The National Universities Commission (NUC) has phased out
mass communication as stand-alone degree programme in Nigerian universities.
The executive secretary of the commission, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed who announced this said while addressing journalists in Abuja said programmed had been unbundled into seven other degree courses.
They are journalism and media studies, public relations, advertising, broadcasting, film and multi-media studies, development communication studies, and information and media studies.
He explained that the decision to unbundle mass communication as a single degree course is meant to meet present demands.
He said beginning from March 2020 mass communication will no longer pass for a single course of study in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
He said the era of mass communication as a course in universities was over as the commission had responded to meet present demands in the labour market.
He said the development followed the presentation of new curricula for communication studies in Nigerian universities by professors and communication practitioners in Nigeria.
He said communication studies will be domiciled in school/college of communication.
“We have almost concluded the unbundling of Mass Communication. At the end of first quarter (of 2020), Mass Communication will not be existing as a stand-alone degree programme because it is too wide.
“We are unbundling the programme into seven different programmes: Bachelors Degrees in public relations, marketing communications, media studies, film studies, cinematography or photography, strategic communication, and so many others,” he said.
However, he said the commission will retain mass communication for the universities that are yet to develop the full competencies required in the newly-introduced areas.
Shedding some light on the issue, spokesman for the commission, Mr. Ibrahim Yakassai, clarified that NUC had not abolished the study of mass communication from Nigerian universities but only unbundled the programme following increasing demand from the stakeholders.
He emphasised that for any university to begin the new programmes, the institution must write officially to NUC to carry out accreditation exercise of the programme.
“Mass Communication is still available as a degree programme of study in Nigerian universities,we didn’t abolish the course ,what we have done is just that we have unbundled the programme in seven other degree courses providing more opportunities for people to study beyond mass communication
“The demand to unbundle the programme from the stakeholders was on the increase hence the NUC had to look into it.
“More so these universities now have authority to maintain their mass communication as a course as well begin other courses in Advertising, cinematography, broadcasting, film and multimedia studies, development Communications studies, information and.media studies as degree courses.
“Universities that are ready to begin the programme should apply to NUC; the commission will then send a team to check on the human and other resources available to begin the programme,” Yakassai said.
