AACSB International
Accreditation: An Overview
Eileen Peacock
Vice President AACSB Intl- Asia
AACSB International
May 2010
The AACSB Mission
To advance quality management
education worldwide through
accreditation and thought leadership.
AACSB’s Current Activities
• Award winning BizEd magazine (6 times
per year)
• BestBizSchools.com (searchable student
web site focused on AACSB accredited
institutions)
• Asia office opened in June 2009 to serve
the this important region (5,000+ business
schools)
• Launched Asia version of Business School
Questionnaire this year
AACSB’s Current Activities
Cont’d
• Completing plan for activities related to
doctoral faculty development worldwide
• Member survey completed to provide
guidance and feedback for future activities
• Held 8 professional development
programs in Asia
• Asia Task Force appointed to provide
perspectives on how AACSB can better
serve business schools in the region
AACSB’s Current Activities Cont’d
• Launched in 2009 “AACSB Exchange,”
our social network through our “Members’
Only” portal
• Launching a “Best Practices” searchable
database through DataDirect
• Supports largest database on business
schools in the world via DataDirect
• Issued report on “Business Schools and
Innovation” in April 2010
AACSB’s Current Activities
Cont’d
• Report on globalization of business
education to be issued later in 2010
• Annually deliver 11 conferences and 42
seminars internationally
• In 2009, launched a webinar series on
accreditation topics to be expanded in
2010-11
AACSB’s Network
• An international network of 1229 members
in 76 countries/territories
• 593 AACSB accredited institutions in 37
countries; accounting accreditation held by
173 institutions in 4 countries
• 190 institutions are formally seeking
AACSB accreditation
• Over 400 volunteers annually assist
AACSB in its peer review activities
The World of Management Education
Region
Africa
Estimated
In AACSB
AACSB
AACSB
Schools w/
Accred.
Members Accredited
Business
Process
Programs
13
1
1
756
Asia
172
36
45
5,954
Europe
193
46
52
1,968
58
10
11
1,970
Northern
America
699
490
69
1,725
Oceania
33
10
12
99
1,168
593
190
12,472
Latin America
& Caribbean
Totals
Source: AACSB analysis, as of April 6, 2010
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Global Accreditation Landscape
Of approximately 12,000 institutions granting business degrees
worldwide…
≈10% (1200+) are accredited by
an organization operating on an
international scale
≈6% have AACSB International,
EQUIS and/or AMBA
accreditation
Source: AACSB analysis of publicly available data as of January 1, 2010.
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Global Accreditation
AACSB (570)
Total =
713
EQUIS
(122)
20
(2.8%)
503(70.4%)
42
(5.9%)
5
(.7%)
30
(4.2%)
30
(4.2%)
80
(11.6%)
AMBA
(160)
Source: AACSB analysis of publicly available data as of January 1, 2010.
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AACSB Accreditation Assures a
Business School Program
• Manages resources consistent with a clearly stated
mission
•Advances knowledge through faculty scholarship
•Provides quality teaching and current, globally relevant
curricula
•Cultivates meaningful interaction between students and
a qualified faculty
•Produces graduates who have achieved specified
learning goals
•Makes a statement to external communities about your
commitment to quality and continuous improvement
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Important Stakeholders that Benefit From AACSB
Accreditation
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Students
Employers
Deans and Faculty
Partners
The Value Proposition: Students
and Employers
• AACSB accreditation provides quality
assurance and distinction
• AACSB accreditation may allow
students and employers to narrow
their set of schools
• AACSB’s focus on excellence ensures
high quality academic programs
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The Value Proposition: Deans and
Faculty
• AACSB accreditation is important to
employers and students
• AACSB accreditation supports excellence
• AACSB accreditation validates the high
standards the business school imposes on
itself
• Internal and external benefits are significant
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The Value Proposition: Partners
• AACSB accreditation provides quality
assurance to other partners
• Provides a basis for incorporating
quality assurance into agreements
• Enhances attractiveness of partners
that hold AACSB accreditation
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AACSB Member Benefits
BizEd magazine – complimentary subscriptions
Online Resource Centers
Affinity Groups—connect with colleagues with
similar interest
DataDirect – members only access to
subscriptions and custom reports
Thought Leadership Reports
Conferences and Seminars – members only
discounts
eNEWSLINE
Sponsorship/Exhibit Opportunities
ME Jobs – special member rates
Online Member Directory
Accreditation Resources
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AACSB INTERNATIONAL
ACCREDITATION STANDARDSAN OVERVIEW
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AACSB International StandardsEligibility Criteria
• Authority to grant degrees
(undergraduate, masters, and/or
doctorates)
• Continuing financial resources
• Scope of accreditation
• Diversity in perspectives and
participants
• Expectations for ethical behavior
• Programs have produced graduates for
at least two years
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Staff
&Sufficiency &
Student Support
Individual Faculty
& Student
Educational
Responsibility
Student
Admission &
Retention
Faculty
Sufficiency &
Qualifications
Faculty
Mgmt &
Support
Participants
Mission
Statement
Aggregate
Faculty & Staff
Educational
Responsibility
Mission
Appropriateness
STRATEGIC
MANAGEMENT
Continuous
Improvement
Objectives
Student
Mission
Financial
Strategies
Educational Level
Learning
Goals
Management of
Curricula
Assurance of Learning
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AACSB Standards-Business
• Strategic Management (5 standards)
• Participants (9 standards)
• Assurance of Learning (7 standards)
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AACSB International Strategic Management
Standards-Business
1 – Mission statement reflecting input of key stakeholders
including faculty, employers, alumni, etc.
