University, Strickland Foundation offer journalism courses programme

The University of Malta's Centre for Communication Technology (CCT), with the full support of the Strickland Foundation, will in October be introducing masters and diploma courses related to journalism.

The courses lead to an MA in journalism, an MA in integrated marketing communications and a diploma in journalism.

The Strickland Foundation, set up by Mabel Strickland in 1979, has helped the CCT to organise the courses by inviting lecturers from the UK and the US. One of the foundation's aims is to improve the standard of Maltese journalism and to preserve its freedom and independence.

The CCT was formed in 1992 and had its first graduates in 1996.

University rector Roger Ellul-Micallef said at the launch yesterday that the centre was now embarking on a new phase of developing areas of post-graduate studies, as was being done in other faculties and centres of the university.

Apart from introducing post-graduate studies at masters level, the CCT was also offering the opportunity to journalists engaged in the media to bolster their qualifications with a diploma course.

Details of the courses were given by Prof. Saviour Chircop and Prof. Albert Caruana from the CCT.

The MA in journalism is aimed at enhancing writing, and investigative and message-delivery techniques. Participants in the course are challenged to understand their journalistic role both within democratic environments and also within organisations fighting for audiences, economic viability and survival.

The MA programme integrates journalistic skills to enhance the individual's ability together with organisational skills that allow the journalist to operate within a media management structure.

The MA in journalism, to be organised over a two-year period, will be held in the evenings on a part-time basis. Students will need to attend an average of three evenings per week.

The Masters programme is intended for students who have experience in or wish to pursue careers in journalism, the media and other related fields. It is open to students with a journalistic or media background and also to graduates with specialisation in other fields who want to enter the journalism arena.

Admission for the journalism course requires an honours bachelor degree from a recognised institution at second class level or higher, plus two years relevant experience. Persons possessing honours bachelor degrees in communications are likely to be best suited but others are also encouraged to apply.

The two-year evening Masters course in integrated marketing communications focuses on the use of traditional marketing communication tools of advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, direct marketing and public relations.

The CCT is among the first European institutions to offer such a Masters programme.

The programme is designed for students who have experience in, or who wish to pursue, careers with marketers, advertising agencies, public relations firms, direct marketing organisations, the media and other related fields.

Admission to the course requires an honours bachelor's degree from a recognised institution at second upper or higher level plus two years' relevant experience. Participants will be required to attend an average of three evenings per week.

The diploma in journalism is available on a part-time basis and intended for candidates who want to deepen their understanding of a particular area. It is open to those who wish to obtain certification for their work while integrating their experiences into a wider theoretical framework.

Entry requirements for the diploma programme are the same as the normal entry requirements of the university.

Candidates have to provide evidence of previous work in the field.

Prof. Joseph M. Ganado and Frank Bonello, members of the council of administration of the Strickland Foundation, and Marie Claire Sammut, also from the foundation, attended the launch.