Business School Accreditation

Business School accreditation is a form of professional, specialized, or programmatic accreditation.

This form of accreditation focuses on business programs within an institution.

Even though the business school is not accredited specifically, most institution house their business programs in a "school of business".

There are three business accreditors out there. While each is independent of each other, there is a "unwritten" pecking order among them.

The AACSB accreditation is the most prestigious as it has been around the longest.

The ACPSP is the next in line and often seems to be used as a stepping-stone to AACSB accreditation. The last and least prominent accreditation is from the IACBE.

Below are the three accreditation organizations that accredit business schools and programs...

• Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
  Established: 1916, Location: Florida, Web: www.aacsb.edu
  Accredits schools and colleges of business nationally and internationally--most recognized and prestigious.
• Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
  Established: 1988, Location: Kansas, Web: www.acbsp.org
  Accredits schools, colleges, and programs of business nationally and internationally.
• International Assembly of Collegiate Business Education (IACBE)
  Established: 1997, Location: Kansas, Web: www.iacbe.org
  Accredits schools, colleges, and programs of business nationally and internationally--spin-off from the ACBSP.

All three accreditations are well established in the world of business education. There are MBA programs covered by all three accreditors listed above. All three require regional accreditation before they will accredit a school. Business school accreditation is an added bonus to regional accreditation and shows that the school is in pursuit of quality.