Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications

Established in 1945

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• Dedicated to fostering and encouraging excellence

and high standards in professional education in journalism and mass communications

• Council membership consists of national and international associations of educators and professionals from the industry

• Currently 112 accredited programs, including one international program in Chile

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A strong liberal arts foundation is required with a curricular balance of 80 semester hours outside the program, of which 65 are in liberal arts.

The fundamentals

The accreditation process is voluntary and rigorous with respect givento institutional uniqueness.

Programs are evaluated for compliance in the 9 Standards, using each institution’s own mission statement and objectives as the benchmark.

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Programs must connect ACEJMC’s 12 core values and competences to curriculum learning objectives and routinely assess students’ attainment of these competencies.

ACEJMC Composition

Accrediting Council (Governing Body)• Membership consists of representatives from its 14-member associations, as well as three public members not affiliated with journalism and mass communications• Led by an elected president and vice president

Accrediting Committee• Body of 15 educators and professionals • Elected by the Council • Led by chair and vice chair

ACEJMC Office• Executive director• Two staff members

Site teams• Approved by the program under review

Executive Committee• Council president, vice president and executive director

Appeals Board• Appointed by the Council president

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AccreditationProcess

Preliminary

Visit

Arranged by the ACEJMC executive director

3 to 5 years before a

new programcan seek

accreditation

CommitteeMeeting

Members review team reports,

recommendations and any

responses from the units, gather

additional information during oral

presentations by team chairs,

vote on a recommendation

to the Council

Council Meeting

Members review team reports

and recommendations, any responses from the units, minutes from

the Committee discussion and

its recommendation

s, hear presentation by the Committee

chair, make final decision on whether to

accredit, grant provisional or deny; unit has

30 days to appeal

Self-StudyYear

Report templates distributed

in September;deadlines

for submission begin the following

September.

Year 1

Site Team Visits

Team reviews

self-study, conducts

on-site visit, determines standards

compliance, submits a

report with a recommendation to accredit,

grant provisional or

deny

Year 2

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Accreditation Unit is accredited for a six-year period.

ProvisionalUnit has two years to correct deficiencies identified during the reviewand to schedule a revisit. The revisit team evaluates the changes and submits a report with a recommendation to accredit or deny. The revisit recommendation moves on to the Committee, Council levels.

Denial The school may apply for a revisit after two years.

What the decision means

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What is the cost?

At present, accredited schools pay $1,000 a year in annual dues.

Beginning in the fall, dues will be increased to $1,500 a year. The following year dues will increase to $2,000 per year.

Every six years schools pay all of the travel and lodging costs for a site visit.

Each member organization also pays annual dues. Those dues range from $1,500 to $6,000 depending on the organization’s annual budget.

Last fall, the council president established strategic planning committee. The committee is working on changing the dues structure for member organizations.

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Dealing with the issues of change• A seat at the table. Keeping representation on the Council relevant in a constantly evolving industry.

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The recent downturn in newspapers and the rapid innovation in new media have significantly changed the landscape in journalism and mass communications. In recent years, several industry associations long associated with the Council have dropped their memberships. The current membership balance is 10 professionals and 15 educators, as well as two public members.

• What gives? Balancing the need for more multi-media skills courses while preserving the liberal arts hours requirement.

In an industry where employers increasingly expect graduatesto have multi-media capabilities, how are these additional skills added to curriculums where budget cuts are forcing fewer classes and credit hour requirements for graduation are being reduced?

Diversity – presents a different meaning depending on where you are, domestic and international significance. Historically Black Colleges in the United States have different profiles than universities located in areas that are predominantly white.

Gender equality – Respecting cultural and religious practices.

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Dealing with the issues: differences

Dealing with the issues of cultural differencesPreserving ACEJMC’s commitment to freedoms of speech, inclusiveness and gender equality while accrediting international programs in countries where these practices are not followed

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3. Each institution’s unique situation, CULTURAL, SOCIAL OR RELIGIOUS CONTEXT, mission and resources, are to be recognized and safeguarded. Standards are applied in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and where appropriate, with religious or cultural practices.

Action: Clarify the expectations by amending the language of the Professional Values and Competencies.

2. Students must demonstrate an understanding of diversity in their own domestic society, as well as issues and perspectives in a range of diverse cultures in a global society.

1. Students must not only demonstrate an understanding of the principles and laws of freedom of speech and press in their particular country, but the range of systems of freedom of expression around the world.

Going global

Increasing international interest

In the last ten years, several programs from other countries have expressed interest in seeking ACEJMC accreditation. Some of those programs are Hong Kong Baptist University, Qatar University in Doha, Fudan University in Shanghai, Tshingua University in Beijing, Anahuac University in Mexico City, and The American University in Cairo.

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