Accreditation

The Department of Journalism and Strategic Media is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Additionally, our Public Relations program is endorsed with a Certification in Education for Public Relations by the Public Relations Society of America.

Accredited means quality

Worldwide, 119 universities have accredited programs in journalism and strategic media. The University of Memphis is one of these 119, and one of only four accredited programs in the state of Tennessee.

According to the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, which accredits the University of Memphis and other journalism and media programs, accreditation is a system of voluntary self-assessment and external review of educational institutions and of professional programs offered by those institutions. Accreditation provides an assurance of quality to students, parents, and the public. In the accrediting process, the performance of educational units is measured against national standards.

ACEJMC accreditation means that the University of Memphis measures up to the educational standards set for comprehensive, professional journalism and mass communications education for universities. This accreditation provides an assurance of quality to students, parents, and the public. At ACEJMC’s last review, in 2019, the University of Memphis was granted full reaccreditation.

Go to the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication for more information about the value of accreditation.

Our Public Relations program is PRSA-certified

The University of Memphis PR program is one of only 45 undergraduate programs worldwide that has earned the Certification in Education for Academic Programs in Public Relations (CEPR) from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

The voluntary certification offers an academic program the opportunity to have an outside evaluation team of PR professionals and educators review and endorse the program for adherence to eight standards in curriculum, faculty, students, resources and facilities, assessment, professional affiliations, relationships with the total unit and the university and diversity and global perspectives.

Being PRSA-certified assures students that they are receiving a well-rounded PR education that meets the expectations of future employers in the world’s largest professional organization for PR and communication practitioners – PRSA. The University of Memphis was re-certified in a program review in 2019.

Learn more about the value of CEPR and the process at the Public Relations Student Society of America.

Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan

The Journalism & Strategic Media Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan can be viewed here.

Our Assessment Plan

The Journalism & Strategic Media Assessment Plan can be viewed here.

Retention and Graduation

The Journalism & Strategic Media public accountability report about retention and graduation can be viewed here.