AACSB accreditation recognises business schools that meet a particularly high standard of quality in Bachelor and Master programmes, executive education, research and services. For the Lucerne School of Business, the certification is of great importance, as Director Christine Böckelmann emphasises: "The AACSB accreditation is a great recognition for our daily work. In particular, we are pleased that our focus on closely linking teaching and research and aligning them with the needs of business has been noted extremely positively. Our efforts to provide graduates with excellent employability have paid off in the certification."
Extensive criteria fulfilled
AACSB accreditation is highly regarded internationally because a number of strict criteria must be met. For example, clear evidence is required that all lecturers have a recent commitment to the advancement of scholarship and practice in their field of teaching. In addition, the most important competencies that EMBA and MBA participants as well as Bachelor's and Master's students are expected to acquire are measured with an elaborate procedure. "The accreditation procedure is very extensive and has demanded a lot from us over many years. We are all the more pleased now to hold the certificate in our hands," says Andreas Liebrich, Head of International Accreditation at the Lucerne School of Business. The preparatory process leading up to the start of the procedure required three years; the procedure itself took five years.
Harvard, Yale and Co: HSLU in the best company
The accreditation gives the Lucerne School of Business and Economics even better development prospects, especially in the international business school market. "Our graduates who apply for a job in an international environment have better job opportunities thanks to the AACSB accreditation, because the label is very well known internationally," Andreas Liebrich notes. Contact with partner universities around the world will also be easier after certification. Liebrich: "Renowned universities almost always ask for an accreditation seal like that of the AACSB in initial discussions." Among other things, this has to do with the fact that in an international context it is often necessary to first explain what a university of applied sciences is. "The AACSB certificate will eliminate that in the future," says the head of the accreditation process. After all, the Lucerne School of Business now moves in prestigious circles. Only about six percent of the world's best business schools are AACSB-accredited. Among them are big names like the US universities Harvard and Yale.
What is AACSB?
Founded in 1916, AACSB International (AACSB) is the world's largest business education association. The organisation's mission is to connect educators, learners and businesses to help shape the development of the next generation of excellent leaders. AACSB is present in over 100 countries and world regions and certifies very good business schools with its accreditation.
For more information on the organisation, visit aacsb.edu.
