Overview

It is with great pleasure and privilege to welcome you to the University’s Centre of Excellence-the Department of Mass Communication. The Department is a family made up of very distinguished scholars and upcoming academics. We also have a set of very innovative, creative and enterprising students who are eager to learn and our dynamic curriculum supports their aspirations thus our vision of nurturing and producing graduates capable of achieving self-development and contributing to national growth and development through creative, innovative and professional use of the mass media.

We are also mindful, in our training agenda of raising students who will help drive the nation’s Vision 20 2020 and the UN supported Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). So, our capacity building programmes and course content are so structured in a way that these development platforms are embedded within the framework of the University’s strategic goals and vision per session. Furthermore, as a leadership based and driven university with a departure philosophy, we strive to raise communication experts with diverse competencies and potentials for leadership positions in the industry and other sister industries. This is the major reason we run a practical oriented training platform. To date, our students package and produce a world class Newspaper, Stream Newspaper and a world class magazine, Stream Magazine. These publication outlets have remained self-sustaining with a solid advertiser base. We are also proud to note that the packaging and production have been entirely carried out be students with very minimal supervision. Our broadcast oriented students also have their unique platforms with the Department’s state-of-the-art mini-studio as well as the Proprietor’s studio at Faith Tabernacle for their broadcast training and production. Very shortly, our Radio Station-HEBRON FM will be on air to the glory of God. This will help further drive our all round training package making us a true centre of excellence.

I, therefore, on behalf of the entire faculty, staff, and students of the Department, welcome you to the University and to the Department where things happen. To God alone be all the glory.

Background Information about Mass Communication in Covenant University

Mass Communication started as a programme in the Department of Languages and Mass Communication at the inception of the University in October, 2002. An autonomous Department of Mass Communication was created in September 2004 and it has seen then made steady progress. It now has a complement of seventeen (17) full-time teaching staff and three (3) Senior Associate/Adjunct Lecturers. The Department also has more than 50% of her academic staff with a Ph.D and the remaining staff members have all reached advanced stages in their doctoral studies.

he regular teaching staff includes one full Professor, one Associate Professor and one (i) Senior Lecturer. In the Adjunct category, two are Senior Lecturers and is a full Professor.

The Department has graduated five sets of students in July 2006, July 2007, June 2008, June 2009 and July 2010 respectively. Three students in the Department have so far graduated with First Class Honours.

Currently, the student population is about 269. Alongside the mainstream Mass Communication programme, the Department runs a special Public Relations track sequence from the 300 Level for a relatively small crop of students who are decidedly desirous of specializing in Public Relations/Public Affairs Executives Later.

The Department of Mass Communication offers Honour degrees in two programmes namely:

• Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Mass Communication (4 years)
• Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Mass Communication(PR Option) (4 years)

As a result of the commonalities existing among the two programmes, the first two years i.e. 100-200 levels, all students offer the same courses in both programmes.

All students are required to offer a maximum of 25 units and a minimum of 15 units of courses during each semester. These will include all compulsory and elective courses. Our students are required to take a minimum of 170 units before they are allowed to graduate. This relatively high graduation requirement is because of the Covenant University custom-built courses and the School of Human Resources Development general courses which our students must take. Second, the graduation requirement also helps us to produce a well rounded mass communication graduate.

Justification for the Public Relation Option in the Department

The Public Relations and Advertising programme in the Department offers the students specialised training and skill in this area. This is vital so that the students can become true professionals with adequate knowledge of the mainstream mass communication.

Vision

The Vision of the Department is to attain and remain a centre of excellence in the training of a total communication graduate capable of achieving self-development and contribute to national and international developmental goals and objectives through creative, innovative and professional use of the mass media.

Activities of the Department

The Department engages in capacity building and other practical oriented activities that properly equip both staff and students to face the challenges of modern journalism. Recently, we hosted a one week broadcast training workshop on the platform of the United Nations Children’s Day of Broadcasting. This week long workshop culminated in the production of a 30-minute TV programme which was aired on Lagos Television.

Our staff and students also engage in regular industry-based facility tours, excursion visits, and field trips to related industries. This is one strategic move we adopt to bridge the gap between the classroom and the industry. Our students are usually sensitized of the needs and challenges of the industry and so pattern their project topics and other activities towards addressing such needs. A cursory look at our project filing in the Departmental Office will show a committed effort aimed at addressing contemporary communication challenges.

The Department recently played host to a foremost broadcaster and renowned anchor of “Turning Point”, a TV programme on DBN Network, Dr. Victor Oladokun and his wife. Dr. Oladokun also accepted our offer of a Visiting Scholar to the Department. The highpoint of his visit is a seminar he held for both staff and students on making a career in international broadcasting.