Henley Business School and University of Reading awarded prestigious AACSB International Accreditation
Release Date 17 January 2011
Henley Business School and the University of Reading have been awarded the prestigious AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) business accreditation. Founded in 1916, AACSB International is the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools and universities that offer undergraduate, masters and doctoral degrees in business and accounting.
This is the first time, following the merger of Henley Management College with the University of Reading in 2008, that review panels made up of Deans from some of the world's leading business schools, have assessed all the aspects of all the business programmes, ranging from undergraduate degrees to executive education.
Professor Gordon Marshall, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, said: "We are delighted that AACSB accreditation recognizes the quality of business education throughout the University, including in the Schools of Economics, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, and Agriculture, Policy and Development. With the accreditation of all the programmes in Henley Business School it cements Henley's place as one of only 50 business schools globally to have the quality kite mark of triple accreditation."
It takes a great deal of self-evaluation and determination to earn and maintain AACSB accreditation," said Jerry Trapnell, vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. "Schools not only must meet specific standards of excellence, but their deans, faculty, and staff must make a commitment to ongoing improvement to ensure continued delivery of high-quality education to students."
Less than 5% of business schools or universities worldwide have earned the AACSB hallmark of excellence in management education. To maintain accreditation a business programme must undergo a rigorous internal review every five years, at which the programme must demonstrate its continued commitment to the 21 quality standards relating to faculty qualification, strategic management of resources, interactions of faculty and students, as well as a commitment to continuous improvement and achievement of learning goals in degree programmes.
Confirmation of the AACSB accreditation firmly positions Henley Business School in the 1% of global business schools to host triple accreditation status (AMBA, EQUIS, AACSB). Following two separate review panels from the accrediting bodies at the end of last year, the School has received formal confirmation that the European Foundation of Management Development (EFMD) have awarded EQUIS accreditation to the Business School to add to the AACSB accreditation. The successful AMBA re-accreditation of the Henley MBA programme took place in 2009. Whereas AMBA accredits the MBA progamme alone, EQUIS accreditation is for the entire Business School and AACSB accredits all the business degree offerings throughout the University.
To learn more about the University of Reading or Henley Business School, visit www.reading.ac.uk or www.henley.com .
ENDS
Further information from Alex Brannen, University of Reading, on 0118 378 8005, a.brannen@reading.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
¹Triple-accreditation is a reliable method for reviewing the quality of Business Schools and MBA programs, as the overall quality and management of the institution itself is rigorously assessed, rather than specific aspects of a particular programme intake.
Programmes accredited:-
Henley Business School - all programmes
School of Agriculture, Policy and Development
BSc in Agricultural Business Management - a multi-disciplinary honours degree programme combining the study of management with agricultural science.
BSc Consumer Behaviour and Marketing in the Department of Food Economics and Marketing.
This programme includes models on management, economics, marketing, psychology and research methods.
BSc Food Marketing and Business Economics - Providing the tools to follow a business management and marketing related career, particularly in the food industry.
MSc Food Economics and Marketing - Applied economics and marketing and research methodologies and their application to the key challenges facing food businesses and policy-makers worldwide.
School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
BSc Business Statistics and Marketing brings together key concepts in statistics with those in business and marketing, thus providing a sound education in quantitative, management and marketing techniques.
School of Economics
MSc Banking and Financial Systems in the Global Economy
MSc Economics of International Business and Finance
MSc International Finance & Economic Development
MSc Business Economics
University of Reading
The University of Reading is rated as one of the top 200 universities in the world (QS World Rankings 2010).
The University of Reading is one of the UK's top research-intensive universities. The University is ranked in the top 20 UK higher education institutions in securing research council grants worth nearly £10 million from EPSRC, ESRC, MRC, NERC, AHRC and BBSRC. In the RAE 2008, over 87% of the university's research was deemed to be of international standing. Areas of particular research strength recognised include meteorology and climate change, typography and graphic design, archaeology, philosophy, food biosciences, construction management, real estate and planning, as well as law.
Standards of teaching are excellent - the University scored highly in the National Student Survey 2010. 88% of Reading students responding to the survey stated they were satisfied with the quality of their course.
About AACSB International
AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), founded in 1916, is an association of almost 1,200 educational institutions, businesses and other organizations in 78 countries. AACSB's mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation, thought leadership, and value-added services. AACSB accreditation is the mark of quality distinction most widely sought after by business schools-less than 5% worldwide have earned the achievement. 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 headquarters is located in Singapore. For more information, please visit www.aacsb.edu.