Major Courses

The Mass Communication student at UCU will acquire advanced journalistic skills, techniques, tips and “tricks”. Hands-on will be the main mode of instruction. The student will learn:

• The process of writing, editing and reporting, sometimes called POWER. The learner will be able to compose articles that touch the audience’s emotions – curiosity, empathy and humour – so as to tickle the imagination and evoke images and creativity.
• The techniques of story telling. The student will muster characterization, dialogue, plots and archetypes; the narrator, voice and story structure.
• The literary structure is news writing. The student will learn how to combine the strange and the familiar.
• The techniques that will enable him or her write the edge. The tricks include irony and ambiguity , dual vision, tricky wording, humour, surprise and shock, exaggeration and understatement
• The technique of writing snap opinion pieces that get attention and action. The student will reject dullness and burnout. Techniques such as intros, kickers, central characters, and new formal structures will enable the student to go beyond the essay form.
• The tips and tricks of writing clear and powerful sentences. The student will learn what prevents short writing and editing.
• In the final year, the student will concentrate on:
• Organising and planning their writing process
• Coaching themselves as writers
• Identifying story shapes
• Generating better ideas for better stories
• Intro and the top of the story
• Getting real people into news writing
• Reviewing their interviewing
• Bright writing
• Writing deep stories
• Writing engaging profiles

Course duration and structure

The Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication is a three-year academic programme, leading to the award of a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication (BAMC).

The study programme consists of lecturers, seminars, workshops and fieldwork, a written examination and a research paper. During the final part of your course, candidates are attached to media organizations for internship.

As part of the practical experience, each candidate is required also to undertake a research project as a final requirement for the completion of the programme. The research project can take the form of either a dissertation or an acceptable subject from the field of journalism, or mass communication, or a comprehensive report for popular publications such as a series of newspaper articles, a magazine article, or a radio-television documentary.

The project, whether in print or broadcast, must be of publishable quality, accompanied by a bibliography and a statement and a statement on research and methodology

Layout and description of courses

MCOM 1101     Introduction to Mass Communication

MCOM 1102     Introduction to Media writing

EDUC 1103      English Language

MCOM 1201     Introduction to Public Relations

MCOM 1202     Introduction to Photojournalism

MCOM 1203     Introduction to Broadcasting

MCOM 1204     Specialised News writing

DTHB 1205      New Testament Survey (See Faculty of Theology).

EDUC 1206      English Composition

MCOM 2101     Radio Production and Reporting

MCOM 2102     Media Law

BSSC 2103      Introduction to Political Science and Political Economy of Africa

BBAD 2104      Principles of Micro-economics (See Faculty of Business Management)

DTHB 2105       Christian World View (See Faculty of Theology)

MATH 2106       Elements of Mathematics (See Faculty of Information Technology).

MCOM 2201      Media issues and society

MCOM 2202      Public Relations Strategy

BSSC 2203       International Relations

BBAD 2204      Development Economics (See Faculty of Business Management).

DTHB 2205       Ethics: Christian and Professional (See Faculty of Theology)

MCOM 3103      Public Relations as a Management Tool

MCOM 3101      Editing and Advanced Editing

MCOM 3101      Public Relations Practice

MCOM 3102      Public Relations Tools

EDUC 3103       Narratology

MCOM 3103      Public Relations Strategy

MCOM 3103      Public Relations as a Management Tool

MCOM 3104      Advanced News writing

MCOM 3105      Development Journalism

MCOM 3203      Public Relations & the Media

MCOM 3204      Advertising and Marketing

MCOM 3205      Media Management

MCOM 3201      Public Relations Crisis Management

MCOM 3203      Effective Public Speaking

MCOM 3204      Introduction to Film-making

MCOM 3204      Investigative Reporting

MCOM 3103      TV Reporting and Production
3104, 3202