By Chung Hyun-chae
Konkuk University in Seoul has earned accreditation for its MBA from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), a school spokesman said Thursday.
“For seven years, we have focused on enhancing practicality and globalizing our programs to align with AACSB’s accreditation standards,” said Kim Yong-jae, dean of the School of Business at Konkuk University.
“We will keep trying to improve the educational environment by securing excellent faculty and taking more feedback from students.”
Founded in 1916, the AACSB International is a global nonprofit membership organization for the management education sector. Its members include business schools, corporations and public organizations.
“It takes a great deal of self-evaluation and determination to earn AACSB accreditation, and I commend Konkuk University in Seoul for its dedication to management education, as well as its leadership in the community,” said Robert D. Reid, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International.
“Through accreditation, Konkuk has not only met specific standards of excellence, but has also made a commitment to ongoing improvement in order to ensure that the institution will continue to deliver high quality education to its students.”
Less than five percent of the world’s business education programs have earned AACSB accreditation.
According to the organization, there are 745 business schools in 50 countries and territories that maintain AACSB accreditation. Similarly, 182 institutions maintain an additional specialized AACSB accreditation for their accounting programs. Currently, 15 universities in Korea are listed as accredited by the AACSB.
“AACSB accreditation represents the highest achievement for an educational institution that awards business degrees,” Reid said. “The entire KU team ― including the administration, faculty, directors, staff, and students ― are to be commended for their roles in earning the accreditation.”