Introduction

Mass Communication Department of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta has since its inception in 1980 been at the forefront of producing seasoned professionals and highly qualified media practitioners in various strands of the Nigerian media industry such as; newspaper, magazine, radio, television, film /video, new media, public relations, advertising, news agency, government and corporate information services. Soon to celebrate 41years of its establishment in the city of Abeokuta, the cradle of journalism in Nigeria as a result of the publication of IWE IROYIN, the first newspaper in the Nigerian print media history in 1859 by Henry Townsend; the department continues to combine theories and practical that are needed in today’s job market and is proud to be the training hub for many practitioners within and outside Nigeria.

Ever since its debut as a flagship in the Ogun State Polytechnic era, (now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic), the Department of Mass Communication MAPOLY was the first to be accredited to commence Higher National Diploma (HND) programme of all the Nigerian Polytechnics. It remains the leader in the Polytechnic market in Nigeria that is producing highly skilled manpower most of whom are proud to be associated with the department in one form or the other.

Committed primarily to good working environment for the staff and students and in line with the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE’s guidelines, the department’s National (ND) and Higher National (HND) programmes give students technological education and professional skills that are essential for employment and job creation in any area of Mass Communication and Media Studies locally and globally. Not only do the core courses focus on both theory and practical skills, the department is also consistent in awarding degrees to students that have passed the prescribed course works, examinations, diploma project and supervised industrial work experience. All of these areas are combined with other borrowed courses in Entrepreneurial Studies, Computer Science, Sports, Marketing, General Studies and other related discipline as a result of multi-disciplinary nature of the job market today.

Today, the department draws on its long and successful history in combining teaching with practical with the production of Departmental publications such Mapoly Echo (Newspaper), Map-Echo (Magazine), Omega (Magazine), Aura (Photo Magazine), Corporate Mirror (PR Magazine), Mapoly Exquisite (Magazine) and Community Echo (Newspaper) among others.

Recently, with the pervasion of media in every area of life and the combination of traditional media with smartphones in bags, classrooms, expansion of media platforms and practices beyond the family gathering around one television set of old, the department of Mass Communication, MAPOLY continues to move in line with new developments with the licensing of a Departmental Radio Station for educational purposes by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the birth of an online station https://mapolyradio.com/ early this year that grounds the students in practical hands on skills and experience that are imperative in today’s media markets.

In furtherance of the department’s commitment to equipping the students with requisite knowledge and practical skills, the students are taught by experienced, highly qualified lecturers and intellectuals who have made their marks in the media industry and in the academic front in Nigeria and abroad. This has enhanced the department and MAPOLY’s efforts in linking town with the gown. As a result, the programmes’ are consistently accredited and are relevant to current media and societal needs.