Accreditation & Outcomes
View information and student outcomes pertaining to accreditation.
Our media and journalism program has been accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC) since 1997. Our facilities, budget, faculty, course requirements, relationship with alumni and many other factors were reviewed. We were found in compliance with all 12 national standards. Only 25 percent of mass communication programs are accepted.
The Department of Media & Journalism is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. As a nationally-accredited program, student success is closely monitored. Both retention and graduation rates are good indicators of student satisfaction.
Public Accountability: Student Success Rates
Retention
Retention rates show the percentage of students who remain at an institution or in a major after they begin coursework.
| 1st Year | 2nd Year | 3rd Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entering | USD | Department | USD | Department | USD | Department | |
| Fall 2016 | 72.4% | 79.4% | 64.7% | 84.0% | 56.7% | 71.0% | |
| Fall 2017 | 77.3% | 84.2% | 67.6% | 78.9% | 59.9% | 73.7% | |
| Fall 2018 | 77.9% | 81.0% | 68.5% | 71.4% | 57.6% | 61.3% | |
| Fall 2019 | 80.8% | 85.0% | 68.8% | 75.0% | - | - | |
| Fall 2020 | 77.3% | 84.0% | - | - | - | - | |
Graduation
Graduation rates reflect a commitment to ensuring that students successfully complete their degrees. The graduation rate is calculated by dividing the number of graduating students by the number of students in a cohort. The media and journalism percentages include journalism and strategic communication majors.
| 3rd Year | 4th Year | 5th Year | 6th Year | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | Department | USD | Department | USD | Department | USD | Department | ||
| Fall 2014 | 2.8% | 3.8% | 42.9% | 46.2% | 56.5% | 57.7% | 59.6% | 61.5% | |
| Fall 2015 | 3.5% | 8.0% | 42.7% | 32.0% | 57.3% | 64.6% | 64.0% | 64.0% | |
| Fall 2016 | 4.1% | 6.5% | 44.2% | 45.2% | 54.4% | 64.5% | - | - | |
| Fall 2017 | 5.0% | 3.0% | 48.1% | 57.6% | - | - | - | - | |
| Fall 2018 | 6.4% | 9.7% | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
