20 B-Schools Extend Their AACSB Accreditation

Students at the University of Virginia-Darden. Courtesy photo

AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) announces today that 20 business schools have extended their accreditation in business and two have extended their accreditation in accounting. Founded in 1916, AACSB is the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools, and the largest business education network connecting students, educators, and businesses worldwide.

Though not entirely a seal of approval, AACSB accreditation has generally been synonymous with high standards in business education and has been earned by only 5% of the world’s schools offering business degrees at the bachelor level or higher. Today, 816 institutions across 53 countries and territories have earned AACSB accreditation. Another 187 institutions hold supplemental accreditation for their accounting programs.

“AACSB congratulates each institution on their achievement,” said Stephanie M. Bryant, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB, in a statement. “Every AACSB-accredited school has demonstrated a focus on excellence in all areas, including teaching, research, curricula development, and student learning. The intense peer-review process exemplifies their commitment to quality business education.”

Gaining accreditation is a process of rigorous internal focus, engagement with an AACSB-assigned mentor, and peer-reviewed evaluation. During this multi-year path, schools focus on developing and implementing a plan to align with AACSB’s accreditation standards. These standards require excellence in areas relating to strategic management and innovation; student, faculty, and staff as active participants; learning and teaching; and academic and professional engagement.

To achieve accounting accreditation, an institution must first earn AACSB business accreditation. Then, in addition to developing and implementing a mission-driven plan to satisfy the business accreditation quality standards, accounting accreditation requires the satisfaction of a supplemental set of standards specific to the discipline and profession of accounting. Once accreditation is achieved, each institution participates in a five-year continuous improvement peer-review to maintain high quality and extend its accreditation.

As ratified by the AACSB International Board of Directors, the following schools have extended their accreditation in business or accounting:

Schools Extending Their Business Accreditation:

American University (United States)

Aston University (United Kingdom)

Eastern Kentucky University (United States)

ESCP Europe (France)

Florida Gulf Coast University (United States)

HEC Montréal (Canada)

Imperial College London (United Kingdom)

Istanbul University (Turkey)

National Chiao Tung University (Taiwan)

National University of Singapore (Singapore)

Purdue University Northwest (United States)

Rice University (United States)

The Pennsylvania State University at Erie, The Behrend College (United States)

Universiti Putra Malaysia (Malaysia)

University College Dublin (Ireland)

University of California, Riverside (United States)

University of Pittsburgh (United States)

University of Rochester (United States)

University of South Alabama (United States)

University of Surrey (United Kingdom)

Schools Extending Their Accounting Accreditation:

Louisiana Tech University (United States)

University of Illinois at Chicago (United States)

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