Some of you will recall a string of posts a while back addressing the issue of MBA accreditation. This is something that weighed a tremendous amount during my search for my MBA. We discussed the two primary agencies that handle the accreditation process, the ACBSP and AACSB. In working to distinguish between the two, Steve Parscale from ACBSP was kind enough to contact me and explain their agency. After that, I was more at ease.
I knew that the AACSB had been around a lot longer and all the major schools that offered the MBA seemed to have AACSB accreditation. After doing some research on schools, I found that some of the ones I had on my “master list” actually had ACBSP accreditation. This includes my top two schools,
Norwich University and University of Dallas.
The other day, I was just browsing around the web site of University of Phoenix. I have no intentions of going there, but I just wanted to see their programs. Not only did I discover that they are accredited by ACBSP, but they also had one of the best descriptions of the difference between the two agencies.
Below are three of the most important questions on their FAQ (with the third one being the one that actually put my mind completely at ease):
Why did University of Phoenix seek business programmatic accreditation from ACBSP?
The standards for accreditation by ACBSP align with the mission of teaching institutions, like the University of Phoenix, with an emphasis on student learning, supported by continuous quality improvement and faculty scholarship.
Are there other organizations that accredit business programs at colleges and universities?
There are only two major organizations that accredit business programs nationally and internationally. One is ACBSP that accredits the business programs at University of Phoenix. The other is AACSB, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-International. Each of these accredits business programs at approximately the same number of colleges and universities.
Is there a difference between the two business program accrediting organizations?
ACBSP standards for academic excellence are designed to align with the mission of teaching institutions with an emphasis on student learning, supported by continuous quality improvement and faculty scholarship. This is an excellent match with the mission and focus of University of Phoenix. The AACSB standards for academic excellence are designed to align with the mission of research institutions with an emphasis on faculty scholarship and research while recognizing the value of teaching and continuous quality improvement. These do not match as well with University of Phoenix’s mission and focus on student learning and teaching.
The last question and answer above makes perfect sense to me. If I look at the AACSB schools that I was considering, I can tell how the answer to that last question fits perfectly. I am very happy to have found this information. Just goes to show that we should always look for as much information as possible when making decisions of this nature.
Since I had two ACBSP schools on my list (the top two), this makes my decision a lot easier. I hope this helps you.