The National Universities Commission (NUC) has announced that plans to unbundle Mass Communication as a standalone course are at the final stage.

NUC Secretary, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed who made the announcement on behalf of the commission said the course will no longer be studied as a single course of study in Nigerian universities.

Rasheed disclosed that the course has now been splitted into Journalism and Media Studies, Public Relations, Advertising, Broadcasting, Film and Multi-Media Studies, Development Communication Studies, and Information and Media Studies.

He added that a new curricula for communication studies in Nigerian universities which would take effect from March 2020 would be made available to professors and communication practitioners in Nigeria.

He 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.”

He, however, disclosed that Nigerian universities that does not have the competence and capacity to handle the newly-introduced courses, will be allowed to retain Mass Communication as a single course of study.