Applying for Accreditation

1. The Unit applies for accreditation by contacting the Executive Director of the ACA via email to request initiation of the accreditation review process. No Unit should initiate a self-study without explicit approval from the Accreditation Committee of the ACA.
2. The chair of the Accreditation Committee will appoint a team to evaluate the self-study documents. Teams consist of two to four members having specific expertise relative to the unit being evaluated.
3. The Unit completes the institutional self-study, prepares the self-study documents, and emails them to the ACA Accreditation Committee chair. Within three weeks of receiving the self-study documents, the Accreditation Committee will advise the Unit as to whether the documents are in acceptable form for proceeding. If they are found to be incomplete or unacceptable, they will be returned to the Unit with specific instructions on what changes or additions are required. It is recommended that the Unit dedicate at least one full semester to the preparation of the self-study document. In any case, the approved self-study documents must be received by the Accreditation Committee not less than 60 days prior to any anticipated site visit.
4. After receiving the completed self-study documents, the ACA Accreditation Committee, in consultation with the Chief Administrative Officer of the Unit requesting accreditation, sets a date for the site visit and appoints the site evaluation team. Depending upon the type and size of the Unit being evaluated, the site team will be comprised of two to four members. Unless specific circumstances prevent it, the self-study evaluation team and the site evaluation team will be comprised of the same members.
5. After the dates of the site visit are set and the site evaluation team is assigned, specific timetables for the visit are determined by the site team leader and the Chief Administrative Officer of the Unit.
6. Before the site visit occurs, the Chief Administrative Officer of the Unit ensures that ACA has received the fees due the association and that arrangements have been made to cover in advance the airfare and lodging accommodations for the site team as well as to pay the site team their honoraria and reimbursements for other associated travel costs upon completion of the visit.

The Site Visit

Each accreditation visit is tailored to fit the institutional and Unit mission, scope, and size. Typically, site visits require about 4 days on location – plus travel. Larger programs, or those spread across multiple campuses – may require a longer visit.

In the case of international travel, an additional day at the beginning of the visit should be included to allow site team members time to rejuvenate after lengthy travel.

Site visits should include all of the following:

• An initial meeting with the Unit's Chief Administrative Officer and chair of the Unit’s accreditation effort.
• A tour of the Unit's facilities including classrooms, computer labs, studios, faculty offices, library facilities, and the general campus.
• Meetings with the Institution's Chief Executive Officer and/or Chief Academic Officer. (The Chief Administrative Officer of the Unit being evaluated will not be present for this session.)
• Meetings with academic personnel that supervise the Unit’s Chief Administrative Officer. (For example, the dean of the college in which the Unit is housed.)
• The site evaluation team will conduct several "batch" interviews with groups of students. These groups may be classes, student organizations, or other representative groups selected by the Unit faculty or Chief Administrative Officer.
• Site evaluation team members will observe regularly scheduled classes in progress. The Chief Administrative Officer of the Unit should provide the team leader with a complete schedule of classes offered during the visit.
• The site evaluation team will conduct private interviews with individual members of the faculty. Typically all members of the team will be present for these interviews, but in the case of larger Units containing faculty specializing in several areas of the discipline, the team leader may assign individual members based upon their expertise to interview different faculty members.
• The team should also hold group meetings with faculty from differing specializations within the Unit.
• Some units choose to hold an informal reception on the evening of Day Two to allow members of the site evaluation team and faculty and administrators of the Unit to interact in a less structured environment.
• Sufficient time during each work day must be allocated for the site team to meet privately and compare notes on the events of the day.
• Time should be set aside, particularly near the end of the visit, for the site team to draft its preliminary report.
• On the final day of the visit, the site evaluation team will meet with the Chief Executive Officer and/or Chief Academic Officer of the Institution, to discuss its preliminary report, and then depart.

After the Site Visit

Within three weeks after completion of the site visit, the site evaluation team leader, in consultation with all site team members, will complete the final report. After ACA has received its accreditation evaluation fee and annual dues; and the site team members have received their honoraria and any travel reimbursements (see Costs Associated with Accreditation), the report will be forwarded to the Chief Executive Officer of the institution, the Chief Administrative Officer of the unit, and all members of the Board of Directors of the American Communication Association. The report shall make one of three recommendations to the Board:

• The unit should receive unconditional accreditation for a five year period of time.
• The unit should receive one-year conditional approval contingent upon making recommended changes reflected in the final report.
• The unit is not recommended for accreditation by the ACA.

After receipt of the report, the ACA Board of Directors will vote on the recommendation of the site team.  They may accept the recommendation of the site team or vote for one of the other two options.

In the case of conditional approval, a follow-up site visit will be required at the end of the probationary year to confirm that recommended changes have been implemented. In the case of a unit being not recommended for accreditation by the ACA, that unit may reapply after two academic years. Reapplication should detail specifically what changes have been implemented since the initial site visit.

Once the Board has voted, the results of the process will be communicated to the Unit under review and to the institution / organization where it resides.

For more information on ACA Program Accreditation, email : ACA Accreditation