AACSB Accreditation

What is the AACSB?

AACSB International (AACSB) is the premier accrediting agency for Schools and Colleges of Business in the world.

Accreditation is a voluntary, non-governmental process that includes a rigorous external review of a school’s ability to provide the highest quality programs. The accreditation process is a comprehensive review of a school’s mission, faculty qualifications, and curricula, and the process includes self-evaluations, peer-reviews, committee reviews, and the development of in-depth strategic plans. Accreditation ensures that students are learning material most relevant to their field of study, preparing them to be effective leaders upon graduation.

What does this mean for Northeastern and the College of Business and Technology?

AACSB accreditation increases the value of the business degree you receive from Northeastern Illinois University. This accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. Less than 5 percent of the more than 16,000 schools worldwide granting business degrees have earned AACSB accreditation.

To achieve accreditation, business programs must meet:

quality standards relating to strategic management of resources,
interactions of faculty and students in the educational process,
and achievement of learning goals in degree programs.

During the accreditation process, the College of Business and Technology was visited and evaluated by business school deans with detailed knowledge of management education, applying accreditation standards that are widely accepted in the educational community. AACSB accreditation is an important external validation of the quality of our curriculum, faculty, and students.

Said another way, AACSB provides proof of quality of our degree programs. When coupled with prior recognition provided for our longstanding diversity and as a best investment, this firmly places us in the High Quality, Low Cost area of the BCG matrix.

What does it mean for you?

STUDENTS

AACSB-accredited schools:

are recognized worldwide by top employers and other universities.
have employers that only hire their graduates.
have more access to recruiters.
have graduates that receive higher, more competitive salaries.
say being accredited improves the quality of their business programs.
say being accredited helps them hire and retain the best professors and researchers.
have students that are more international and are likely to earn higher levels of education.
have students with high-graduating GPAs
are challenging and teach the best skills that give a distinct advantage in the real world.

BEST BUSINESS SCHOOLS: ACCREDITATION MATTERS TO STUDENTS

PARENTS

You might say selecting a business school is similar to purchasing a home. Since it is such a large investment, you wouldn't purchase a home unless it had been inspected, right? AACSB accreditation is a lot like a home inspection but for business schools. It helps to ensure that a business school has qualified faculty, rigorous curriculum that will teach skills that employers require, and proper assessment of learning processes in place.

BEST BUSINESS SCHOOLS: ACCREDITATION IS IMPORTANT TO PARENTS

EMPLOYERS

AACSB Accreditation ensures that business school graduates learn from the best and are ready to perform on day one. Research has found that AACSB-accredited schools have better faculty, curriculum, students, and graduates than other non-accredited institutions.

BEST BUSINESS SCHOOLS: ACCREDITATION NARROWS DOWN GRADUATES FOR RECRUITERS