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In the United States the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) applies nine standards in evaluating university programs: mission, governance and administration; curriculum and instruction; diversity and inclusiveness; full-time and part-time faculty; scholarship: research, creative and professional activity; student services; resources, facilities and equipment; professional and public service; and assessment of learning outcomes. The ACEJMCC has awarded accreditation to 109 university and college programs of study in journalism and mass communications, but does not attempt to rank the courses or programs. It accredits colleges, schools, Departments or “Divisions. The listing of a unit as accredited indicates that the unit has been judged by ACEJMC to meet its standards. That judgment is rendered after a self-study prepared by the faculty and administration of the unit and an independent evaluation of the unit by educators and practitioners.The listing shows the bachelor’s and professional master’s degree programs that were examined during the unit’s most recent accreditation review. Some units offer degrees in addition to those listed here. ACEJMC does not accredit programs leading to the Ph.D., which is considered a research (and not a professional) degree. The Council does not list sequences or specialties.

Editor & Publisher has presented an unranked list of leading journalism schools, while U.S. News & World Report produces annual lists of the top schools in advertising, print, and other categories based on responses to questionnaires sent to deans and faculty members. A list based on a variety of resources claims to identify the “ten most popular journalism schools in the United States”. One critic has pointed to the anecdotal nature of much j-school ranking in the absence of effective tracking of journalism graduates’ career paths. Schools such as

• Ohio University
• Indiana University
• Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
• University of Missouri
• Michigan State University
• Northwestern University
• University of Florida
• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• University of California Berkeley
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

are typically considered among the best in the United States based upon the success of those who attended these institutions.