WHAT IS ACCREDITATION?
The structure for evaluating and accrediting journalism and mass communication programs was established in 1945, when the (ACEJMC) was formed. ACEJMC is the agency formally recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) for accrediting programs for professional education in journalism and mass communications in institutions of higher learning.
ACEJMC (Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication) accredits programs in journalism and mass communications at colleges and universities in the United States, Puerto Rico and outside the country. Programs requesting a review by ACEJMC are evaluated every six years and, after the evaluative process, receive one of three determinations: accredited/reaccredited, provisional or denial (ACEJMC website).
JMC has been continuously accredited by ACEJMC since 1965. One of 114 fully accredited programs in the world.
HOW DOES THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS WORK?
In fall 2014, the School submitted a self-study and detailed examination of the program. The self-study is based on ACEJMC’s set of expectations about quality and is organized in nine standards that were developed by educators and working professionals. The nine standards recognize institutional diversity: the unique mission, situation, and resources of each program. The standards by which units are evaluated cover such areas as instruction, curriculum, teaching, facilities, resources, research, and diversity.
A five-person site team consisting of educators and professionals will visit JMC January 20-23, 2015 and conduct an assessment of the School’s curriculum, faculty, administration, students, facilities, and resources. The site team visit will include meetings with faculty, staff, students and administrators, reviewing resource materials available in a workroom in Franklin Hall dedicated to the site team for the duration of their visit, observing classes, and engaging with students in co-curricular activities.
Current JMC majors play an important role during the site team visit. Students will have two opportunities to share their experiences in the School with members from the site visit team.
Meeting with all JMC majors
Wednesday, January 21, 10-11 a.m.; FirstEnergy Auditorium, room 340
Meetings with Individual Sequences
Thursday, January 22, 9-10 a.m.
- PR majors meet in room 339
- Advertising majors meet in room 110
- Journalism majors meet in rooms 312 & 314
- Digital Media Production majors meet in room 317
Upon the completion of its visit, the site team will prepare a report and submit its recommendation for reaccreditation to the National Accrediting Committee, composed of educators and professionals. The Committee will review and discuss the report and vote whether to recommend JMC to the Accrediting Council for reaccreditation. As a final step, the national Accrediting Council will review the work of the site team and the recommendation of the Accrediting Committee and take final action and approval of reaccreditation.
WHY DOES ACCREDITATION MATTER?
- For students and prospective students accreditation is an assurance of quality in professional education in journalism and mass communications. Students in an accredited program can expect to find a challenging curriculum, appropriate resources and facilities, and a competent faculty.
- Parents want to know their children will have an educational experience of high quality that will help prepare them for a career. Accredited programs offer the assurance that they have been evaluated by academic peers and leading practitioners and have met the tests of the nine standards.
- High-school teachers and guidance counselors can influence students' choices of college or career. To these advisers, accreditation provides a sound basis for recommendation.
- Accreditation provides external validation to university administrators that a program on their campus is recognized by national academic and professional organizations. Measuring the educational merit and relevance of the program typically brings improvements, both through the internal examination by the staff and administrators and through the insights of external evaluators.
- Practitioners seeking to hire entry-level or more experienced candidates know that accredited programs prepare students with a solid professional education and a firm grounding in the liberal arts and sciences.
- To a public concerned about the performance of the media, accreditation offers an assurance that those entering journalism and mass communications are appropriately educated.
