Just In: NUC splits Mass communication into separate degree programmes

The National Universities Commission (NUC) said it has unbundled Mass Communication programme in universities into seven separate degree programmes.

The commission said this was done to meet the growing demand. The development is expected to take effect from 2020 admissions into Nigerian universities.

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Premium Times reports that the Director of Corporate Affairs of the Commission, Ibrahim Yakassai, in a phone interview on Wednesday night, said the commission unbundled mass communication by breaking it into seven programmes.

“We did not phase mass communication out,” he said.

According to him, mass communication will still be still a course for universities but any university who wants to offer specialised courses can do so in Public Relations, Advertising, cinematography, broadcasting, film and multimedia studies, development communications studies, information and media studies as degree courses.

“We have unbundled means we have broken it into seven-degree programmes for universities wishing to adopt it, but, those who wish to retain mass communication as it is, are also allowed to retain it.

“This is in line with trends all over the world. We will retain the Mass Communication for those universities that have not yet developed the full competencies in the areas.”

In February 2019, a document containing a new curricula for communication studies in Nigerian universities, which seeks to unbundle mass communication and create seven-degree awarding departments to be domiciled under a School/College of Communication in its place, was presented to the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Abubakar Rasheed, in Abuja.

While receiving the document, the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Abubakar Rasheed said a review of the mass communication curriculum was long overdue and promised to expedite action in the process of finalising and adopting the curricula.