Journalism Program Earns ACEJMC Accreditation
The CSUDH journalism program has earned a six-year accreditation by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC), the primary educational association of journalism and mass communication educators, students, and media professionals.
The multi-year effort was spearheaded by Nancy Cheever, professor and former chair of the CSUDH Communications Department. “My primary goal was to do it for the students, because it’s going to mean a lot for their success,” she said.
“Being able to put on your resume that you graduated from an accredited program is huge. It’s going to allow our students to get into better internships and get better jobs. It will also provide some prestige for our program, and hopefully will attract more students.”
“This accomplishment is yet another sign that our university’s academic core continues to improve and get stronger. It is a testament to the hard work and excellence of Dr. Cheever, the faculty, and her entire team,” said CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham.
“Earning ACEJMC accreditation here at DH is a game-changing moment,” added Tim Caron, Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. “This affirms the exceptional work that is being done by our faculty and students in the journalism program. In the current moment, there are few things more important than training high-quality journalists who are committed to fact-based inquiry and telling stories from diverse perspectives. I could not be prouder of our faculty and students for earning this distinction.”
ACEJMC’s accreditation process can often take several years and involves an in-depth self-assessment of a program and the development of short-term and long-term strategic planning to achieve and maintain the accreditation standards.
“The ACEJMC report was very positive,” said Cheever. “They found us compliant on all nine standards, which is very rare for a program getting its accreditation for the first time.”
The council voted unanimously to accredit CSUDH’s journalism program at their general meeting in Chicago, Ill., during the last week of April 2022. The accreditation will last a full six years.
“It was a lot of work, but we did it,” said Cheever. “The ACEJMC loves what we are doing with our curriculum and our program, which is wonderful.”
