Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication

The Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) is the go-to institution for all types of higher level training and research in media and communication in the English-speaking Caribbean.

It was established in October 1974 within the University of the West Indies (UWI), based at Mona, Jamaica but its reach extends throughout the region. A large number of Caribbean media executives, journalists and PR practitioners were trained at CARIMAC and continue to interact with the institution in various ways. The Institute has provided research services to both governments and industry and continues to promote regional development as its primary mission. This outlook is ingrained in every facet of its work.

UNESCO and the German foundation called Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) partnered with the government of Jamaica and the UWI in establishing CARIMAC. The Institute was created to give regional communicators a Caribbean orientation and professional grounding towards regional development.

When the new Institute opened its doors 40 years ago, it welcomed 31 students drawn from territories across the region. This first cohort pursued a one-year diploma in Mass Communication. Three years later, in 1977, 'Mass Comm' as it was then called, extended its offering to include a combined degree of Mass Communication with Social Sciences. This degree was replaced in the year 2000 by the Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communication, under which students specialised respectively in Journalism for Print, Radio and TV, as well as in Multimedia and Social Marketing.

Responding to shifts in the media and communication industry and industry demands for greater diversity in training and education, the Institute created three innovative undergraduate programmes: Digital Media Production, Integrated Marketing Communication and Journalism. These programmes were launched between 2010 and 2011, and offered at the University’s Mona and Western Jamaica campuses. The BA in Media and Communication was discontinued in 2013.

The Institute made further strides by developing graduate programmes to meet the needs of professionals and practitioners seeking further educational growth and academic qualifications. In 1994 CARIMAC introduced a Master of Arts in Communication Studies and in 2004 a Master of Arts in Communication for Social and Behaviour Change.

With the expansion in its programmes, CARIMAC has seen significant growth in its student population. The Institute now boasts over 500 students enrolled at both campuses. Its strategic plan calls for further growth and expansion in line with the mission of the University of the West Indies. Two new undergraduate (BFA) programmes in Film Production and in Animation and Motion Graphics will be launched in 2015, as well as two additional Masters Degree Programmes in Media Management and advanced Integrated Marketing Communication(IMC).

CARIMAC therefore celebrates its 40th Anniversary this year (2014) against the background of a stellar history of dynamic growth, and a thematic focus on intensifying our mandate of Designing for Development.