International masters course accreditations
| Author | Millian |
An accreditation means that a course satisfies specific basic standards, as they have been formulated and lodged by an organisation authorised to award accreditations. This will particularly concern aspects including the curriculum, the quality and compilation of the faculty and the admission criteria applicable to participants. Accreditations serve as an aid for recognising quality.
Various different organisations can award accreditations to training institutes and their MBA programmes. In addition to the "Nederlands- Vlaamse Accreditatie Organisatie" (Dutch- Flemish Accreditation Organisation) (NVAO, see www.nvao.net) other well-known organisations with "awarding power" include The International Association for Management Education (AACSB), the Association of MBA's (AMBA) and the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD).
AACSB
The AACSB is recognised by the American Department of Education as the authoritative accreditation agency for business and financial Bachelor and Masters degree programmes. The accreditation procedure is implemented by members of the Board of Governors of renowned training institutes, faculty members and directors from the business community with knowledge of management education. The standards used enjoy widespread support in the American world of education and their aim is for training institutes to commit to quality. As a result of the accreditation, the institute considers it necessary to continuously strive for improvements in relation to areas including: the faculty's compilation and qualifications, the education programme, the intellectual climate, the admission policy, the requirements for achieving the diploma, the library and computer facilities, the school buildings.
AMBA
There is also a lobby for the Master of Business Administration courses in Europe, namely the Association of MBA's (AMBA) in London, which safeguards the quality of management education. MBA courses need to satisfy strict requirements in the following areas:
- the faculty
- the students
- the curriculum
- structure, duration and implementation of the programme
- examinations
- course results
EFMD/EQUIS
EFMD is an international membership organization, based in Brussels, Belgium. With more than 650 member organizations from academia, business, public service and consultancy in 75 countries, EFMD provides a unique forum for information, research, networking and debate on innovation and best practice in management development. EFMD is recognized globally as an accreditation body of quality in management education and has established accreditation services for business schools and business school programmes,corporate universities and technology-enhanced learning programmes. For more details and the Equis list of accredited schools see page 34).
For more information avout AACB please visit http://www.aacsb.edu/
For more information avout NVAO please visit nvao.net
For more information about AMBA please visit http://www.mbaworld.com/
For more information about EFMD / EQUIS please visit: http://www.efmd.be/