Accreditation

Our undergraduate Digital Journalism and Strategic Communication programs are accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC). ACEJMC is the agency responsible for the evaluation of professional journalism and mass communications programs in colleges and universities. Only 119 of the more than 500 mass communication and journalism programs in the United States are accredited by ACEJMC.

Since the Department of Journalism was accredited in 1984-1985, accreditation standards and professional values and competencies have been a focal point in curriculum design in the School of Media and Communication at the University of Southern Mississippi. All students in the accredited programs are expected to demonstrate:

• an appreciation of the relevant constitutional freedoms, history, legal issues and ethical principles involved in mass communication.
• an appreciation of human diversity, domestically and globally, in the creation and interpretation of media content.
• the ability to critically evaluate and research information and to apply basic numerical and statistical concepts.
• the ability to write correctly, clearly, and fairly; and to effectively critique the work of others.
• the ability to present visual information effectively and creatively.
• the ability to engage innovative tools and technologies

The School has developed an Assessment Plan to regularly measure student learning in the accredited programs:

Link to MCJ Assessment Plan  

Link to Five Year Plan.

As a nationally accredited program, the school also monitors student success based on enrollment, graduation, and retention data.

School of Media and Communication Undergraduate Enrollment 

Student Retention Rates

Graduation Rates

The school’s next re-accreditation review will be in 2028-29. Additional information about the accreditation process is available through the ACEJMC Web site at http://www.acejmc.org/ For information about the USM School of Media and Communication, visit here.