Accrediting MIS Programs:
AACSB, ABET, or Both?
by
Thomas Hilton, Ph.D.
And Maria Stone
MIS Department
College of Business
University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire
Presented at
IACIS 2003, Las Vegas
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Overview
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Resources
Accreditation in General
Credentials Comparison
Scope/Eligibility Comparison
Method Comparison
Standards Comparison
Points of Convergence
Points of Divergence
Where Next
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Resources
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AACSB Accreditation Standards
http://www.aacsb.edu/accreditation/business/standards-425.pdf
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ABET Accreditation Policy & Procedure Manual
http://www.abet.org/images/Criteria/A004%200304%20Accredition%20Policy%20and%20Procedure%20Ma
nual%2011-13-02.pdf
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CAC Criteria for Accrediting Computing
Programs
http://www.abet.org/images/Criteria/C001%200304%20CAC%20Criteria%206-7-03.pdf
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Accreditation
Pros
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Cons
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Official Approval of a Trusted Entity
Content Assurance
Process Assurance
Assurance to External Stakeholders
Guide for Internal Stakeholders
“Membership”
Cost
Loss of Independence
Departure from the Status Quo
Loss of “Membership”
AACSB Credentials
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Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of
Business
Business Heritage
Started Accrediting in 1919
452 Business Schools Accredited
Added Accounting Accreditation in 1980
163 Accounting Programs Accredited
Upholds ASPA Code of Good Practice for Accrediting
Bodies of the Association of Specialized and Professional
Accreditors
Recognized by the Council for Higher Education
Accreditation (CHEA)
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ABET Credentials
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Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
Engineering Heritage
Started Accrediting in 1933
Number of Programs Accredited:
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748 Engineering (EAC)
719 Technology (TAC)
197 Computing (CAC)
• 190 Computer Science
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7 Information Systems
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66 Applied Science (ASAC)
Computer Science Accreditation Board (CSAB) joined ABET in 2000 as
the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC)
CAC Added IS Accreditation in 2002
Recognized by National Council of Examiners for Engineering and
Surveying (NCEES), etc.
Recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
No relationship with AACSB
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AACSB Scope/Eligibility
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Permanently Organized Unit
Goal: preparation of students to enter useful professional and societal lives
Emphasize conceptual reasoning, problem-solving skills, and lifelong learning
All Bachelor or Graduate Business Degrees (25% undergrad., 50% grad.)
Majority of Programs have graduates for at least two years
“Traditional” Subjects: ACCT, B-Law, DS, Fin., HR, Mgt., MIS, Mgt. Sci., Mktg., OM,
OB, Org. Dev., Strat. Mgt., SCM, Tech. Mgt.
Diverse students and faculty per mission: culture, nationality, ethnicity, economic
status, gender, religion
Ethics: Professional and Personal Codes of conduct for faculty, administrators,
students
One accreditation granted for the set of programs reviewed
Full Disclosure and Good Faith Effort
Excludable: degree programs subject to accreditation by non-business accreditation
societies
Excludable: specialized degree programs; e.g., hotel and restaurant management,
engineering management, health management, agribusiness, public administration
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ABET/CAC Scope/Eligibility
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Part of a regionally or nationally accredited higher
education institution
Goal: produce professionals practicing across the
broad spectrum of computing disciplines
Computer Science or Information Systems
Individual baccalaureate degree programs;
different emphases/options may be accredited
separately, but it’s desirable to minimize this (e.g.,
BBA with MIS major)
Students have graduated at least once
Sound foundation in science and mathematics
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AACSB Method
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Application with list of included degree programs
Pay ~$20,000 plus $3,500 per year
Preparation: multi-year Precandidacy, Candidacy
Self Evaluation (including more preparation?)
Peer Review
Notification Report
Annual Reporting
Five-year Renewal
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ABET/CAC Method
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Preparation (faculty, curriculum, students, administration,
facilities, commitment)
Application
Self-Study
Pay ~$6,150 then $230 per year
On-Site Visit (can include objective observers to assure
process integrity)
Notification Report
Interim reviews if prescribed in the Notification Report
Six-year Renewal (Two-year if weaknesses noted)
scheduled with other CAC-accredited programs (e.g., CS)
Evidently can take as little as two years
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AACSB Standards
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Strategic Management: Mission Statement, Mission Appropriateness, Student
Mission, Continuous Improvement , Financial Strategies
Participants: Student Admission/Retention, Staff, Faculty, Support Planning,
Career dev., School Culture, Individual Faculty Responsibility, Individual Student
Responsibility
Learning: Core Content Specifics, Undergraduate education, Master’s education,
Doctoral Education
“The school must specify learning goals for each separate degree program.
Generally, such goals are anticipated for each degree, not for separate majors or
concentrations within a degree. For example, a school may offer a Bachelor of
Science in Business Administration (BSBA) degree with defined majors in finance,
marketing, human resource management, operations management, and general
management. A set of learning goals for the BSBA degree can be provided; goals
for each major (while they may, or may not, be developed for the school's use)
would not be required for accreditation review purposes. However, if the school
also offers degrees at the undergraduate level called Bachelor of Science in
Management Information Systems (BSMIS) and Bachelor of Arts in International
Management (BAIM), each of those degrees would require a specification of its
learning goals.”
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ABET/CAC Standards
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Objectives and Assessments: Have ‘em, use ‘em
Students: Treat ‘em right
Faculty: Must be qualified; majority should hold terminal degrees; some
must have a Ph.D. in IS or closely related area
Curriculum
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IS: at least 30 semester-hours, 12 in core, 12 in advanced content
IS Environment: at least 15 semester-hours in a cohesive body of
environment knowledge (e.g., Business, Medicine, Education, etc.)
Quantitative Analysis: at least 9 semester-hours
• Beyond pre-calculus (college algebra won’t count)
• Statistics
• Calculus or discrete mathematics
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Additional: at least 30 Gen. Ed. semester-hours
Technology Infrastructure
Institutional Support and Financial Resources
Program Delivery
Institutional Facilities
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Points of Convergence
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Vague AACSB learning goals complement
specific CAC curriculum specifications
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Business core and Gen. Ed. requirements
are compatible
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Student, faculty, facilities, and finance,
technology requirements are compatible
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Points of Divergence
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Quantitative analysis requirements may
not mesh
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Will CAC will count Economics,
Accounting, Production management, etc.?
AACSB is college- and business-oriented;
ABET/CAC is program- and engineeringoriented
 IS is more technical than AACSB but less
technical ABET/CAC
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Where Next?
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Standards are largely compatible; hence dual
accreditation seems feasible
Will ABET accreditation be construed by business
deans as IS “unionizing”?
Will accreditation mean loss of independence?
Once accredited, would losing it be a death-blow?
How meaningful is Engineering-related accreditation
to stakeholders (e.g., other business disciplines)?
Does CS/IS accreditation by CAC finally end turf
battles, or does it invite uncomplimentary
comparisons?
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