ACEJMC
ACEJMC Accreditation
Mission Statement of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications
The faculty members of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications embrace high standards of truth, accuracy and excellence in professional media. We believe in empowering students and faculty to achieve success when serving our university, community, state, region, nation and world. The School is anchored in an inclusive, student-centered, experiential learning model. This model serves to grow and develop students as creators of compelling and engaging content, theoretical and research-based strategists, legal and ethical practitioners, globally aware citizens and career-ready innovators.
The High Five
We have five broad goals for our students during their tenure in the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications and beyond. We call them the high five. They will learn a multitude of specific skills in their time with us targeted toward their particular majors that fold into these goals, but from an all-encompassing view every JMC graduate will be:
- a CREATOR of compelling and engaging content.
- a theoretical and research-based STRATEGIST.
- a LEGAL and ETHICAL PRACTITIONER.
- a GLOBALLY AWARE CITIZEN committed to diversity, inclusion, equity, representation and belonging in a socially just, multicultural and interconnected world.
- a CAREER-READY INNOVATOR with hands-on and job-world experiences who demonstrates the confidence, skill, adaptability, resourcefulness and passion to be employed in a mass communications field or chart their own path and is motivated to be a positive influence in the community in which they work.
Facts & Stats for SOJMC
The W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications is one of three schools operating within the College of Arts and Media. The school has been nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications since 1976, and it was most recently reaccredited in 2022. Graduation and retention rates are posted in accordance with the ACEJMC public accountability requirements.
Unit Retention & Graduation Rates – (Updated August 14, 2024)
Retention rates are a reflection of student persistence in a program. The W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications rates are calculated regularly through the Office of Institutional Research & Planning. The school’s retention rates consistently rank among the top in the university. Students who accelerate their programs of study and those who transfer into the program after their freshman year may graduate in fewer than four years.
| Entering Cohort | Cohort Size | Retained to Second Year | Retained to Third Year | Retained to Fourth Year | Overall Graduation % | Graduated < 4 Years | Graduated 4 Years | Graduated 5 Years | Graduated 6+ Years | |
| 2005 | 50 | 72.0% | 72.0% | 56.0% | 52.0% | 6.0% | 22.0% | 10.0% | 14.0% | |
| 2006 | 53 | 79.2% | 73.6% | 64.2% | 60.4% | 1.9% | 22.6% | 28.3% | 7.5% | |
| 2007 | 59 | 78.0% | 59.3% | 59.3% | 57.6% | 3.4% | 18.6% | 20.3% | 15.3% | |
| 2008 | 36 | 75.0% | 58.3% | 55.6% | 47.2% | 0.0% | 27.8% | 11.1% | 8.3% | |
| 2009 | 44 | 88.6% | 81.8% | 79.5% | 75.0% | 0.0% | 27.3% | 31.8% | 15.9% | |
| 2010 | 42 | 66.7% | 59.5% | 57.1% | 54.8% | 9.5% | 31.0% | 9.5% | 4.8% | |
| 2011 | 41 | 82.9% | 65.9% | 53.7% | 61.0% | 7.3% | 24.4% | 22.0% | 7.3% | |
| 2012 | 29 | 75.9% | 69.0% | 69.0% | 65.5% | 0.0% | 27.6% | 31.0% | 6.9% | |
| 2013 | 49 | 79.6% | 69.4% | 65.3% | 61.2% | 2.0% | 46.9% | 8.2% | 4.1% | |
| 2014 | 50 | 72.0% | 66.0% | 64.0% | 58.0% | 8.0% | 30.0% | 16.0% | 4.0% | |
| 2015 | 37 | 64.9% | 56.8% | 51.4% | 51.4% | 8.1% | 21.6% | 13.5% | 8.1% | |
| 2016 | 35 | 80.0% | 71.4% | 68.6% | 65.7% | 8.6% | 37.1% | 17.1% | 2.9% | |
| 2017 | 31 | 83.9% | 71.0% | 67.7% | 64.5% | 12.9% | 38.7% | 12.9% | 0.0% | |
| 2018 | 30 | 83.3% | 70.0% | 66.7% | 60.0% | 6.7% | 33.3% | 20.0% | 0.0% | |
| 2019 | 34 | 82.4% | 64.7% | 55.9% | 47.1% | 14.7% | 32.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | |
| 2020 | 25 | 96.0% | 80.0% | 64.0% | 8.0% | 8.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | |
| 2021 | 22 | 72.7% | 59.1% | 57.1% | — | — | — | 0.0% | 0.0% | |
| 2022 | 22 | 86.4% | 68.2% | — | — | — | — | 0.0% | 0.0% | |
| 2023 | 25 | 80% | — | — | — | — | — | 0.0% | 0.0% | |
| 2024 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
— Data not yet available
Note: A number of students who entered the program in any given year may still be in the pipeline and making progress toward graduation. The completion percentages for five years for six or more years may increase as the remaining students in a cohort matriculate.
Job Placement
Job placement is assessed through an annual survey of graduates immediately following matriculation conducted by the university Assessment Office, and through a periodic survey of graduates conducted by the School of Journalism and Mass Communications. On average, about one quarter of the school’s graduates continue employment in a job they originally had as an intern while the remainder go on to other employment in the field, employment in other areas or continue their academic careers. Generally, about 30% of journalism and mass communications majors continue in master’s programs. In the most recent survey of alumni 75% reported full-time employment directly in the field or in a closely related field and 20% reported full-time employment in an unrelated field.