Mass Communication Programmes

  1. AVAILABLE PROGRAMMES

The Department offers a variety of programmes leading to the award of the following degrees and diplomas:

  • Pre-Degree Diploma (PDD) Programme (00 Level)
  • Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) Programme (100-400 Level)
  • Post-Graduate Diploma (PGD) Programme (500 Level)
  • Master of Science (M.Sc) Programme (600 Level)
  • Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) Programme (700 Level)

2.1 PRE-DEGREE DIPLOMA PROGRAMME IN MASS COMMUNICATION

2.1.1    INTRODUCTION: VALIDITY AND OBJECTIVe OF PROGRAMME

There is growing interest in Media Studies among mass media practitioners and many other categories of people who wish to work in or with the mass media, or who merely desire media literacy to enable them better understand the media and the indispensable role they play in this Information Age. Understandably, therefore, Pre-degree Diploma (PDD) programmes in Mass Communication are in demand at both polytechnic and university levels.

At Nnamdi Azikiwe University where Mass Communication is already a very popular course of study, interest in a pre-degree Diploma Programme in Mass Communication is, expectedly, very high. The programme is of great benefit to both the university and the society: the university benefits in terms of furthering its policy of academic excellence, while the society gains from the training of a skilled workforce for nation-building and development.

2.1.2 OBJECTIVE OF THE PROGRAMME

The Pre-Degree Diploma programme is designed to equip students with the basic knowledge and skills required for working in a wide variety of communication areas comprising Radio, Television, Motion Picture, Newspaper, Magazine, Public Relations, Advertising, Book Publishing and different types of information services.

2.1.3 NATURE OF PROGRAMME

The programme runs for two academic sessions or four semesters. It is full-time and lectures take place on weekdays (Mondays-Fridays). In addition to classroom lectures, students are exposed to practical/field work in print and broadcast journalism, as well as in Public Relations and Advertising. This practical training takes place in the Department’s studios and its Public Relations and Advertising laboratory as well as other establishments within and outside Anambra State.

2.1.4 ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

To qualify for admission into the programme, a candidate must possess a minimum of five (5) O’Level credit passes obtained at not more than two sittings from SSCE/NECO/GCE or any other examinations acceptable to the Senate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University. These passes must include credits in Literature-in-English, English, Mathematics and one science subject. 

 

 

2.1.6 GRADING SYSTEM/NATURE OF DIPLOMA

For the award of the diploma, grading is on a 5-point scale, details of which are as follows:

Percentage Score Letter Grade Grade Point (GP) Cumulative Grand Point Average (CGPA) Class of Diploma
70 – 100 A 5 4.50 – 5.00 Distinction
60 – 69 B 4 3.50 –  4.49 Upper Credit
50 – 59 C 3 3.00 – 3.49 Lower Credit
45 – 49 D 2 2.00 – 2.99 Merit
40 – 44 E 1 1.00 – 1.99 Pass
00 – 39 F 0 0.00 – 0.99 Fail

 

2.1.7   OPPORTUNITY FOR ADMISSION INTO THE DEPARTMENT’S B.SC DEGREE PROGRAMME

On successful completion of the two-year Diploma programme, candidates who score a minimum of 3.00 CGPA and apply to the Department for Direct Entry admission through JAMB would be considered for admission into the Department’s B.Sc. degree programme, subject to availability of spaces.

2.1.8 COURSE WORK

To qualify for the award of the Pre-degree Diploma in Mass Communication, a candidate must take and pass a number of courses totaling fifty-six (56) credits. In addition, a long essay must be submitted and successfully defended in an oral examination before a panel of examiners.

  • REGULAR FULL-TIME BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (B.SC) PROGRAMME

2.2.1 ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Regular full-time students are admitted into the undergraduate programme in a variety of ways, as described below.

UNIFIED TERTIARY MATRICULATION EXAMINATION (UTME)

To qualify for admission through UTME, a candidate must possess a minimum of five (5) O’ Level credit passes obtained in not more than two sittings. These must include credits in English Language, Literature-in-English, Mathematics and one pure science subject.

DIRECT ENTRY (DE)

Candidates for Direct Entry (DE) admission must possess a minimum of a National Diploma (ND) or its equivalent in Mass Communication from a recognized institution, with a cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of not less than 3.5. Preference will be given to candidates who possess the Diploma of the Department of Mass Communication of Nnamdi Azikiwe University. In addition to the diploma as specified above, the candidate should possess the departmental O’ Level admission requirement.

TRANSFER

  • Inter–Departmental Transfer

Within Nnamdi Azikiwe University, a student who wishes to transfer into the Department of Mass Communication from another department must have spent a minimum of two (2) academic years in his/her original department (following UTME admission) and thereafter transfer into the second year (200 Level) of Mass Communication, only.

