Mass communication has continuously been listed as one of the most profitable courses to study in the tertiary institution as the courses offer several job opportunities and flexibility which are limited or non-existent in other fields of study. There are several professional Mass communication courses that a student could choose to go for and each course is recognized both locally and internationally.
Mass communication is one of the most marketable courses in Nigeria providing several skills and opportunities to the its graduates in the media house and also allowing you to set up a private practice, as a mass communication graduate you can either choose to work in a media house as a journalist, news broadcaster, copy editor or be self-employed. The list of opportunities is unlimited which makes it one of the most sought after courses in Nigeria after science courses like Medicine, Pharmacy and Dentistry.
Below we are going to list the top professional courses under mass communication that a student can pick as an area of specialization in Nigeria
Top 10 Professional Courses For Mass Communication And How To Apply
International Journalism
Journalism is one of the most respected careers in Nigeria and the world today and requires a lot of hard work on the part of the student. Journalism entails presenting news through the media on issues bothering the society; it might also include collecting, reporting and researching news.
One of the main goals of every or most Nigerian graduates is to seek more opportunities aboard and having a good degree in International Journalism widens your scope beyond Nigeria. Studying International Journalism in a reputable university would expose you to different media concepts of other foreign countries, theories and standards of the press, and presentation techniques of media houses both home, and aboard.
Job opportunities in the International Journalism are also numerous with the number of media houses on the rise. You can work for media houses in Nigeria or abroad. Media houses in Nigeria include News broadcasting channels like AIT, Channels TV, WAP TV, TVC News and lots more, reputable media houses outside Nigeria include top News channels like CNN, Aljazeera, ABC News, BBC News and a host of others.
There are also opportunities for freelancers in International Journalism which makes it quite flexible allowing you to attend to other engagements and also widen your scope as an international journalist.
Marketing
Another professional field in mass communication is marketing which consists of advertising, promotion and social marketing. Marketing is simply all about promoting and advertising a company’s product to its target customers. The role o the market is to capture the customer and ensure they choose the company’s product over that of its competitors.
With the introduction of social media, the job opportunities for marketers have doubled as more companies seek for marketers to push their products higher in the scale of preference of consumers.
Advertising
Advertising is a subset of marketing but can also be taken as a whole. It involves selling or promoting of products, services, and ideas.
Book Publishing and Book Development
Another professional field open to a mass communication student is in the book publishing agency. A mass communication graduate can specialize as a book publisher or an editor for authors. Today, there is an increase in the number of people writing several books and hoping to become a No.1 bestseller, therefore, the demand for reputable editors and book publishers is on the rise. As an editor, you can review manuscripts and book proposals for media houses and decide which should be published. You can also work closely with authors to perfect their manuscripts.
Public Relations (PR)
Public Relations is quite different from advertising and involves the maintenance of a favorable image by a company or other organization.
Public relations is all about managing the reputation of a company, as a public relations officer you are expected to gain the support and understanding of the customers and influence their opinions and behaviors for the good the company. A public relations officer might need to have knowledge of other courses in mass communication including as he/she would need to use all forms of media and communication to build, manage and maintain the reputation of the client (company).
Public Relations Officer is one of the biggest courses mass communication can offer. It might include planning publicity strategies and campaigns and presentation of press releases.
Job opportunities exist in almost every company in Nigeria aboard. The role of Public Relations officer is required in NGOs (Non-governmental organizations), advertising firms and government agencies
Broadcasting
Broadcasting in mass media is one of the top mass communication courses you can study. It provides exposure both on TV and Radio. Broadcast journalist research, investigate and present accurate news to the public to enlighten the public of the events happening around them.
Earning a degree in this field means that you would work in national media organizations like Arise News, Channels TV, Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) and international media organizations like BBC, CNN, and Aljazeera. You can also work as a broadcast journalist in several radio stations all over the country.
Some media organizations in Nigeria like Channels TV train their broadcast journalists abroad which exposes them to the standard of international journalists and widens their scope beyond local broadcasting journalism.
How to Apply For Professional Courses In Mass Communication
You can apply for the professional courses listed above in any duly accredited University or Polytechnic in Nigeria. It is important to check if the tertiary institution you wish to study in is duly accredited to teach the courses or your degree will be rendered useless. Also, it is advised to study in a reputable university or polytechnic than otherwise. This would expose you to more opportunities and provide you with better chances of getting into the media organizations faster.
That wraps up our article on professional courses for mass communication students in Nigeria. As a journalist you are also required to join the standard unions like the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), as being a part of these unions provides you with more opportunities and protects your rights as a journalist.
