International Accreditation

The Value of ACEJMC Accreditation

Jax State’s Department of Communication delivers an education recognized among just 116 programs in the world by the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. This distinction reflects our commitment to quality education that prepares students for successful careers in JMC professions.

Why Accreditation Matters

Our Accreditation Principles

1. Mission-Driven Education: We prepare students to inform, enlighten and advocate for free speech and press, empowering them to become responsible citizens.

2. Commitment to a Culturally Proficient Workplace: Our programs emphasize equal opportunity, respect for a range of points of view and provide participatory opportunity for all elements of society while educating culturally proficient communicators prepared for the complexities of our society. We strive to represent various perspectives among faculty and students.

3. Core Professional Competencies: Graduates will:

• Understand and apply principles of free speech and press.
• Recognize the significance of diversity in mass communication.
• Demonstrate ethical standards in pursuing truth and fairness.
• Think critically and creatively.
• Write clearly and correctly for diverse audiences.
• Use appropriate technologies in their fields.

Six Pillars of Professional Communication

Our curriculum centers around the Six Pillars of Professional Communication, guiding both education and assessment. These pillars emphasize:

• Ethical Practice: Upholding integrity in all communications.
• Critical Thinking: Analyzing information and making informed decisions.
• Creative Problem-Solving: Innovating solutions in various contexts.
• Diversity Awareness: Valuing diverse perspectives.
• Professional Competence: Mastering the skills necessary for communication careers.
• Lifelong Learning: Embracing continuous growth and adaptability

Assessing Student Learning: Our Commitment to Your Success

At Jax State, we are committed to your learning and foster an environment of innovation. We continuously evaluate what we do to ensure you gain the professional values and competencies essential for success.

Assessment goes beyond grades; it's a dynamic process to measure your growth and enhance your educational journey. We focus on three critical areas of your learning:

• Awareness: Grasping essential information, including facts, concepts, theories, laws, regulations, processes, and their effects.
• Understanding: Assimilating and comprehending complex information, concepts, theories, and ideas.
• Application: Developing competence in relating and applying skills, information, concepts, theories, and ideas to accomplish real-world tasks.

How We Ensure Quality and Your Growth

We annually assess student performance in meeting the expectations of our Six Pillars of Professional Communication. This robust process involves 3-member panels – including two faculty members and an industry professional – who review student capstone projects using a detailed rubric.

Review our latest assessment data, grouped by concentration, to see how our students excel:

• Broadcasting
• Digital Journalism
• Public Relations/Advertising

Student Success: Retention, Graduation & Career Outcomes

We believe in transparency. In line with ACEJMC Standards, we openly share our retention and graduation rates, along with our graduating seniors' overall evaluation of program quality. You can also find our program data directly on ACEJMC's website. 

We update data annually by August 15.

First-Year Retention Rates

These percentages show how many incoming freshmen who declared a communication major continued in that same major after their first year.

Four-Year Graduation Rates

These percentages indicate how many incoming freshmen who declared a communication major graduated with that same major within four years.

Your Career After Graduation

Our commitment to your success extends beyond the classroom. We actively track our graduates' career outcomes to ensure our program prepares you for the professional world.

Through qualitative exit interviews and follow-up contact, we gather vital insights into your employment status at commencement and six months post-graduation. This ongoing assessment helps us continually enhance our curriculum and provide any supplemental support you might need in your job search. We've been tracking these outcomes since Fall 2021, and the following data reflect our graduates' employment status:

Your Voice, Shaping Our Program

We believe in a curriculum that evolves with the industry and your needs. Beyond the data we publish, we actively listen to our graduates. Each year, we collect their valuable feedback on existing courses and solicit ideas for new ones.

Thanks to their insights and our continuous review of industry trends, we've recently revamped our curriculum. We are committed to updating it annually to ensure you gain the most relevant and cutting-edge education.

This commitment to continuous improvement also means our program aligns with the highest standards. In Fall 2023, we updated our values and competencies to reflect ACEJMC’s latest standards, further enhancing the quality and relevance of your degree.

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