Accreditation Information

Our mission is to lead the field of journalism and media education as a hub of innovation and excellence in research and practice that responds nimbly to the changing face of public knowledge that is important to society.  We are dedicated to inspiring the next generation of journalism and media professionals with an entrepreneurial spirit, and to equip them with the evolving array of skills and insights necessary to transform and re-create media to benefit a healthy democracy.  We infuse our research, teaching, and practice with the core values and ethics of journalism, understanding their importance to our broader culture and political processes.  We believe diversity in journalism and related media professions is essential.  For this reason, we are committed to regularly updating our knowledge, skills, and curriculum so that our students will be prepared as journalists to report on diversity, accurately, fairly, and without stereotypes. We believe the best media professionals are good citizens competent to critically assess the evolving media ecology in which we live and capable of living and working within a diverse, inclusive, equitable, and global society.  We devote ourselves to strengthening the professions and improving the communities we serve.  In these pursuits, we are eager to partner with others on and off campus, in Texas and around the world to society’s benefit.

Updated 2022. 

People

1. Diversify and globalize faculty, with a special focus on Mexico and Latin America
2. Engage and integrate alumni into the culture and activities of the school.  Create opportunities to be members of the JaM community for life.
3. Enhance sense of belonging and inclusion among faculty, staff and students through events and initiatives.

Place

1. Expand opportunities for faculty and students to partner with others across Moody and the UT campus to grow our engagement, reach and impact.
2. Enhance partnerships with Austin and TX community and media organizations.
3. Renovate and modernize JaM classroom and lab spaces.

Pursuits

Experiences

1. Expand experiential and applied learning opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.
2. Integrate experiential learning opportunities into the curriculum.
3. Enhance advising, coaching, and mentoring programs for undergraduate and graduate students, especially with an eye toward enhancing equity in student success.

Education

1. Globalize undergraduate and graduate curricula with an emphasis on Latinx programming and course experiences
2. Enhance focus of undergraduate curriculum on entrepreneurialism and innovation.
3. Strengthen inclusive pedagogy across undergraduate and graduate curricula.
4. Enhance visual education and experiences in undergraduate and graduate curricula.

Research

1. Expand community outreach efforts, especially in the areas of media/news literacy and the role of journalism in democracy.
2. Grow interdisciplinary research opportunities for faculty and students.
3. Encourage international research and practice collaborations.

The School of Journalism and Media is committed to ensuring that its undergraduate curriculum prepares its student to work in our professional fields and to participate as informed citizens in public life.  To this end, it has created an assessment plan for the undergraduate curriculum that consists of learning goals and associated objectives.

1. Writing                                                  

Objectives

1. Students will demonstrate an ability to write clearly and concisely for diverse audiences on a variety of platforms.
2. Students will be able to apply basic rules of grammar and punctuation to their writing.
3. Students will demonstrate familiarity with AP style guidelines.
4. Students will demonstrate an ability to choose accurate language reflecting sensitivity in their writing.

2. Reporting and Research                

Objectives

1. Students will demonstrate the ability to identify, gather, use, and properly cite primary and secondary sources in reporting a story. 
2. Students will demonstrate the ability to fairly represent all relevant sides of a story through reporting and sourcing.
3. Students will demonstrate the ability to make open records requests in reporting and sourcing a story.
4. Students will understand how journalists can use data sets to find and tell stories.

3. Innovation      

Objectives

1. Students will recognize and anticipate changes in media and experiment with new techniques to formulate solutions.
2. Students will demonstrate how to gather and measure feedback on journalistic work and use that knowledge to make improvements.
3. Students will demonstrate they can collaborate and thrive within team environments.
4. Students will apply project management skills and product development principles in communication settings.

4. Visual Communication                                

Objectives

1. Students will understand concepts and theories in the use and presentation of images and information.
2. Students will demonstrate an ability to apply visual storytelling concepts to newsgathering and have a working knowledge of visual reporting.
3. Students will have a working knowledge of how visuals enhance and complement a story.
4. Students will understand the ethical considerations unique to visual communication.

5. Law, Ethics and Media Literacy               

Objectives

1. Students will distinguish evidence-based news from misinformation.
2. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the First Amendment, its legislative evolution and its relationship to historical and contemporary journalism.
3. Students will identify such legal and ethical issues as libel, plagiarism and fabrication.
4. Students will practice fully dimensional representation in news coverage and newsrooms.

Journalism Majors Enrolled by their third year

2-Year Retention Rate

4-Year Graduation Rates

6-Year Graduation Rates

Data updated October 2023.