When it comes to MBA accreditation, you have more options than you think!
Accreditation is often misunderstood, and can be somewhat confusing. So it is important to define accreditation.
Accreditation is the certification that a school or program meets a prescribed academic standard.
It is the primary way that institutions assure quality and continuous improvement to students, potential employers, other schools, and the public in general.
Generally speaking, accreditation better ensures credit and degree transferability and/or recognizability among institutions. However, this recognition is never guaranteed. It is always up to the college or university as to which credits or degrees it will accept.
Types of Accreditation:
Accrediting organizations perform two major types of accreditation. The first type is for universities and colleges as a whole. This is referred to as institutional accreditation. The second type is for specific units, schools, and programs within an institution. This is referred to as professional accreditation.
- Institutional Accreditation...comes in one of two forms, either regional or national. Regional accreditation is more common because it has been around longer and is held by most major universities. National accreditation is more limited to vocational or trade schools because the accreditation requirements tend to be less stringent.
- Professional Accreditation...is also called specialized or programmatic accreditation. This type of accreditation is also done at the institution level. However, it only "covers" the MBA (and other degrees) in the business school or specified division.
When a school touts that they have an “accredited MBA program”, you need scrutinize what they are saying. An MBA program can inherit accreditation from the institution as well as from the business school. So, there are really two levels of accreditation available to MBA degrees. By the way, there is no such thing as being "fully accredited". You are either accredited or you are not...there is no partial accreditation.
Accreditation Hierarchy:
It should be noted that MBA accreditation is not a ranking. However, there is a sort of pecking order that has evolved when it comes to MBA accreditation. This hierarchy or pecking order applies mostly to the academic world.
At the institutional level, regional accreditation seems to be better recognized. This is probably because the major schools out there hold this type of accreditation.
At the professional level, AACSB accreditation is the most renowned. So, an MBA from a regionally accredited university with an AACSB accredited business school seems to be the best that it gets.
Keep in mind...this hierarchy has little bearing outside of the academic world. MBA accreditation does not ensure that you will get a job or that employers will recognize your degree. Accreditation is important, but before you attend any school, make sure the MBA from that institution is marketable to employers.
See Also: Regional Accreditation, National Accreditation, Business School Accreditation, AACSB Accreditation, College and University Accreditation, The Council for Higher Education Accreditation
Return from MBA Accreditation to MBA Options home
|
