What is AACSB International?

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International was founded in 1916.

Today it is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees in business and accounting. It is also considered by many to be the leading international accreditation for business education.

AACSB Accreditation is the hallmark of excellence, and double accreditation has been earned by less than one percent of the world's business schools. Today, of the approximate 15,700 institutions worldwide offering business degrees, there are only 711 business schools that maintain AACSB Accreditation. Similarly, 180 institutions maintain an additional specialised AACSB Accreditation for their accounting programmes.

What does Accreditation mean to Newcastle Business School?

Gaining this accreditation is recognition at an international level that Newcastle Business School, as part of Northumbria University, has met specific and recognisable standards of excellence. Northumbria is the first post 92 institution to secure AACSB accreditation. It also sends a clear signal that the dean, faculty and professional staff have made a commitment to ongoing continuous improvement to ensure that the institution will continue to deliver the highest quality of education to students

AACSB Accreditation brings numerous benefits for Newcastle Business School including:

Enhanced employability for business graduates
Opens new international markets for Newcastle Business School
Access to high quality international partners for research, dual degrees and other collaborative activities
Demonstrates quality and ambition of Newcastle Business School to regional employers and partners
Kudos and esteem from being accredited with an internationally-recognised body.

What is the Accreditation process?

AACSB have outlined the rigorous accreditation process in a step-by-step guide, which can be found by visiting: http://www.aacsb.edu/accreditation/process.aspx

The significance of AACSB accreditation and the path that Business Schools must take in order to achieve it is highlighted in a recent publication which can be accessed via the attached link - http://www.aacsb.edu/~/media/AACSB/Publications/brochures/accreditation.ashx,

When did Newcastle Business School achieve Accreditation and how long does it last?

Newcastle Business School were awarded Business Accreditation on Friday 9^th May 2014 - having achieved accreditation NBS must commit to a process of continuous improvement review to demonstrate high quality and alignment to the AACSB Business standards. The School will need to provide an annual report of data and will undergo a strategic review process in May 2019, 5 years after initial accreditation.

Newcastle Business School were then awarded AACSB accreditation for Accounting programmes on Friday 15 August, joining an elite group of just 1% of business schools with double accreditation. This accreditation also lasts 5 years and will be reviewed in August 2019.

How is Accreditation judged?

AACSB implements the Accreditation process by assigning a Peer Review Team who will visit and assess the School. The Peer Review Team is key to the final decision which is reviewed by the Accreditation committee and AACSB Board of Directors.

What are the advantages of accreditation?

The advantages of accreditation include:

Joining an elite group of institutions.
Opening new international markets for Newcastle Business School
Access to high quality international partners for research, dual degrees and other collaborative activity.
Opportunities to build relationships through Affinity Groups – a global network of high quality school to share best practices, challenges and opportunities.

AACSB Accreditation is an assurance that the School produces high calibre, well prepared graduates who are desirable to prospective employers.