International Accreditation

The Value of ACEJMC Accreditation

The Department of Communication at Jacksonville State is among the 120 journalism and mass communication (JMC) programs that are nationally accredited on a full or provisional basis, and one of three JMC programs in Alabama with that distinction. Accreditation means we are among the best in providing a quality education and working to prepare young professionals to enter JMC professions.

We are accredited based on our adherence to ACEJMC’s principles of accreditation, which can be found below:

Principals of Accreditation

Mission of journalism and mass communications

The mission of journalism and mass communications professions in a democratic society is to inform, to enlighten and to champion freedom of speech and press. These professions seek to enable people to fulfill their responsibilities as citizens who mean to govern themselves. They seek to help people protect, pursue and promote their rights and interests in their personal lives and in their work in public and philanthropic service, in commerce and industry, and in the professions.

Mission of education in journalism and mass communications

Professional programs should prepare students with a body of knowledge and a system of inquiry, scholarship and training for careers in which they are accountable to:

• the public interest for their knowledge, ethics, competence and service;
• citizens, clients or consumers for their competencies and the quality of their work; and
• employers for their performance.

Commitment to diversity and inclusiveness

To inform and enlighten, the professions of journalism and mass communications should understand and reflect the diversity and complexity of people, perspectives and beliefs in a global society and in the multicultural communities they serve.

Programs seeking accreditation should develop curricula and instruction that educate faculty and prepare students with the multicultural knowledge, values and skills essential for professional practice.

Programs should document their efforts to ensure the representation of women and people of diverse racial and ethnic identity in the student body and faculty and to expand these students’ opportunities for entry into the communications professions.

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:

• understand and apply the principles and laws of freedom of speech and press, for the country in which the institution that invites ACEJMC is located, as well as receive instruction in and understand the range of systems of freedom of expression around the world, including the right to dissent, to monitor and criticize power, and to assemble and petition for redress of grievances;
• demonstrate an understanding of the history and role of professionals and institutions in shaping communications;
• demonstrate an understanding of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and, as appropriate, other forms of diversity in domestic society in relation to mass communications.
• demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of peoples and cultures and of the significance and impact of mass communications in a global society.
• understand concepts and apply theories in the use and presentation of images and information;
• demonstrate an understanding of professional ethical principles and work ethically in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness and diversity;
• think critically, creatively and independently;
• conduct research and evaluate information by methods appropriate to the communications professions in which they work;
• write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for the communications professions, audiences and purposes they serve;
• critically evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy and fairness, clarity, appropriate style and grammatical correctness;
• apply basic numerical and statistical concepts;
• apply tools and technologies appropriate for the communications professions in which they work. 

Assessment of student learning

The Council seeks to promote student learning and encourages experimentation and innovation. The Council evaluates curricula and instruction in the light of evidence and expects programs seeking accreditation to assess students’ attainment of professional values and competencies.

Assessment is a system of evaluation of student learning at the course or unit level (as opposed to grading at the individual level). Three criteria should guide assessment of student learning:

• Awareness: familiarity with specific information, including facts, concepts, theories, laws and regulations, processes and effects.
• Understanding: assimilation and comprehension of information, concepts, theories and ideas.
• Application: competence in relating and applying skills, information, concepts, theories and ideas to the accomplishment of tasks.

Student learning is evaluated to:

• develop curriculum, improve teaching, and enhance student learning;
• document what students have learned; and
• provide accountability.

Evaluation of student learning also enables the Council and its representatives to make fairer and more consistent judgments across units and programs.

We annually assess student performance in meeting expectations associated with our values and competencies, known as our Six Pillars of Professional Communication, working in 3-member panels including 2 faculty members and an industry professional reviewing student capstone projects, using a detailed rubric.

You can review our latest data here, grouped by concentration:

• Broadcasting
• Digital Journalism
• Public Relations/Advertising

Retention Rates

In accordance with ACEJMC Standards, we publish our retention and graduation rates, as well as the overall evaluation of our graduating seniors in assessing their perception of the quality of our program. We also publish our program data on ACEJMC’s Web site.

Data will be updated every year by Aug. 15.

The percentages below indicate the first-year retention rates of students who declare the Journalism or Public Relations major as incoming freshmen.

Graduation Rates

The graduation rates below indicate the percentage of students who declared the Journalism or Public Relations major as incoming freshmen and graduated with that same major in four years.

Assessment Informing Curriculum and Program

In addition to the posted data, we annually collect data on graduates’ perceptions of the value of courses and solicit feedback on courses of value we might add to the curriculum. Thanks to our graduates, we’ve recently revamped our curriculum, and are actively updating our curriculum annually based on their feedback and our review of industry trends. In the Fall of 2023, we are migrating to an amended set of values and competencies that better reflect ACEJMC’s updated 8 standards.

Table 1. Academic years 2018-19 to 2020-21

Table 2. Academic year 2018-19 

Table 3. Academic year 2019-20

Table 4. Academic year 2020-21

Evaluating Degree-Relevant Job Placement

In addition to essential data and survey analysis, we actively engage in semi-structured qualitative exit interviews with each of our graduates to collect additional data on our program to facilitate incremental assessment and improvement over time. A key aspect of this assessment is determining the employment status of our graduates at the time of commencement. 6 months following graduation, the unit head reconnects with graduates to identify their employment status, as well as to provide any supplemental support students may need in seeking employment. The following is a breakdown of our assessment since implementing this approach to exit interviews and follow up contact in the Fall of 2021: