The National Universities Commission (NUC) has declared that Mass Communication will no longer be offered as a single course of study in Nigerian universities. The commission’s Secretary, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, made this announcement on behalf of the commission, stating that the new directive will come into effect from March 2020. Additionally, he revealed that a new curricula for communication studies will be provided to professors and communication practitioners in Nigeria.
According to Rasheed, the unbundling of Mass Communication is near completion and by the end of the first quarter of 2020, it will no longer exist as a standalone degree program. Instead, it will be split into seven different programs, including Bachelors Degrees in Public Relations, Marketing Communications, Media studies, Film studies, Cinematography or photography, Strategic Communication, among others.
The Nigerian Tribune reported that Mass Communication has been divided into Journalism and Media Studies, Public Relations, Advertising, Broadcasting, Film and Multi-Media Studies, Development Communication Studies, and Information and Media Studies.
Furthermore, the NUC Secretary stated that universities in Nigeria that may not be capable of offering the newly-introduced courses will be permitted to keep Mass Communication as a single course of study.