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ACEJMC Accreditation

The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC) accredits units that offer professional programs that prepare students for careers in journalism and communication. In the School of Communication and Journalism (COJO), our professionally focused programs include undergraduate advertising, journalism, and public relations majors, and the online graduate program in mass communication.

Professional values and competencies

Individual professions in journalism and mass communication may require certain specialized values and competencies. Irrespective of their particular specialization, all graduates should be aware of certain core values and competencies and be able to:

The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications requires that graduates of accredited programs be aware of certain core values and competencies and be able to:

• Apply the principles and laws of freedom of speech and press, in a global context, and for the country in which the institution that invites ACEJMC is located;
• Demonstrate an understanding of the multicultural history and role of professionals and institutions in shaping communications;
• Demonstrate culturally proficient communication that empowers those traditionally disenfranchised in society, especially as grounded in race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and ability, domestically and globally, across communication and media contexts;
• Present images and information effectively and creatively, using appropriate tools and technologies;
• Write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for the communications professions, audiences and purposes they serve;
• Demonstrate an understanding of professional ethical principles and work ethically in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness and diversity;
• Apply critical thinking skills in conducting research and evaluating information by methods appropriate to the communications professions in which they work;
• Effectively and correctly apply basic numerical and statistical concepts;
• Critically evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy and fairness, clarity, appropriate style and grammatical correctness;
• Apply tools and technologies appropriate for the communications professions in which they work.

Units requesting evaluation of a professional master’s program must also demonstrate how their master’s graduates attain this additional core competency:

• Contribute to knowledge appropriate to the communications professions in which they work.