The AACSB accounting accreditation eligibility application process is similar to the business accreditation application. It entails the submission of an eligibility application and supporting documents. The objective of this process is to determine whether a school is eligible to pursue AACSB accounting accreditation.
Institutions may apply simultaneously for business and accounting accreditation. However, if done separately, a school must have already earned AACSB business accreditation to pursue AACSB accounting accreditation.
View an Outline of the Accounting Eligibility Application
It is possible to limit the programs included in the review by receiving formal approval to exclude particular programs from the scope of accreditation. In order to exclude certain programs, the following criteria must be met.
1. Participation
Participation refers to the level of contribution of the included business programs in the development, delivery, and oversight of a program or programs. If the business programs included in the accreditation review provide 25 percent or more of an undergraduate program content or 50 percent or more of graduate program content, the degree program is presumed to be a business program, and it should be included in the review. The institution can request the exclusion of a program exceeding the above percentage threshold, but the burden of persuasion falls to the reviewed institution.
2. Distinctiveness
Distinctiveness refers to the ability of students, faculty, and recruiters to clearly distinguish the program from the business programs included in the accreditation review. For example, degree programs should be included in the review if they are business programs announced or advertised in catalogs, brochures, websites, or other materials in conjunction with programs that are included in the accreditation review. Likewise, all degree programs whose published materials describe them along with the included programs should be in the review. That is, to be excludable, degree programs must not be presented along with the included programs either in the institution’s materials, or in materials from the program for which exclusion is requested. To be excludable, programs must be clearly distinguishable from the included programs by title, by published descriptions, and in representations to potential students, faculty, and employers. The intent is to allow exclusion of programs that are separate from the included programs, but to avoid exclusion of programs when such exclusion would create confusion about which programs of the institution have achieved accreditation.
3. Control
Control refers to the level of administrative control the faculty and administration of included programs have over the program(s) seeking exclusion. Areas of control include program design; faculty hiring, development, and promotion; student selection and services; curriculum design and management; and awarding of degrees. When the leadership of included programs controls (or influences) the features that are a part of a program seeking exclusion, the program should be included.
1. Submit an accreditation eligibility request to obtain the eligibility application.
2. Complete and submit eligibility application for accounting accreditation and the applicant profile sheet to aac@aacsb.edu. Request any program exclusions as necessary.
3. An accreditation staff member reviews the application for completeness and requests any additional information from the school.
4. The Accounting Accreditation Committee (AAC) reviews the application to determines whether eligibility criteria are met and whether the school can feasibly achieve accreditation in the allotted amount of time.
5. After the AAC has reviewed the application, the school will receive a decision letter with the next steps in the initial accreditation process. If the application is approved, a mentor will be assigned to the help guide the school through the initial accreditation process.