A new home is being sought for the Kingston University Masters in Internal Communication course.
Once the current cohort has graduated, Kingston Business School in London will no longer be offering the course.
The course team together with the Institute of Internal Communication (IoIC) are already beginning discussions with other Universities to create the next chapter for the qualification.
Why is this happening?
Kingston Business School has reviewed its programme portfolio and decided the Masters is one of several qualifications it will no longer offer once this cohort ends.
The University has stressed this decision is due to changing strategic priorities, and is in no way a reflection on the quality of the degree.
I met the current Masters-level group a couple of months ago as I was a guest speaker and led a session on Knowledge Management in the 21st Century.
It’s an excellent course, as is the postgraduate level, which I completed in 2009, and I hope they can find a swift solution.
What’s happening now?
I asked Course Director Liz Cochrane (pictured) what’s happening. She said: “We are working with IoIC to find a new ‘home’ for the Masters and are already beginning discussions with other universities.
“We’ve got a successful track record in doing this. The qualification began in 2000 after members of current course team together with other communication professionals created the original version.
“Working as part of The Industrial Society we approached Kingston (among other universities) to provide the validation for it. Now we’re starting the process of gaining university validation again, this time with our good friends at IoIC.
“It’s sad that we will no longer be working with Kingston after a relationship spanning 15 years.
But we’re amazingly proud of both the Masters and the PGDip, and know our alumni are too.
“We know that the qualifications are playing a key role in the development of the profession and the huge difference they make to individuals’ careers”
We’ve got a great blend of content and delivery, with a combination of short face to face workshops plus on-line sharing and discussion, and an emphasis on the practical implications of theory throughout.
It’s a really effective formula that our students value and is designed to fit with people’s working lives. So this is an opportunity to build on all of this within a new environment.”
I’ll keep All Things IC readers updated as and when I hear more.
The current cohort will continue their studies and finish their qualification at Kingston.
Anyone interested in future postgraduate IC courses should email lizmcochrane@gmail.com
Post author: Rachel Miller
First published on the All Things IC blog 27 June 2016.
Thanks for this update. I was interested in doing this course this year and was disappointed to see it was no longer listed on the Kingston website. I’ll keep an eye out for updates.
Ah Rachel, I found this as I was researching the next steps! Took my Graduate Diploma in IC at Kingston, and found the course so helpful.
Will be keen to hear of their new home.
Hi Heather, I’ll post an update once the decision has been made re: a future home for the course. Hope you found this article helpful, Rachel.
Hi Joanna, thank you for commenting. When I hear I’ll publish another post (and update this one), Rachel