NUC accredits 38 out of 41 courses in AKSU

Akpan Umoh, Uyo

The National Universities Commission, NUC, has accredited 38 out of 41 courses in the Akwa Ibom State University, the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Nse Essien has said.

Essien, a professor of sedimentology, said this in Uyo on Thursday during a media briefing on the activities of the university since assumption of office about a year ago.

According to him, the three programmes yet to be accredited were new programmes that will commence academic activities from the 2020/2021 academic session in July, adding that students have already been admitted for the programmes.

The vice chancellor said that the 38 academic programmes accredited were in the Faculty of Agriculture; Social Sciences; Management Studies; Art; Science Engineering, and Science Education.

He added that the NUC would be coming for the accreditation of Sociology and Anthropology, Biochemistry and Banking and Finance in two weeks’ time.

“All together, we have about 38 academic programmes. We have just moved from 38 to 42 academic programmes. Faculty of Agriculture, Social Sciences, Management Studies, Art, Science Engineering and Science Education.

“For the past one year that I’ve been around, we have started three new programmes and the programmes are Sociology and Anthropology, Department of Biochemistry and Department of Banking and Finance.

“So, these new programmes will start in July, when the new academic session will start, that is 2020/2021 academic session. We have already admitted students and they will start normal academic activities. The programmes will be based in Obio Akpa Campus,” Essien said.

The vice chancellor added that apart from the three new programmes, the university has also commenced Postgraduate Studies in 67 programmes.

He added that the postgraduate programmes have received the approval of the NUC, noting that the programmes would be PGD, MSC, MPA, MBA, and PhD programmes.

Essien added that the university has also unbundled Mass Communication into Department of Public Relations, Advertising, Broadcasting and Journalism and Media Studies.

“This is our definite plan to ensure that we produce quality postgraduate to suffocate the workspace in Nigeria and we also have PGD, Masters and Doctorate programmes in Mass Communication.

“We have also unbundled Mass Communication, now it is no longer Mass Communication, but we have broken them into other departments.

“In our university, we have the Department of Public Relations; Advertising Department; Broadcasting; Journalism, and Media Studies,” he said.

The vice chancellor said that to make good use of the mass communication department, the university would launch its AKSU FM radio in July.

He said that all formalities for the commencement of the FM station have been concluded by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)

He said, “Very soon, within the next 30 days we are going to launch and hit the airwave with our AKSU FM radio, and the radio have received all the clearance.

“We’ve gotten the certification by Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and we have the license and the wave band. All we need to do now is just to start broadcasting.”