The Cal Poly Journalism Department recently received full accreditation, joining 117 other programs around the world. The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC), the agency responsible for the evaluation of professional journalism and mass communications programs in colleges and universities, voted 18-0 in favor of the department receiving full accreditation.
“This accomplishment represents years of hard work by the faculty and staff to meet the rigorous demands of the accrediting process,” department chair Brady Teufel said. “In recognizing Cal Poly as one of the best universities to learn journalism and public relations, the council affirmed that we’re succeeding in our mission to provide students with an education that covers fundamental skills and concepts along with problem solving, critical thinking and innovation.”
The accrediting process involved an external site-review team visiting classes, interviewing faculty and staff, meeting with students and administrators, scrutinizing facilities and equipment and digging into data regarding admissions, class sizes, demographics, learning objectives and more.
The nine standards and competencies that were reviewed include:
– Mission, governance and administration
– Curriculum and instruction
– Diversity and inclusiveness
– Full-time and part-time faculty
– Scholarship (research, creative and professional activity)
– Student services
– Resources, facilities and equipment
– Professional and public service
– Assessment of learning outcomes
Cal Poly is now one of eight journalism programs in the California State University system to be fully accredited by ACEJMC. Accredited programs, which are reviewed on a six-year cycle, are eligible for external funding and are more attractive to both students and industry partners. Of the roughly 500 journalism and mass communications programs in the United States, less than one-fourth are fully accredited.