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Accreditation and International Memberships

The business education arena is now highly competitive. In New Zealand there are six university-based business schools and several more polytechnic-based schools offering an array of business qualifications. It is now more important than ever for business schools to differentiate themselves in the market. Accreditation offers a benchmark for schools to assess quality.

There are two leading international accreditation agencies - EQUIS, (European Quality Improvement System - the quality assessment system run by the Brussels-based European Foundation for Management Development) and AACSB International, (US-based Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business).

EQUIS Accreditation

In 2004 the School of Business became one of three New Zealand business schools to achieve EQUIS accreditation. There are just over 90 business schools worldwide with EQUIS accreditation. As a member of the EQUIS accredited cluster, the School of Business will benefit from increased status and recognition internationally, excellent graduate opportunities, and improved international research opportunities. School of Business students and alumni will benefit from having an internationally recognised degree from an accredited business school.

AACSB Accreditation

The School of Business gained AACSB accreditation in 2006. Established in the US in 1916, AACSB is a long-standing body of education, corporate and other groups which aims to increase the standard of tertiary business education. AACSB is now a global quality assurance organisation. The AACSB accreditation offers the School of Business a formal international benchmark and ranks it among the best 530 business schools world-wide. There are just three business schools in New Zealand which hold AACSB accreditation.

International Memberships

The School of Business is a member of several prestigious education networks including the Partnership in International Management (PIM), the Pacific Asian Consortium for International Business Education and Research (PACIBER), the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD), the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and is a founding member of the Association of Asia Pacific Business Schools (AAPBS).