The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International is a US NGO whose purpose is educational accreditation. It is the world’s largest business education network.
The AACSB Business Accreditation is a label for business school quality. It allows business schools to be part of a selected few around the globe. It is crucial for the university’s reputation and it gives the school a competitive edge.
The accreditation process takes considerable time, an estimated 7 years, with interim milestones based on tough acceptance criteria. The Business School or Faculty of Management develops a plan based on business standards set by the Association: e.g. number of teachers, professors and instructors who have publications; number of faculty members who hold, or consider obtaining, a PhD…etc.
In Lebanon, AUB and LAU are now accredited. The Université Antonine is next in line as a Business School. As Mr. Sami Naddaf, Academic Supervisor and Quality Assurance Officer at the Faculty of Business Administration clarifies, the UA is currently a member of the AACSB and is hoping to submit an application for accreditation in 2017 and receive a feedback in 2020. It is a big challenge! He explains that the AACSB Accreditation matters to the Université Antonine’s Faculty of Management, because it would give it an international seal of approval which ensures that the educational needs of the UA students are met with high quality standards in business education.
Students’ CVs will also benefit from the process. It will increase their hire-ability upon graduation. The AACSB brand is a passport for UA students who will gain a competitive advantage in the local, regional and world markets.
