Public Accountability
Updated July 12, 2026
Public Accountability: School and SDSU Data
The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication is the organization that oversees external review and grants accreditation of journalism and mass communication programs. According to the council, "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 Master of Mass Communication (MMC) degree are accredited. The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication requires its accredited programs to report enrollment and retention and graduation rates to the public. The following is the most recent student achievement information available for SDSU and the School of Communication and Journalism.
Student Enrollment – 12,139 (fall 2025)
Undergraduate Majors in Accredited MCOM Programs
- Advertising: 109
- Journalism: 49
- Public Relations: 33
- Total in accredited programs: 191
- Agricultural Communications: 64
- Communication Studies: 66
- Total undergraduate: 321
Undergraduate Student Retention
Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entering Cohort | SDSU | MCOM* | SDSU | MCOM* | SDSU | MCOM* |
| 2020 | 79.9% | 76.2% | 70.8% | 61.9% | 61.9% | 52.4% |
| 2021 | 78.8% | 70.0% | 69.4% | 70.0% | 59.7% | 50.0% |
| 2022 | 82.9% | 85.2% | 73.3% | 77.8% | 63.5% | 59.3% |
| 2023 | 83.8% | 91.7% | 74.5% | 87.5% | -- | -- |
| 2024 | 83.0% | 84.4% | -- | -- | -- | -- |
*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* |
| 2017 | 42.3% | 46.4% | 56.6% | 53.6% | 58.9% | 57.1% |
| 2018 | 46.0% | 31.0% | 59.6% | 37.9% | 61.7% | 37.9% |
| 2019 | 47.5% | 56.7% | 59.6% | 63.3% | 61.7% | 63.3 |
| 2020 | 49.6% | 38.1% | 61.3% | 52.4% | -- | -- |
| 2021 | 50.0% | 60.0% | -- | -- | -- | -- |
*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 2013.
Admissions and Enrollment
| Applications | Admissions | Total Enrollment | Admission Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 8 | 8 | 19 | 100% |
| 2024-25 | 9 | 9 | 23 | 100% |
| 2023-24 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 70% |
| 2022-23 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 86% |
| 2021-22 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 73% |
Graduation Rate**
- One year: 11%
- Two years: 78%
- Three years: 11%
- Four years: 0%
**Based on summer 2025, fall 2025 and spring 2026 graduates.
Retention
- 2025-26: 91%
- 2024-25: 91%
- 2023-24: 89%
- 2022-23: 100%
- 2021-22: 76%
