The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is an organization that provides accreditation for business schools and programs of study around the world. Programs that do not receive recognition from this or a similar organization operate below the level of legitimacy. Students who are interested in this field of education should ascertain the credentials of any programs they consider, and this mark of excellence renders the process less cumbersome. If you have questions about the Association, the article below will explore its history and the role it plays in program success.
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A History and a Future
Originally founded in 1916, the AACSB was known as the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business. Its primary mission was to standardize the curricula of business programs in North America. However, with the growth of the international business world, the group has since changed its name to reflect a more diverse and international field.
It serves as a web of connection between students, fields of business interest, and post-secondary programs of study offered by colleges and universities around the globe. Because it has maintained a focus consonant with the needs of the business world, it ensures that programs of study remain salient and offer students the tools and education they require to succeed in the field, no matter where they take their courses.
To date, the Association is made up of more than 1,500 participating organizations, which operate in more than 90 countries. It has served to accredit nearly 800 programs around the world, with headquarters in the Asia Pacific region, Europe, and North America. Given its mission, the organization is expected to continue its expansion, bringing its standards and support to new areas and countries, so that today’s students of business will grow into the roles of tomorrow’s business leaders.
Guiding Values of Diversity
No organization would be complete without a statement of purpose—a mission and the guiding tenets of vision. The member organizations of the Association concur that their primary role is to foster engagement, nurture innovation, and concentrate the impact of business education to meet the challenges of today’s fierce business environment.
The guiding principals of the Association are intended to foster beneficial economic growth and a positive impact on both business interests and the communities in which they are enacted. As opposed to a model that encourages only self-interest at the cost of environment and community, the AACSB fosters curriculum standards that are inclusive, open to diversity and innovation, and guided by a code of firm ethics in regards to human rights and social prosperity. Healthy communities mean healthy economies with greater longevity and stability. This is a model that benefits everyone.
In fact, that’s written into the statement of values by which the Association stands. They encourage and legitimize programs that address their main concerns and foster a global mindset, inclusivity and diversity of cultural approaches to economic models, business ethics, responsibility and accountability to the community in which business is transacted, and a social awareness of the impacts of any business conducted between or within human social groups or states.
If programs of business education are not responsive or adaptive to the swiftly shifting currents of international economies and business negotiations, how can they prepare their students for success in that world? Accreditation organizations exist to assist colleges and universities in this task, providing them with connections to the business world and the latest information regarding trends, laws, and movements. The AACSB is committed to building a better future by setting high educational standards for the business leaders of the years to come.
