Accreditation
Simon Fraser University's Faculty of Business Administration (Beedie School of Business) has achieved international accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS). The Beedie School of Business has also committed to integrating the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) in the education we offer.
Receiving accreditation from AACSB and EQUIS verifies that the Beedie School of Business has the resources, processes, policies and programs in place to deliver the highest possible standard in business education. The Beedie School of Business has earned a level of distinction among an elite group of peers who satisfy rigorous international management education standards. Approximately 1% of business schools worldwide have achieved these valued seals of quality.
AACSB
The AACSB is the world's premier accrediting agency for bachelors, masters and doctoral degree programs in business administration, management and accounting.
Founded in 1916 and based in Tampa, Florida, the AACSB is a non-profit organization comprised of over 900 educational institutions devoted to the improvement and promotion of education in management and business administration.
What does the AACSB accreditation mean?
AACSB accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in management education. It represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide.
AACSB International accreditation assures stakeholders that business schools:
- Manage resources to achieve a vibrant and relevant mission
- Advance business and management knowledge through faculty scholarship
- Provide high-calibre quality teaching and curricula
- Cultivate meaningful interaction between students and a qualified faculty
- Produce graduates who have achieved specified learning goals
EQUIS
The fundamental objective of EQUIS, linked to the mission of EFMD, is to raise the standard of management education worldwide.
- EQUIS is not primarily focused on the MBA or any other specific programme. Its scope covers all programmes offered by an institution from the first degree up to the Ph.D.
- EQUIS has established its prestige and recognition worldwide. 115 institutions have been awarded EQUIS, with 33 countries represented among the accredited schools
- Institutions that are accredited by EQUIS must demonstrate not only high general quality in all dimensions of their activities, but also a high degree of internationalisation. With companies recruiting worldwide, with students choosing to get their education outside their home countries, and with schools building alliances across borders and continents, there is a rapidly growing need for them to be able to identify those institutions in other countries that deliver high quality education in international management.
- EQUIS assesses institutions as a whole. It assesses not just degree programmes but all the activities and sub-units of the institution, including research, e-learning units, executive education provision and community outreach. Institutions must be primarily devoted to management education.
- EQUIS looks for a balance between high academic quality and the professional relevance provided by close interaction with the corporate world. A strong interface with the world of business is, therefore, as much a requirement as a strong research potential. EQUIS attaches particular importance to the creation of an effective learning environment that favours the development of students’ managerial and entrepreneurial skills, and fosters their sense of global responsibility. It also looks for innovation in all respects, including programme design and pedagogy.
- EQUIS is supported by a broad international body of academics and professionals.
PRME
The mission of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) initiative is to inspire and champion responsible management education, research and thought leadership globally.
The PRME are inspired by internationally accepted values such as the principles of the United Nations Global Compact. They seek to establish a process of continuous improvement among institutions of management education in order to develop a new generation of business leaders capable of managing the complex challenges faced by business and society in the 21st century.
As institutions of higher learning involved in the education of current and future managers we are voluntarily committed to engaging in a continuous process of improvement of the following Principles, reporting on progress to all our stakeholders and exchanging effective practices with other academic institutions:
Principle 1
Purpose: We will develop the capabilities of students to be future generators of sustainable value for business and society at large and to work for an inclusive and sustainable global economy.
Principle 2
Values: We will incorporate into our academic activities and curricula the values of global social responsibility as portrayed in international initiatives such as the United Nations Global Compact.
Principle 3
Method: We will create educational frameworks, materials, processes and environments that enable effective learning experiences for responsible leadership.
Principle 4
Research: We will engage in conceptual and empirical research that advances our understanding about the role, dynamics, and impact of corporations in the creation of sustainable social, environmental and economic value.
Principle 5
Partnership: We will interact with managers of business corporations to extend our knowledge of their challenges in meeting social and environmental responsibilities and to explore jointly effective approaches to meeting these challenges.
Principle 6
Dialogue: We will facilitate and support dialog and debate among educators, business, government, consumers, media, civil society organizations and other interested groups and stakeholders on critical issues related to global social responsibility and sustainability.
We understand that our own organizational practices should serve as example of the values and attitudes we convey to our students.