Joint Malta-US university marketing communications masters

University of Malta rector Juanito Camilleri and Kathleen Krentler from San Diego State University last Tuesday signed an agreement to launch a collaborative international Master's degree programme in Marketing and Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) in September, in the presence of Education Minister Louis Galea, and US Ambassador Molly Bordonaro.

The one year full-time programme is designed to help managers learn how various IMC tools such as advertising, public relations, the Internet and interactive media, direct and database marketing, and social media can be combined effectively to meet an organisation's marketing communication needs.

Formal academic programmes in IMC represent a new trend that is taking root among US schools of business and communications, and are being offered only at a few select American universities.

In Europe, the University of Malta's Centre for Communication Technology was among the first EU tertiary education institutions to offer such a Master's programme in 2001. The concept of a dual degree represents a development of the centre's original concept.

Ms Bordonaro has been a strong supporter of the process that led to the realisation of this joint American-Maltese venture, while Dr Galea welcomed the creation of such partnerships by the University of Malta describing them as key steps in the development of higher education in the country.

"Such projects were bound to attract the interest of higher education and prestigious research institutions, as well as international students to Malta and increase research opportunities for the Maltese," he said.

To receive further information about the programme, e-mail: info.imp@um.edu.mt/IMC.