The University of St. Thomas–Minnesota Earns AACSB International Accreditation Tampa, FL, USA (January 5, 2011)—AACSB International (AACSB) announced today that the University of St. Thomas–Minnesota has earned accreditation for its Opus College of Business. Founded in 1916, AACSB International is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees in business and accounting. “AACSB congratulates the University of St. Thomas–Minnesota and dean Christopher Puto on earning accreditation, and we welcome them into the family of AACSB accredited business schools,” said John J. Fernandes, president and chief executive officer of AACSB International. “AACSB accreditation represents the highest achievement for an educational institution that awards business degrees. Dean Puto and the faculty, directors, and administrative staff of the University of St. Thomas–Minnesota are to be commended for their role in earning accreditation.” 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 maintain an additional specialized AACSB accreditation for their accounting programs. 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. As required by AACSB standards, all accredited schools must go through a peer review process every five years in order to maintain 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 Newest Schools to Earn Accreditation

“It takes a great deal of self evaluation and determination to earn AACSB accreditation, and I commend the University of St. Thomas–Minnesota for its dedication to management education, as well as its leadership in the community,” said Jerry Trapnell, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. “Through accreditation, the University of St. Thomas–Minnesota has not only met specific standards of excellence, but has also made a commitment to ongoing improvement to ensure that the institution will continue to deliver high quality education to its students.”

AACSB International also announced that 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 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. Additionally, 47 institutions have maintained their accreditation in business and 9 have maintained their accreditation in accounting.

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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.