The University of Northern Iowa College of Business Administration once again earned the “gold standard” for business colleges worldwide after the AACSB extended its accreditation for another five years in recognition of its continued excellence in education.

Only 5% of business schools worldwide have earned AACSB accreditation, and UNI was one of just 38 business schools in the country to receive the extension in this recent quarter. 

The accreditation from AACSB, the world’s largest business education alliance, demands a focus on continuous improvement of curriculum, systems and processes to ensure educational quality at the highest levels. It is widely recognized as the most respected accreditation business schools can earn.

The AACSB review team commended several initiatives that set UNI’s business programs apart from others including the Professional Readiness Program® and international strategies, which have increased the percentage of students graduating with an international experience from 1 in 19 in 2008, to 1 in 4 in 2019. These experiences include study abroad opportunities, international internships and faculty-led, short-term programs.

“This is a huge achievement and one that ensures Iowa employers can hire students ready for the challenges of a global economy,” said Leslie Wilson, dean of the College of Business Administration. “I am most proud, however, of the review team’s praise for faculty and staff commitment to our mission – making sure students are ready for business. It is through this commitment that we achieved such an outstanding review.”

Achieving accreditation is a process of rigorous internal focus, engagement with an AACSB-assigned mentor and peer-reviewed evaluation. During this multiyear path, schools focus on developing and implementing a plan to align with AACSB’s accreditation standards. These standards require excellence in areas relating to strategic management and innovation; student, faculty, and staff as active participants; learning and teaching; and academic and professional engagement.

Since its inception in 1916, the AACSB has become an internationally known, long-standing accreditation program that has challenged business colleges around the globe to continually innovate and improve the education of their students.