Accreditation
The University of New Mexico—since 1922—is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and, specifically, by its regional branch, known as the North Central Association.
In order for UNM to maintain its national and regional HLC accreditation, every department at UNM must undergo an “academic program review” every 7 years.
The Communication and Journalism Department has passed every such review. The next one is scheduled for the 2021-2022 academic year. During these reviews, a group of evaluators (a mix of UNM professors from departments other than C&J, as well as professors in communication and journalism from other universities) assesses our curriculum, our student services, our faculty, our research and creative work, and other hallmarks of departmental quality.
Note: In fall of 2019, the C&J Department canceled its membership in a separate and voluntary accreditation program run by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC). In joining other journalism programs who have taken similar action, Department Chair David Weiss explained that this additional accreditation process was overly costly, time-consuming, and ultimately redundant, given the HLC accreditation process.
