More than 700 Institutions, Across 47 Countries and Territories, Now Hold AACSB International Accreditation

TAMPA, Fla., May 12, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AACSB International (AACSB) announces today that seventeen academic institutions have earned accreditation in business.  Founded in 1916, AACSB is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees in business and accounting.

By achieving this hallmark of excellence, BI Norwegian Business School (Norway), Black Hills State University (United States), Dominican University (United States), École de Management de Normandie (France), ESSCA École de Management (France), Frankfurt School of Finance and Management (Germany), Groupe ESC Dijon Bourgogne (France), National Yunlin University of Science and Technology (Chinese Taipei), Northumbria University (United Kingdom), Oklahoma City University (United States), Saint Xavier University (United States), SolBridge International School of Business (South Korea), Texas Wesleyan University (United States), Universitas Gadjah Mada (Indonesia), University of Birmingham (United Kingdom), University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom) and Woodbury University (United States) join an elite group that makes up less than five percent of the world's business schools. 

Today, there are 711 institutions across 47 countries and territories that have earned AACSB Accreditation. Now, through the most recent ratifications, students in Norway and Indonesia can pursue a business degree for the first time in their home country  at an AACSB-accredited business school. Similarly, 180 institutions hold an additional specialized AACSB Accreditation for their accounting programs.

"AACSB is pleased to congratulate the newly accredited institutions," said Robert D. Reid, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. "We commend each for their exemplary work, and are excited to add two more countries to the worldwide roster of AACSB-accredited business schools."

Achieving accreditation is a process of rigorous internal review, evaluation, and improvement, and can take multiple years to complete. During these years, the school develops and implements a plan to align with AACSB's Accreditation standards which require a high quality teaching environment, innovative programming, and active engagement with industry.

"In today's complex world, it takes a great deal of determination to earn AACSB Accreditation," said Reid. "Schools must not only meet specific standards of excellence, but all parties involved—deans, heads of business units, academic and non-academic staff—must make the commitment to ongoing improvement to ensure that the institution will continue to deliver the highest quality of education to every student."

About AACSB International

AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), founded in 1916, is an association of more than 1,400 educational institutions, businesses, and other organizations in 88 countries and territories. AACSB's mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation, thought leadership, and value-added services. As the premier accreditation body for institutions offering undergraduate, master's, and doctorate degrees in business and accounting, the association also conducts a wide array of conferences and seminar programs at locations throughout the world. AACSB's global headquarters is located in Tampa, Florida, USA and its Asia Pacific headquarters is located in Singapore.

For more information, please visit: www.aacsb.edu.

SOURCE AACSB International