The National Universities Commission has unbundled Mass Communication as a degree, turning it to a faculty.
NUC said the decision was arrived at to meet the present demands and to prepare the graduates of the courses for the new challenges.
During a press briefing in Abuja, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Prof Abubakar Rasheed said the mass communication will stop existing in tertiary institutions across the country.
This development follows the presentation of new curricula for communication studies in Nigerian universities by professors and communication practitioners in Nigeria.
The curricula, which sought the unbundling of mass communication and the creation of seven degree awarding departments to be domiciled under a School/College of Communication, was formally presented to the Executive Secretary of the NUC in Abuja, on February 5, 2019.
Providing update on the curricula, Rasheed, according to Tribune, said Mass Communication has now been unbundled into Journalism and Media Studies, Public Relations, Advertising, Broadcasting, Film and Multi-Media Studies, Development Communication Studies, and Information and Media Studies.
Rasheed said, “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.”
The NUC’s Executive Secretary however said that the commission will retain Mass Communication for the universities that are yet to develop the full competencies required in the newly-introduced areas.
