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What is AACSB?

What is AACSB Accreditation?

AACSB logo

Achieving Quality and Continuous Improvement
through Self-evaluation and Peer Review

AACSB accreditation assures quality and promotes excellence and continuous improvement in undergraduate and graduate education for business administration and accounting.  Accreditation is a process of voluntary, non-governmental review of educational institutions and programs.  Specialized agencies award accreditation for professional programs and academic units in particular fields of study.  As a specialized agency, AACSB grants accreditation for undergraduate and graduate business administration and accounting programs.  Institutional accreditation reviews entire colleges and universities.

About AACSB

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB-International) is a not-for-profit corporation of approximately 900 members representing colleges, universities, and business and professional organizations committed to excellence in management education.  AACSB was founded in 1916 and began its accreditation function with the adoption of the first standards in 1919.  Additional standards for programs in accountancy were adopted in 1980.  The current mission-linked accreditation standards and peer review process were approved by AACSB members in 1991.  The AACSB accreditation standards and peer review process supports its first strategic objective to stimulate continuous improvement of management education.

AACSB's mission-linked process includes Candidacy -- an outreach program establishing a partnership between the organization and its members who wish to participate in a a systematic program of quality enhancement and continuous improvement.  The Candidacy Partnership makes achievement of AACSB accreditation a more realistic and operational objective.  More than 100 institutions have achieved Candidacy status, with approximately 50 additional institutions in the candidacy process.

AACSB offers development programs for administrators and faculty, collaborates with educational organizations throughout the world, publishes and distributes information about management education issues, and serves as an advocate for management education.  Through these activities, AACSB fulfills its strategic objectives to develop and strengthen the effectiveness of management educators, to encourage diversity, and to increase the understanding of the value of management education.

Philosophy of Accreditation

AACSB accreditation promotes excellence and continuous improvement in undergraduate and graduate education for business administration and accounting.  The review process is linked to each school's stated mission and objectives.  Self-evaluation and peer review assures performance consistent with the school's mission and AACSB accreditation.  The process endorses and supports diverse paths to achieving high quality education and provides guidance for continuous improvement in educational programs.

Mission of AACSB

The mission of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business is excellence in management education in colleges and universities.  To achieve a global leadership position in pursuit of this mission, AACSB will address current issues and identify future challenges in management education through the following objectives:

  • AACSB will stimulate continuous improvement of management education through accreditation and other processes.

  • AACSB will develop and strengthen the effectiveness of management educators.

  • AACSB will develop and strengthen diversity in management education.

  • AACSB will increase understanding of the value of management education.

The AACSB Accreditation Process

AACSB's demanding standards challenge schools to pursue continuous improvement.  The AACSB accreditation process focuses on the quality of educational activities through self-evaluation and peer review.

In the self-evaluation process, a school assesses its accomplishments in relation to its mission and objectives, as well as on the criteria in the accreditation standards.  The peer review is an external analysis of a school's processes for achieving its mission, assessing educational outcomes, and planning for continuous improvement.

A total of 405 AACSB member institutions have affirmed their commitment to educational quality through the achievement of business administration accreditation.  Of the accredited institutions, 156 have achieved additional accreditation for their accounting programs.

BENEFITS OF AACSB ACCREDITATION

The AACSB accreditation process benefits all constituents:

Benefits to Schools/Programs

  • Participation in the AACSB accreditation process affirms the school's responsibility for the quality of education offered and demonstrates its commitment to continuous improvement.

  • By undergoing the self-evaluation, a school assesses planning and goal setting processes and measures accomplishments against objectives.

  • The peer review process includes a review of the program's strengths, limitations and opportunities, with the ultimate purpose of improving educational effectiveness.

  • Peer review provides advice and counsel and offers new perspectives on the program's operations.

  • The accreditation process contributes to the harmony of the business administration disciplines by bringing together all constituents in continuous improvement.

Benefits to Students

  • The school/program has an appropriate mission achieved through relevant curricula, qualified faculty, and effective policies and practices.

  • The degree program offered has completed a rigorous self-evaluation peer review.

  • The degree program offered satisfies criteria established and accepted by the management education community.

Benefits to Employers

  • Accreditation assures prospective employers that graduates come from a program where the content and quality have been evaluated and satisfy established standards.

  • The employer can be confident that the graduate's course of study included an understanding of today's complex business environment.

  • The program offered is current and reflects changes in knowledge and practices generally accepted in the management education community.

Benefits to the Public

  • Accredited status represents a commitment of the program and the institution to quality and continuous improvement.

  • The school/program has a clearly defined mission and educationally appropriate objectives.

  • The school/program has voluntarily undertaken a self-evaluation and peer review.

The business and accounting programs
at Missouri State University are accredited by AACSB.

Office of the Dean
 College of Business Administration
Missouri State University
Springfield, MO  65897
(417) 836-5646

 Please visit AACSB Accreditation and AACSB Accredited Schools for additional information.  You may also write or call:

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
777 S. Harbour Island Boulevard, Suite 750
Tampa, Florida 33602-5730
(813)- 769-6500

AACSB logo