Updated July 28, 2023
Public Accountability: School and SDSU Data
The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC) is the organization that oversees external review and grants accreditation of journalism and mass communication programs. According to ACEJMC, "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."
Three undergraduate majors (advertising, journalism and public relations) and the online Masters of Mass Communication (M.M.C.) degree are accredited. ACEJMC requires its accredited programs to report enrollment and retention and graduation rates to the public. Following is the most recent student achievement information available for SDSU and the School of Communication and Journalism.
Student Enrollment
11,932 (Fall 2022)
Undergraduate Majors in Accredited MCOM Programs
Advertising: 69
Journalism: 45
Public Relations: 21
Total in Accredited Programs: 135
Agricultural Communications: 71
Communication Studies: 68
Total Undergraduate: 274
Undergraduate Student Retention
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entering Cohort | SDSU | MCOM* | SDSU | MCOM* | SDSU | MCOM* |
| 2017 | 75.9% | 67.9% | 67.3% | 60.7% | 60.1% | 46.4% |
| 2018 | 78.3% | 69.0% | 70.3% | 51.7% | 61.4% | 41.4% |
| 2019 | 81.0% | 74.2% | 71.5% | 67.7% | 61.2% | 51.6% |
| 2020 | 79.9% | 76.2% | 70.8% | 61.9% | ||
| 2021 | 78.8& | 70.0% | ||||
*MCOM includes accredited programs in Advertising, Journalism and Public Relations.
Undergraduate Student Graduation Rates
| Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entering Cohort | SDSU | MCOM* | SDSU | MCOM* | SDSU | MCOM* |
| 2014 | 40.7% | 50.0% | 56.0% | 53.6% | 58.8% | 57.1% |
| 2015 | 41.5% | 50.0% | 56.5% | 54.5% | 59.2% | 54.5% |
| 2016 | 42.3% | 40.7% | 56.7% | 44.4% | 59.3% | 48.1% |
| 2017 | 42.3% | 46.4% | 56.6% | 53.6% | ||
| 2018 | 46.0% | 31.0% | ||||
*MCOM includes accredited programs in Advertising, Journalism and Public Relations.
Master of Mass Communication
The Master of Mass Communication (MMC) Degree was approved by the South Dakota Board of Regents in 2012. The first cohort of students for the MMC was enrolled in fall of 2013.
Admissions and Enrollment
| YEAR | APPLICATIONS | ADMISSIONS | ADMITTED ENROLLED | TOTAL ENROLLMENT* | ADMISSION RATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 75% |
| 2021-22 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 17 | 70% |
| 2020-21 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 29 | 100% |
| 2019-20 | 19 | 17 | 14 | 32 | 89% |
| 2018-19 | 25 | 22 | 12 | 45 | 88% |
*Enrollment includes returning students plus new admissions
Graduation Rate**
- 1-YEAR: 0%
- 2-YEAR: 0%
- 3-YEAR: 100%
- 4-YEAR: 0%
**Based on Fall 2022, Spring 2023 and Summer 2023 graduates
Retention
- 2022-23:100%
- 2021-22: 76%
- 2020-21: 100%
- 2019-20: 75%
- 2018-19: 100%