on areas such as scriptwriting and instructional design. Scriptwriting credits have been increased to meet growing demand from OTT platforms, while instructional design, which covers technical and creative aspects of web page development, is helping students find opportunities in digital content projects.

Infrastructure is also getting a significant boost. The department has secured Rs 3 crore under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) to establish a state-of-the-art studio. During academic breaks, the facility will be rented out to the Marathi film industry, creating a new revenue stream for the department. It will also provide students with valuable hands-on industry exposure through internships in these film projects, says Reddy. The department is embracing new technologies as well. A doctoral researcher has developed an AI-enabled tool that helps students optimise their CVs for increasingly automated recruitment systems. It has been complemented by a first-of-its-kind workshop on voice modulation to boost their chances in interviews.

The college that has shown the highest improvement in rankings between 2022 and 2026

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