The School of Graduate and Research Studies has been approved by the Board and Management of the African University College of Communications (AUCC) to offer a professional graduate programmes in Business and Communication that lead to MBAs in Accounts and Finance, an MSc in Project Management and a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Communications. The duration of each programme is twelve (12) months.

The MA Communication offers the following choice of concentrations:

• INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION
• JOURNALISM
• DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION

The MA Communication program provides solid grounding in the skills vital to success in communications, with increased focus on the subjects and techniques that prepare students for the increasingly complex environments in which they will work. The courses are intentionally designed to prepare professional communicators to find innovative solutions to communication problems from leadership and managerial perspectives. The program emphasizes professional preparation and the ability to develop new knowledge and/or use of new knowledge to think strategically in an ever-changing communication environment. The Master's program will be provided through the School of Communications under the coordination of the School of Graduate Studies and Research.

The overriding objective of AUCC's Master's program is to enable students whose interests and aptitudes lead them beyond the limits of the traditional undergraduate curriculum to extend their knowledge in their discipline by pursuing independent inquiry through graduate study. The program also aims to prepare students for careers requiring post-graduate and professional training in their areas of concentration; to provide opportunities to improve their employability by enhancing their career skills; and to train them to think critically about communication, understand it as a creative social practice, recognize its unique role and influence in the world, and equip the graduates to help shape and change communication in the future by helping to raise the standards of professionalism in the communication landscape.

INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION (IMC) TRACK

Marketing communication is assuming increasing significance in today's business due to the growing complexity of the component tools and several shifts in the advertising and media industry that have caused integrated marketing communication to develop into a primary strategy for marketers. This discipline creates and manages the coordination required for effective market positioning.

AUCC has identified the need to package and provide a high level comprehensive training in Integrated Marketing Communications as a discipline, demystifying its complexity whilst highlighting its multi-context strategic importance. The program seeks to prepare marketers who can provide strong leadership in the area of Integrated Marketing Communications not only in Ghana, but also in Africa. Organisations of all shapes, creed and colours can benefit immensely from adopting an integrated approach to marketing communications as they serve their stakeholders. Through this program we intend to train individuals to acquire unique understanding, skills and competencies in Integrated Marketing Communications.

The track also emphasizes the full continuum of issues in Integrated Marketing Communications by equipping the graduate to identify key marketing communications elements and demonstrate a level of understanding and application of these elements from the basic to the complex and integrated for optimum impact.

Our students will acquire strong and in-depth understanding of theories, concepts and the practice of Integrated Marketing Communications. Graduates will have fundamental understanding of what it takes to work in marketing communications and include IMC as part of the management function.

The graduate will be able to:

• understand how IMC is used in various organisations and in businesses as a whole;
• develop an IMC plan showing applicable target markets;
• use the marketing communications mix and an appropriate understanding market research;
• demonstrate marketing problem-solving skills through case analysis and environmental scanning competencies; and
• demonstrate improved practical oral and written communication skills reflecting sound critical thinking

The IMC track incorporates an intensive sequence of graduate coursework (to include a combination of lecture and practical exercises plus student presentations) emphasizing marketing research and integrated brand-building through professional IMC Campaigns.

JOURNALISM TRACK

This proposed Journalism track at AUCC addresses a vacuum in the profession of journalism in Africa.  That vacuum is an outcome of traditional journalism practices which prioritize coverage of events rather than issues. This practice is costly because African issues are not being heard in a world that is now more than ever before making decisions in global forums. Events oriented journalism is increasingly loosing effectiveness. What Africa needs now are journalism professionals who can manage issues based future that projects beyond the event and can generate meaningful discussions about where Africa should be in ten year scenarios. Change in an IT driven global society is happening so fast that unless African journalists have skills which promote anticipation, evaluation of outcomes and the ability to propose the way forward in global and regional forums, continental voices will remain faint.

This proposed track aims to generate a new breed of media professionals who can manage such a discourse. Such professionals must understand and embrace the need to deconstruct old paradigms while managing the cutting edge of new alternatives. Scenario creation will be a new dimension in professional training. Journalism in Africa has mainly rested on reacting to the policy statements of the day.  Scenario creation is the job of think tanks. The Media need journalists who can engage in these forums. From such forums, the news agenda radically changes because issues and consequences of five or ten-year time frames are captured and the way forward can be discussed before we get there.  Journalism training needs to build that discourse into issues based curriculum in all the proposed areas of specialization. AUCC has an Africana Studies department managed by extremely competent and recognized individuals who will fundamentally complement and promote this way forward. Drawing from the inputs of Africana studies, journalism track graduates will be on the front line of generating new paradigms.

DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION TRACK

This track is intended to enhance student's use of communication as a tool for strategic intervention to promote and support social development. Customized to meet the needs of governmental and non-governmental organizations, international agencies, and professional bodies in the areas of development, the department is geared towards producing media professionals who are knowledgeable in issues of development and interested in utilizing information and communication systems and processes to advocate for specific development projects, and to facilitate and promote national, regional and community development.

Development communication is a challenging programme that combines development theory and practical application. The curriculum includes theoretical immersion in pertinent areas of national development, such as science and health policies, economic development, environment studies, gender issues, training in applied research methods and training in communication campaigns geared towards policy implementation and change in society. Students are required to demonstrate proficiency in a number of areas, theoretical understanding of developmental issues, research methods, media campaign and advocacy planning, and proficiency in use of particular media of communication. In their final year, students work to design and execute a formal communication campaign on a particular developmental issue in a community.

Career Options

A Master of Art in Communication can lead to careers in media, marketing, public relations and creative services for a variety of industries. Positions that an individual can pursue include:

• Development Communication Executive
• Senior Journalist/ Editor
• Publicist
• Speech writer
• Intercultural communications specialist
• Marketing managers
• Public relations managers
• Conflict Resolution Specialists
• Lecturers/ Public speaking educators
• Sales managers

Employment Outlook and Salary Information

Media-related managers (such as Communication for Development Consultants, Editors, and Intercultural communications specialist) could see employment opportunities grow by 9% from 2018 to 2024, according to a recent AUCC study, 2018. In a similar vein, employment for strategic communication managers (PR, Marketing, Sales, and Advertising) could increase between 5 and 7% during that same period.

Admission to the graduate program is selective and highly competitive. A candidate must have obtained a bachelor's degree (at least a second-class lower division) in a relevant field of study from an accredited university. In addition, applicants suitability will be assessed via the response to the graduate program essay question on the application and/or interview.