Assessing the State of Math Education in ACEJMC-accredited and Non-accredited Undergraduate Journalism Programs

Abstract

Although the importance of mathematical skills in the newsroom has been researched, little attention has been given to math education provided in collegiate journalism programs. To assess journalists' math education in the United States, 341 department chairs from both ACEJMC-accredited and non-accredited journalism programs were surveyed. Results indicated that few programs offered a math course specifically for the journalism major. Instead, most relied on general education requirements and segments of core journalism courses to provide students with math skills. General education requirements in math were typically satisfied with minimal credit hours. The average journalism student's mathematical skills were rated as “poor” or “fair” by 70.2% of journalism chairs. A lack of room in the curriculum was the most commonly cited constraint to the implementation of math education, although others, such as conflicts with the math department and the limiting effect of accreditation standards on the curriculum, were also documented.