by Prof. Chinyere Stella Okunna

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has approved the curriculum for the unbundling of the Mass Communication Programme in Nigerian universities, which will result in the emergence of 7-degree-awarding programmes and the phasing out of the single BSc/BA degree programme in Mass Communication currently offered in different faculties in different universities.

 The 7 new programmes/departments, to be domiciled in a faculty/school/college of communication and media studies are:
1.Journalism & Media Studies
2. Public Relations
3. Advertising,
4. Broadcasting,
5. Film & Multi-Media Studies,
6. Development Communication Studies,
7. Information & Media Studies.

It would be recalled that the draft document comprising the curricula for the 7 new programmes was submitted to the NUC on 5th February 2018 at an impressive ceremony attended by a wide variety of stakeholders including eminent professors of Mass Communication/Communication Studies from many universities spread across the six geo-political zones of the country.

Regulatory Agencies such as the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Nigerian Press Council (NPC); Professional Bodies such as the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and Radio, Television and Theatre Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU); Media Organizations such as the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA); Print Media Journalists; and International Development Agencies such as UNESCO, UNICEF, the MacArthur Foundation, etc. are affected.