For more than a century, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business has served as the world’s largest business education alliance. Less than 5% of all schools offering degree programs in business hold AACSB accreditation, signifying the highest standards of achievement and a commitment to quality and continuous improvement.
Michigan State University’s Broad College of Business has been among the elite since it was formed in 1953, and this year, our accreditation was extended once again.
After a five-year continuous improvement review covering 2015–2020, the Broad College and its Department of Accounting and Information Systems have each achieved reaccreditation, alongside 36 schools accredited in business and 21 in both business and accounting.
“We are very pleased to continue to be included among a select group of accredited business schools internationally,” Eli and Edythe L. Broad Dean Sanjay Gupta said. “While AACSB’s exacting accreditation standards sets a high bar on expectations and performance, we strive to not only meet but exceed those standards.”
AACSB accreditation is achieved through a rigorous and comprehensive peer review of the college’s degree programs — undergraduate, master’s and Ph.D. — in all majors, with the exception of programs in the School of Hospitality Business.
The Broad College has developed and implemented a mission-driven plan to meet nine overarching quality standards centered on strategic management and innovation, learner success, and thought leadership, engagement and societal impact. For the review, college faculty and staff helped prepare a comprehensive report to outline outcomes and efforts.
“Creating the 105-page accreditation report for the college was a two-year effort involving 45 administrators, faculty and staff,” Robert Wiseman, senior associate dean and Eli Broad Legacy Fellow of Management, said. “The report addressed 14 areas including student success, the quality of our faculty and engagement with the community. In the report, we showcased the Broad College’s efforts to reshape our curriculum to meet the new challenges facing business, enhance student experience and increase external funding of our research.”
The review team, composed of deans, department chairs and directors from peer AACSB-accredited schools, offered their recommendation for reaccreditation, along with commendations on the Broad College’s strengths. Notably, our strategic planning, research productivity and professional engagement of faculty, curricular innovations and student engagement and support services were high points.
“We are laser focused on developing and following a strategy that delivers on the vision and mission of both the Broad College to be a top-of-mind business school and MSU as a pioneer land-grant university,” Gupta said. “Our strategic initiatives also recognize the importance of and align with AACSB’s current key pillars for business schools: innovation, impact and engagement. We fulfill these by offering innovative pedagogies to enhance teaching and learning, pursuing impactful research and scholarship and being involved in meaningful outreach and engagement.”
Beyond the college’s review and confirmation, accounting accreditation required the satisfaction of an additional six standards specific to the discipline and profession of accounting.
“The reaccreditation process provides an opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of the department over the previous five years, to share that story with our peers and to plan for the future,” Chris Hogan, Russell E. Palmer Endowed Professor of Accounting and department chairperson, said.
“AACSB recently added an accounting standard focusing on information technology skills, agility and knowledge, and also added a requirement to include a practitioner on the accounting peer review team,” she continued. “These are welcome changes to the accreditation process as they ensure programs remain relevant and current. We are proud of the significant changes in our programs and curricula that prepare our students for an accounting profession transformed by technological advances, and also of the accomplishments and impact of our faculty.”
The Broad College’s extended accreditation positions Spartans alongside 901 top institutions across 58 countries and territories under a hallmark of excellence. Furthermore, our Department of Accounting and Information Systems upholds its status among the 189 institutions who have earned the specialized accounting distinction.
To learn more about AACSB and to view a comprehensive list of accredited institutions, visit aacsb.edu.