  • Inter-University Transfer

A student who is already studying Mass Communication in any university recognized by the Senate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, and is in good academic standing of not less than 3.00 CGPA,  can transfer into the appropriate level of study in Mass Communication at Nnamdi Azikiwe University. Transfers into final year (400 Level) will however not be allowed.

Any student wishing to transfer from a non-Mass Communication department in another university should have spent a minimum of two academic years in his/her previous university. Such a candidate could transfer into the Department, subject to the university policy on inter-university transfer.

2.2.2 NATURE AND DURATION OF PROGRAMME

The full-time undergraduate B.Sc programme lasts for a minimum of four (4) academic sessions or eight (8) semesters for UTME candidates, while DE candidates should spend at least three sessions or six (6) semesters. DE candidates are admitted into the second year (200 Level) and, with the exception of 100 level courses (unless they had not studied and passed any of these in their previous Mass Communication programmes), are required to take all other courses in the B.Sc syllabus.

SUMMARY OF FORMAL B.Sc STUDIES IN THE DEPARTMENT

  • Four-year programme for UTME candidate.
  • Three-year programme for Direct Entry students.
  • Research project undertaken in the fourth/final year in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the B.Sc. degree.
  • Practical training in print and electronic journalism as pre-requisites for graduation. 

MEDIA PRACTICALS/ATTACHMENT

Given the vision of the University to produce self-reliant, high-tech Mass Communication graduates, the Mass Communication programme is designed with a lot of emphasis on the practical training of students. Students gain practical experience in print journalism through regular production of the Department’s newspaper and magazine – UNIZIK Comet. The newspaper is produced in the first semester by the final year students who also produce the magazine in the second semester. The Department also has an FM Radio station and a Television Demonstration Studio for practical broadcasting for students at the 200, 300 and 400 levels of study. From time to time, students visit mass media houses to gain additional practical knowledge.

 COURSE WORK

To qualify for graduation, a UTME student must take and pass courses totaling a minimum of one hundred and fifty-eight (158) units. The minimum total number of units for a DE student is one hundred and eighteen (118).

COURSE CODE/NUMBER

Each course has a code that begins with a three-character abbreviation (MAC) representing “Mass Communication”, followed by a sequence of three numbers. The first number represents the level of study while the last stands for the semester in which the course is being offered; the middle number shows the subject area. The following subject areas are available:

 

SUBJECT AREA CODE
Basic/Foundation Course 0
Writing Course 1
Theory 2
Print Communication 3
Broadcasting 4
Public Relations/Advertising (PRAD) 5
General (Cross-media) Course 6
Research 7
Practical/Production/Management 8/9

  

POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES

 

  1. PHILOSOPHY

Our philosophy derives from the conceptualization of Mass Communication as an omnibus discipline – a characteristic that explains its popularity as a field of study in universities.

 

  1. VISION AND MISSION

2.1 VISION

The vision of the Department is to produce self-reliant Mass Communication graduates. The Mass Communication programme is therefore, designed with a lot of emphasis on the practical training of students.

 

2.2 MISSION

The mission of the Department of Mass Communication at Nnamdi Azikiwe University is to advance the frontiers of knowledge in the field of communication and respond to the growing need of an increasingly intellectual crop of journalists, media professionals, researchers and other professionals who form the workforce of the Nation’s rapidly growing Information Sector and the larger world of high-tech communication. Keeping a close eye on the Media/Communication Industry serves as a good guide for determining what courses are relevant in the fast-changing field of Mass Communication.

  1. AIM AND OBJECTIVES

3.1 AIM

In addition to the specialized knowledge and skills acquired through core Mass Communication courses, liberal education is necessary to broaden the intellectual horizon of Mass Communication graduates on just about anything, as their profession demands. Consequently, the syllabus of our programme comprises purely professional courses in addition to Mass Communication theory, Social Sciences Research Methodology, Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, Economics, Computer Science, Languages such as English and French, and General Studies.

 

3.2 OBJECTIVES

The objective of the Mass Communication programme is to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary for working as professionals in a wide variety of communication areas comprising Radio, Television, Motion Picture, Newspaper, Magazine, Online and New Media, Public Relations, Advertising, News Agency, Book Publishing, different types of information services and of course, the Academia.

 

  1. CAREER AND EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS

Mass Communication programme equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary for working as professionals in a wide variety of communication areas comprising Radio, Television, Motion Picture, Newspaper, Magazine, Online and New Media, Public Relations, Advertising, News Agency, Book Publishing, different types of information services and of course, the Academia.

