AUCC designing contemporary leadership communication programmes

The African University College of Communication (AUCC), is in the final stage of bringing on board contemporary graduate professional communication programmes to overcome communication lapses in leadership and managerial perspectives. The Graduate Studies and Research programme has subsequently been approved by the Board of Management of the university to offer professional Masters of Arts degree in communication in health communication, integrated marketing communication and journalism. Mr Samuel Tenkorang, Head of Department of Integrated Marketing Communications at AUCC made this known during the 12th matriculation of the September intake for 2013/2014 academic year. �The necessary preparatory work is nearly complete, and the masters programme could be part of our offer come the next academic year,� he said. Mr Tenkorang said the graduate programme would provide solid grounding in the skill vital to success in communications with increased focus on the subjects and techniques that prepare students for the increasingly complex environments in which they are expected to work. He said the course of study is intentionally and carefully designed to prepare professional communicators to find innovative solutions to communication problems from leadership and managerial perspective. The programme emphasises professional preparation and the ability to develop new knowledge and think strategically in an ever-changing communications environment, he added. According to Mr Tenkorang, more than 800 candidates sought admission into the university from which only 300 students were admitted to pursue various courses in the school of communication and media studies as well as the Sam E Jonah School of Business. Two-hundred and two will pursue Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies specialising in; strategic communication, visual communication, journalism, development communication or general media studies, while 92 will study Bachelor of Science in Marketing, Accounting, Human Resources Management and Banking in the Sam E Jonah School of Business. Mr Tenkorang said the university is constrained in the numbers it could accommodate such that year by year the admission of prospects of a good number of qualified candidates continued to be dashed. The university is however expanding and improving upon its infrastructure, and that had made it possible to raise its current enrolment to more than 1,500 students up from the 60 admitted for its first diploma class in 2002. AUCC is the only African university that recognises communication and media studies as flagship programmes, conducting diploma level courses from 2002- 2012 and graduating its first Bachelor of Arts Degree level students in 2011.