OVER 600 INSTITUTIONS WORLDWIDE HAVE EARNED AACSB INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITATION Tampa, FL, USA (January 5, 2011)—AACSB International (AACSB) announced today that 11 institutions of higher learning from nine countries have earned accreditation in business, and two institutions have earned accreditation in accounting. Additionally, 47 schools have maintained their accreditation in business and nine have maintained their accreditation in accounting. Founded in 1916, AACSB International is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degrees in business and accounting. CENTRUM Católica (Perú), Elizabeth City State University (USA), Groupe Sup De Co Montpellier (France), Insper Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa (Brazil), Lingnan University (China), Ramapo College of New Jersey (USA), University of Melbourne (Australia), University of St. Thomas-Minnesota (USA), University of Victoria (Canada), Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand), and WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management (Germany) earned AACSB accreditation in business, and the University of Melbourne (Australia) and Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand) earned AACSB accreditation in accounting. AACSB accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in business education and has been earned by less than five percent of the world's business schools. Today, there are 607 business schools in 38 countries that maintain AACSB accreditation. Similarly, 175 institutions now maintain an additional specialized AACSB accreditation for their accounting programs. “AACSB commends the faculty, deans, directors, and administrative staffs of each institution for their exemplary work in helping their schools earn the highest honor in business school accreditation” said John J. Fernandes, president and chief executive officer of AACSB International. “We are pleased to welcome the newly accredited schools, and send our congratulations to those that have maintained their accreditation.”

Contact Info Amy Ponzillo Manager, Public Relations mediarelations@aacsb.edu Direct: 813.367.5207 Main: 813.769.6500 Share Print this Article Download as a PDF Resources AACSB Accredited Institutions About Accreditation Accreditation Standards Accreditation Process

Achieving accreditation is a process of rigorous internal review, evaluation, and adjustment and can take several years to complete. During these years, the school develops and implements a plan to meet the 21 AACSB standards requiring a high quality teaching environment, a commitment to continuous improvement, and curricula responsive to the needs of business.

To realize accounting accreditation, an institution must first earn or maintain AACSB business accreditation. Then, in addition to developing and implementing a mission-driven plan to satisfy the 21 business accreditation quality standards, accounting accreditation requires the satisfaction of an additional set of 15 standards that are specific to the discipline and profession of accounting.

“It takes a great deal of commitment and determination to earn AACSB accreditation,” said Jerry Trapnell, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. “Schools must not only meet specific standards of excellence, but their deans, faculties and staffs must make a commitment to ongoing improvement to ensure that the institution will continue to deliver high quality education to students.”

In addition, as ratified by the Board of Directors of AACSB International, the following schools have earned their maintenance of accreditation in business and/or accounting:

Schools Earning Maintenance of Business Accreditation

Schools Earning Maintenance of Accounting Accreditation
Creighton University (USA)
East Tennessee State University (USA)
Pace University (USA)
Portland State University (USA)
The University of New Mexico (USA)
University of Alaska, Fairbanks (USA)
University of Connecticut (USA)
University of Houston (USA)
University of Washington (USA)

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About AACSB International
AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), founded in 1916, is an association of more than 1,200 educational institutions, businesses and other organizations in 78 countries. AACSB’s mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation, thought leadership, and value-added services. AACSB accreditation is the mark of quality distinction most widely sought after by business schools—less than 5 percent worldwide have earned the achievement. As the premier accrediting body for institutions offering undergraduate, master’s, and doctorate degrees in business and accounting, the association also conducts a wide array of conferences and seminar programs at locations throughout the world. AACSB’s global headquarters is located in Tampa, Florida, USA and its Asia headquarters is located in Singapore.

For more information, please visit www.aacsb.edu.