Before selecting the right college for you to obtain your degree in communications, you will want to make sure that your school is accredited. Accreditation, based on external reviews and voluntary self-assessment of colleges and universities, offers a standard of quality to parents, students and the general public.
In the accreditation process, courses offered are evaluated against national principles. The body that performs external reviews and grants accreditation of journalism and mass communications programs is the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC). ACEJMC believes that all quality programs must receive accreditation.

Programs that are accredited must typify nine standards as determined by the objectives of education in communications. These standards encourage innovation and improvement and recognize the specific goals of colleges and universities:
Standard 1. Mission, Governance and Administration
Standard 2. Curriculum and Instruction
Standard 3. Diversity and Inclusiveness
Standard 4. Full-Time and Part-Time Faculty
Standard 5. Scholarship: Research, Creative and Professional Activity
Standard 6. Student Services
Standard 7. Resources, Facilities and Equipment
Standard 8. Professional and Public Service
Standard 9. Assessment of Learning Outcomes
The easiest way to determine if your college holds accreditation with the ACEJMC is to check their website (where you will find a list of all schools that carry this important standard.
One hundred and thirteen programs in journalism and mass communications currently hold this distinction in the United States. ACEJMC does not put them in any order. The listing of an accredited institution means that the institution has been determined by ACEJMC to meet its standards following an in-house study completed by the administration and faculty of the college or university and an autonomous evaluation by practitioners and educators. Evaluations are typically done by ACEJMC every six years.