Accreditation

ACEJMC Accreditation

The School of Media and Journalism (MDJ) was evaluated for reaccreditation by the Accrediting Council on Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) during the 2021-2022 academic year. Originally scheduled for the 2020-2021 accreditation cycle, this process had been delayed for a year by the accrediting body due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The School’s 2021-2022 self study is available at a link below.

In April 2022, the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications voted 16-0, with one recusal, to grant provisional reaccreditation to MDJ’s undergraduate program based on weaknesses on Standard 3 (Diversity and Inclusiveness). This vote overturned the recommendations of the site team that had visited campus in October 2021 and the unanimous vote of the ACEJMC Committee in March 2022. The School of Media and Journalism, previously Journalism and Mass Communication, had been continuously accredited by ACEJMC since 1965.

According to the ACEJMC website, “The listing of a program as provisional means deficiencies identified during the review process resulted in the Accrediting Council withholding full accreditation/reaccreditation. The unit has a two-year provisional period to correct the deficiencies, after which the program is reviewed again and either reaccredited or denied.”

The site team had recommended full reaccreditation for MDJ following its campus visit in October 2021, citing as among the School’s greatest strengths an “engaged and involved new director,” “dedicated, student-centered, professionally oriented faculty,” robust student media, and excellent facilities.

With respect to weaknesses on Standard 3 (Diversity and Inclusiveness), the site team identified “lack of diversity on the faculty” and “lack of awareness of diversity as a subject in coursework” as areas of concern.

The site team’s report is available at a link below.

The School of Media and Journalism is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEI&B) in all it does. We recognize DEI&B as core shared values that strengthen our School’s mission to provide a student-centered and ethically driven education for all students. We have already initiated important changes.

The School will be reevaluated for compliance on Standard 3 (Diversity and Inclusiveness) within two years. We have every expectation that changes we are undertaking will bring us into compliance with ACEJMC’s standards and with our own expectations of ourselves.

Review Submitted Self-Study Report (2021-22)  Review the ACEJMC Site Team Report (2021-22)