The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business – International has extended the accreditation of the University of Louisiana Monroe Business and Accounting programs.
“The AACSB International Board of Directors concurred with our team’s recommendation. ULM’s business and accounting programs are part of an elite 1 percent of programs in the world that maintain both business and accounting accreditation from AACSB-International, the premier accrediting body for business and accounting programs. Thanks to all for ensuring our program quality and providing excellent opportunities for our students,” Berry said.
Of the 50 business schools which received extended accreditation, ULM is one of only nine accredited in both business and accounting.
For more than 100 years, AACSB accreditation has been synonymous with the highest standards in business education and has been earned by less than 5 percent of the world’s business schools.
Achieving accreditation is a process of rigorous internal focus, engagement with an AACSB assigned mentor and peer-reviewed evaluation. Applying for and earning accreditation from the AACSB typically takes 3-5 years and requires regular progress updates to the AACSB. Accreditation is based on three primary factors: strategic planning, participants, and accountability.
The accredited program must comply with AACSB standards regarding the number of and progression of courses. Faculty and teachers must be knowledgeable and capable of teaching the proposed curriculum.
"So accreditation by this group sends a signal not only to students and parents but to employers. They know that they're going to get a great product when they come and recruit our students," Berry said.
During this multi-year path, schools focus on developing and implementing a plan to align with AACSB’s accreditation standards. These standards require excellence in areas relating to strategic management and innovation, student, faculty and staff as active participants, learning and teaching and academic and professional engagement.
Students of accounting and business at ULM will have an advantage coming out of an AACSB accredited program. "Right now most of the high-demand needs in our community are business graduates...There's a huge demand all across the state," Berry said.