 

  1. PROGRAMMES OFFERED AND ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The Department offers a variety of postgraduate programmes leading to the award of the following degrees and diplomas:

  1. Post-Graduate Diploma (PGD) Programme
  2. Master of Science (M.Sc) Programme
  3. Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) Programme

GENERAL ADMISSION REQUIREMENT

To qualify for admission into the programme, a candidate with a Mass Communication background must possess a minimum of five (5) O’Level credit passes obtained at not more than two sittings from SSCE/NECO/GCE or any other examinations acceptable to the Senate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University. These passes must include credits in Literature-in-English, English, Mathematics and one science subject. Candidates who do not have a Mass Communication background, must possess 5 O’Level subjects and a PGD in Mass Communication.

 

  1. Post-Graduate Diploma (PGD) Programme

The programme is open to candidates with:

  1. Honours degree, not below Second Class Lower Division, in any discipline.
  2. First degree in Mass Communication below Second Class Lower division.
  3. Good HND in Mass Communication, with a CGPA of 3.0 and above.
  4. Candidates whose CGPA in their HND (Mass Communication) is below 3.0 are required to have a minimum of 5 years working experience to qualify for admission.
  5. Good HND or equivalent qualification in any other discipline, with a CGPA not below 3.5.
  6. Candidates could also be required to pass a qualifying examination administered by the Department. Candidates, in addition to meeting the above requirements, shall also meet the requirements of postgraduate admission as stipulated by the School of Post-graduate Studies of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University.

 

  1. Master of Science (M.Sc) Programme

To qualify for admission into the Master of Science Degree Programme, a candidate in addition to the general requirement must possess one of the following qualifications:

  1. Good honours degree (not below Second Class Lower) in Mass Communication or Journalism obtained from a university recognised by the Senate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University.
  2. Good HND in Mass Communication, in addition to a Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) in Mass Communication with a minimum CGPA of 3.5 on a 5-point scale.
  • A/B.Sc in other disciplines in addition to a PGD in Mass Communication with a CGPA of not less than 3.0 on a 5-point scale.

 

*Candidates could also be required to pass a qualifying examination administered by the Department.

 

  1. Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) Programme

To qualify for admission into the Ph.D programme, a candidate must meet the Nnamdi Azikiwe University minimum admission requirements in addition to the department’s admission requirements.  Thus, the following categories of people may qualify for admission:

 University Requirements

  1. Graduates from approved universities who obtained Master of Science degree in the field of Mass Communication.
  2. Candidates as specified in (i) above who obtained in their Masters’ degree an FCGPA of not less than 3.5 on a 5-point scale.
  • Candidates who hold qualifications other than (i) and (ii) acceptable to Nnamdi Azikiwe University may be considered upon confirmation of the equivalence of such qualifications.

 

 

Departmental Requirements

  1. In addition to the minimum University and General Requirements, each Ph.D application should be accompanied by an outline of the candidate’s Proposed Research.
  2. The candidate should also pass an oral examination administered by the Department, part of which will include a defence of the proposal specified in (i) above.
    1. AVAILABLE AREAS OF SPECIALISATION

    There are major areas of study, any of which a student may choose to specialize in.  This choice is expected to be reflected in the student’s choice of elective courses, as well as in his/her research project.

     

    1. Master of Science (M.Sc) Programme

    The following areas of specialization are offered:

    1. Print Journalism
    2. Electronic Media/Broadcasting
    • Public Relations and Advertising (PRAD)
    1. New Information and Communication Technologies (NICTs)/New Media

     

    1. Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) Programme

    The following areas of specialization are offered:

    1. Print Communication Sequence
    2. Electronic Communication Sequence
    • Public Relations and Advertising Sequence
    1. Theory and Research in Media Studies
    2. Behaviour Change Communication (BCC)/Development Communication

     

    1. DURATION OF PROGRAMMES
    2. The PGD Programme is expected to last for a minimum of two semesters for full-time students, and minimum of three semesters for part-time students.

     

    1. The Sc. programme is expected to last for a minimum of two semesters for full-time students, and a minimum of three semesters for part-time students.

     

    1. The D. programme is expected to last for a minimum of twenty-four (24) calendar months for full-time candidates, while part-time candidates will be required to spend a minimum of thirty-six calendar months.

     

    1. TOTAL REQUIRED CREDIT FOR GRADUATION

     

    • PGD Programme

    Course Work   = 48

    Project             =  6

    Total                = 54

     

    • Sc. Programme

    Course Work   = 30

    Thesis              = 12

    Total                = 42

     

    • D Programme

    Course Work   = 9

    Seminar           = 3

    Dissertation     = 18

    Total                = 30