Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications Accreditation: Quality or Compliance?

Accreditation is a topic that is sure to spark lively debates among faculty of journalism programs. And it has for years. Several prominent journalism programs in the United States recently let their accreditation status lapse from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC)leading to renewed public debate about requirements and what it means to receive approval every six years. Journalism educators around the world are closely following the developments of ACEJMC because the organization has been used as a model for accreditation bodies in other countries. Additionally, eight institutions outside the United States are accredited by ACEJMC. That international expansion has caused the membership of ACEJMC to be stable. This study examined whether US journalism programs intend to apply or reapply. Results indicated that some growth could be possible in the near future if no other programs let their status lapse, but it may be the accreditation program has reached a ceiling in the United States. That may force ACEJMC to make a decision soon on whether to further expand abroad or make it possible for smaller programs to be eligible for the accreditation process, which could benefit programs in the United States and abroad.