Accreditation for Business Schools
The accreditation is part of the business school life cycle which provides opportunities for business librarians to get involved. At this time, however, none of the accreditation bodies have specific library or information literacy requirements.
The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) is the most widely recognized accreditation for business schools. Established in 1916, AACSB International is a global, nonprofit membership organization of educational institutions, businesses, and other entities devoted to the advancement of management education. AACSB International offers accreditation for business undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs, and a separate accreditation for accounting programs.
All AACSB-accredited institutions must enter the Continuous Improvement Review process every five years.
AACSB Exchange: Business Libraries & Research Centers Virtual Community
A newly formed virtual community available on the AACSB's online platform, the AACSB Exchange, specifically for information professionals, business librarians and research analysts.
The goal of creating this community is to build a network of like-minded folks who seek to advance business research and business education in a space and on a platform that many business faculty, staff, administrators and graduate students already use. This distinguishes it from many of our current communities as it is open to non-librarians who happen to be interested in the same topics, and provides us with an opportunity to engage more deeply with our partners. It should also be noted that once you create an account and login, you are also welcome to join any other open community on the AACSB Exchange platform on topics such as Assessment, Business Analytics & Big Data and Curriculum (and more!).
An AACSB Membership Associate has created a tip sheet to help you get started and it is available here: https://bit.ly/2XYu01G
In sum, the steps are as follows:
- Click "Login" at the top right of the AACSB homepage: https://www.aacsb.edu
- Click on "Create an account" under the login button (Don't click the "register" button below it) using your university / college email address.
- When creating an account, be sure to select an institution that pops up when you start typing in the college or university name. These are already established accounts and you need to be affiliated with one to get full access. Libraries are not currently listed, and trying to enter a library name will not work.
- Click on "The Exchange" tile on the AACSB Member Login Portal page.
- Click on "Communities" tab on the top navigation bar, and then "Virtual Communities."
- Scroll down and click on "Business Libraries & Research Centers."
- Click on the orange "Join" button on the left.
Community Ambassador: Laura Leavitt Walesby (Michigan State University
The International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE) was founded in 1997 in response to the expressed needs of presidents, chief executive officers, chief academic officers, and business deans, chairs, directors, and HODs who wanted an accreditation process that was not driven by standards relating to inputs and resources, but was mission-driven and outcomes-based.
IACBE has accredited approximately 1000 business and business-related programs in the United States and throughout the world that lead to degrees at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels in institutions of higher education worldwide that grant bachelor’s and/or graduate degrees. The IACBE does not accredit business programs of institutions of higher education that offer only associate degrees in business.
In January 2011, the IACBE was recognized by the Board of Directors of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