2 – Mission appropriateness and commitment to advance
knowledge in management education
3 – Student mission
4 – Continuous improvement objectives
5 – Financial strategies
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Accreditation Philosophy-Strategic Management
AACSB accreditation satisfies a moral dimension of
management education through Strategic
Management standards that focus on:
• A well articulated mission;
• Effective use of resources to achieve the mission;
• Constant focus on continuous quality improvement;
and
• Advancement of knowledge in
management/accounting
• Recognized importance of stakeholder input including
employers, alumni, etc.
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AACSB International
Participant Standards-Business
6 – Student admissions consistent with mission
7 – Student retention policies consistent with mission
8 – Staff sufficiency-student support consistent with mission
9 – Faculty sufficiency and student/faculty interaction principles
(participating and supporting faculty)
10- Faculty Qualifications (academically and professionally qualified)
11 –Faculty management and support
12 –Aggregate faculty and staff educational responsibilities
13 –Individual faculty educational responsibilities
14 –Student educational responsibilities
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Philosophy of AACSB International
Accreditation
AACSB accreditation ensures the quality of the
educational dimension of business schools through
Participant Standards that:
• Require appropriate actions and interactions between
faculty, students, administrators, and staff;
• Insure use of sufficient, qualified, and engaged
faculty resources; and
• Expect active student involvement and appropriate
student recruitment policies and support systems
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AACSB International Assurance
of Learning Standards-Business
15 – Management of curricula with focus on continuous
improvement-provides general curricula content
guidelines. Expects participation of stakeholders in
setting goals
16 – Undergraduate learning goals
17 – Undergraduate educational level
18 – Masters level general educational learning goals
19 – Specialized masters degree learning goals
20 – Masters educational level
21 – Doctoral learning goals
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Philosophy of AACSB International
Accreditation
AACSB accreditation ensures the accountability
dimension of management education through
Assurance of Learning standards that:
• Insure delivery of effectively managed curricula
consistent with the stated mission;
• Insure program intentions defined by learning goals;
and
• Insure learning achievement as demonstrated by
direct assessment of learning
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The Accreditation Process:
A Three Phase System-Business
and Accounting
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• Establish eligibility, early stage readiness, alignment plan
• Feedback provided by Pre-Accreditation Committee and
mentor
Pre-Accred • 1 year allowed to develop alignment plan
Phase
• Rolling admission
Initial
Accred
Phase
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Maintenanc •
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Phase
School documents readiness for initial accreditation
Feedback from Initial Accreditation Committee and mentor
3 years allowed to implement plan, pace is up to school
1-2 years allowed for self-evaluation report and review
Review occurs every five years with revised documents
Must document continuous improvement
Standards alignment expected
Strong focus on consultative feedback and continuous
improvement
Pre- and Initial
Accreditation Process
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Membership
Complete Eligibility criteria form (rolling admission)
Enter Pre-accreditation process and mentor assigned
Develop Alignment plan
Pre Accreditation Committee approves alignment plan
Scope of review approved
Initial Accreditation Committee (IAC) approves the plan
School Implements the plan
Enter Accreditation process - peer review team assigned
SER
Visit
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2010-2011 Accreditation Fees
Effective July 1, 2010
Fees from Pre-Accreditation Eligibility Application through
the Initial Accreditation Review:
 Establish Eligibility Criteria
 Pre-Accreditation Fee –
Business or Accounting1
 Initial Business
Accreditation Application Fee2
1,000 USD
4,500 USD
12,000 USD
[1] Includes current fiscal year Pre-Accreditation fee
[2] Due following the submission of the Initial Accreditation application
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Why AACSB Accreditation??
Why not? –
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recognised worldwide
strives for quality
incentive to change for the better
makes one ask questions of one’s self –
introspective process
demonstrates to the world that
a group of peers has said “you are
good at what you do”
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QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION
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Discussion