Following ongoing plans by Makerere University to review and update various curricula, the Makerere Journalism and Communication department plans to make major changes to the Bachelor of Journalism and Communication, ten years after the program was last updated.
According to the head Journalism and Communication Department, Dr. William Tayebwa, the program needs to be changed to more useful forms to give a better fighting chance to the students in the working world after campus.
He has proposed to split the programme into seven more degrees. These include bachelor of Business Journalism, Bachelor of Communication and Public Relations, Bachelor of Public Health Communication, Bachelor of Science Journalism and the Bachelor of Environmental Journalism. These will each take a 3 year period of study contrary to the four years Journalism and Communication has been taking.
Dr. Tayeebwa explained the changes would improve the quality of graduates from the department. He added that they were concerned that some students were shunning the programme due to the long duration of study.
Other plans include constructing a building to house Makerere University School of Journalism, and this would be near the Lincoln flats at the main campus.
The proposed changes are due to be discussed at meeting in Kampala this week, before being presented to stakeholders in a few weeks’ time. The stakeholders’ meeting will hammer out the final proposals to be sent to the university Senate for ultimate approval and adoption.
