Brief History of the Department

Mass Communication Department of the University of Ilorin took off in the 2005/2006 academic session in the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences with the appointment of a Senior Research Fellow, Mr. Doyin Nurein Mahmood, who was a veteran journalist, to pioneer the coordination o the programme. In compliance with directives of the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Department started with 28 students. Following the establishment of the Faculty of Communication and Information Sciences in 2008 to house the family of programmes that deal with communication and information, the Department was moved to the Faculty along with Department of Computer Science tojoin other three newly established Departments namely; Telecommunication Science, Library and Information Science, and Information and Communication Science. 

So far, the Department of Mass Communication has produced eleven sets of students. UNESCO had visited the Department and had recognized the programme of Mass Communication as one of the standard Mass Communication-training institutions in Africa. The Department has interacted actively in many academic and professional programmes. It has won the annual Best of Best TV Competition for two times with two professionally produced documentaries that can stand any test of broadcasting production. The Department won the competition in 2008 with a production on Traditional Wedding in Ilorin and won again in 2011 with a production on ImoleBoja.

The students, who go on attachment to various media houses in the country for their internship programme are over the years, highly commended for their professionalism. This, undoubtedly, is a result of the extensive practical engagement sessions and assignments they are made to go through. For example, the Department produces a bi-annual training newspaper named UnilorinWatch and an annual Magazine named the Lens. They also partake in two annual rigorous advertisement campaigns management, which are attached to two courses namely; Political Communication and Advanced Advertising, and an annual Public Relations campaign attached to Public Relations Techniques. Besides, broadcast students engage throughout their period of training in radio broadcasting at the Unilorin, 89.3 FM. 

Philosophy of the Department

The philosophy of the programme is to produce citizens with the competence to gather and disseminate information as propeller for vertical and horizontal development of the society. The programme is also oriented towards producing reputable scholars and professionals with the aptitude for national integration, global peace, entrepreneurial skills, self-reliance and advancement of scholarship.