The Makerere University department of Journalism and Communication is currently reviewing its curriculum with plans to break it down into three different programs.

According to the department coordinator, Ivan Lukanda, the purpose of this curriculum review is to ensure that all areas related to journalism and communication are adequately covered; which is not possible in the current curriculum due to limited time.

The Bachelors program will be broken into three different programs which will each also take three years.

Lukanda said that the current Bachelor of Journalism and Communication will be broken down into Bachelor of Journalism and Media studies, Bachelor of Communication and Public Relations and Bachelor of New Media and Digital Production.

“We reached this decision during our curriculum review retreat in August this year,” Lukanda said.

The Master of Arts of Journalism and Communication will also be broken down into Master of Arts in Journalism and Multimedia studies and Master of Arts in Communication.

The document for the Master review has been in existence for almost a year now according to Lukanda and it might be executed next year, 2015, while the bachelors program might be implemented in the next two years.

According to department’s acting Chair, William Tayebwa, The Norwegian Program for Capacity Building in Higher Education and Research for Development (NORHED), a Norwegian project that supports Makerere University in various projects will send professors from the University of Oslo to peer review the curriculum drafts.

Makerere University is the lead institution amongst others benefiting from the NORHED projects and amongst the nine projects at the University, the Journalism department is one of the beneficiaries.

NORHED will visit Makerere from November 3^rd to November 7^th 2014, to look at the various activities and it will specifically meet the journalism department on 4^th.

According to Lukanda, curriculum review is a constant in every functional university and this particular review he says will have a significant impact on the quality of students the department will produce.

“Once the Oslo professors review the draft curriculum, we shall make changes if any and then submit to the college academic board which will also submit to Senate then to the National Council for Higher Education,” Lukanda said.