The Development Communications programme is aimed at communicators from all spheres of government, NGOs and the private sector, and promotes the notion of participatory communication as a catalyst for behavioural change and social development. Its premise is that unless stakeholders, particularly communities, are informed and actively involved in projects, they will not support the developmental process. The Wits Development Communications programme is aimed at providing students with the practical and theoretical skills necessary to make their communication more effective. They receive a grounding in development and communication theory and the use of mass and social media to disseminate information and encourage participation.

The programme consists of two certificates of competence at Honours level (NQF8): Development Communication A and B.

Certificate A needs to be completed before moving to Certificate B. Teaching is by top experts in their field, both from the University and practitioners. Students who achieve 70% and above in Development Communications B may turn the certificate into a credit towards an Honours degree. Each certificate consists of three one-week modules taught at Wits University in Johannesburg. NOTE: Certificate A is now available as an online course.

Certificate A topics include:Development communication in the SA and African contextThe media environment and media channelsEvaluating toolsEffective use of electronic and social mediaSpeechesPublishingWriting features and profilesAdvertorials

Study Development Communications with Wits University – NOW ONLINE

Certificate B topics include: Setting up a communication strategyAssessing development communication systemsCivil society and advocacyCase studiesDevelopment Journalism theory and practiseWriting opinion and analysisBroadcasting

For more information and to get a registration form, email devcomm@journalism.co.za