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Requirements for First-Time Accreditation

In order for the business programs of an academic business unit to be considered for first-time accreditation by the IACBE, the academic business unit must:

1. Be granted candidacy status by the IACBE Board of Commissioners.
2. Submit an application for accreditation. Applications must be approved and signed by the institution’s chief executive officer (i.e., president, chancellor, director general), affirming the academic business unit’s commitment to abide by the IACBE’s accreditation policies and procedures and to attaining and maintaining excellence in business education.
3. Pay its application fee for accreditation to the IACBE.
4. Provide evidence that its parent institution has institutional accreditation from an appropriate nationally-recognized institutional accrediting organization. Institutions located outside of the United States must provide evidence of equivalent recognized institutional accreditation from an appropriate organization in the relevant country or region, or approvals or authorizations to award degrees from an appropriate governing, legal, or similar body. This evidence should take the form of a copy of the most recent letter from an appropriate nationally-recognized accrediting organization affirming or reaffirming institutional accreditation. For institutions located outside of the United States, this evidence would be the most recent equivalent letter, certificate, charter, or license from an appropriate accrediting, governing, legal, or similar body in the relevant country or region granting institutional accreditation, recognition, approval, or authorization to award degrees. In cases where this documentation is written in a language other than English, the academic business unit must submit a copy of the original non-English version of the letter, certificate, charter, or license, and an English translation of the original documentation.
5. Provide evidence that its parent institution has offered at least one bachelor’s- or graduate-level program in business that has produced graduates for at least two years.
6. Submit a current and complete outcomes assessment plan. The assessment plan must encompass all business programs for which the institution is seeking accreditation, must conform to IACBE guidelines as outlined in the IACBE document entitled “Key Content Areas of an Outcomes Assessment Plan,” and must be prepared using the assessment plan template developed by the IACBE. Note: These documents are available for download from our Accreditation Documents page.
7. Fully implement its outcomes assessment plan. This includes the completion of at least one assessment cycle (i.e., at least one cycle of “closing the loop” in assessment).
8. Attend a self-study preparation workshop.
9. Prepare a self-study.
10. Undergo a site visit.
11. Be reviewed by the IACBE Board of Commissioners.

The determination of the programs and locations to be included in and excluded from the accreditation review will be made well in advance of the self-study year by the IACBE Board of Commissioners.

Guidelines for preparing the self-study are found in the IACBE’s Self-Study Manual. It is essential that these guidelines be followed when preparing the self-study. Incomplete, inaccurate, or poorly organized information may jeopardize a program’s potential for accreditation.

> Self-Study Manual (DOC)

A preliminary draft copy of the self-study must be submitted to IACBE headquarters no less than 120 days prior to the site visit. IACBE staff will review the draft self-study for completeness and accuracy. Any missing information and inaccuracies will be communicated in writing to the academic business unit, which will then revise its self-study accordingly to ensure that it is complete, addresses all accreditation principles, and is in the appropriate format with accurate tables. The completed self-study must be submitted to IACBE headquarters no less than 60 days prior to the site visit. No explicit site visit travel arrangements will be made and no site visits will be conducted until the IACBE has received a complete and accurate self-study.

If accreditation is granted, it will cover a time period not to exceed seven years. Under extenuating circumstances, an extension of an academic business unit’s accredited status may be approved by the Board of Commissioners.

Public Notification of Accreditation

Once program accreditation has been granted by the IACBE, an institution must denote this status on its website and in its catalog and official publications, and may denote it in its advertising. The form of notice and specific permissible language are prescribed by the IACBE. Such notice should, in all cases, clearly delineate the name of the business programs that are accredited.

The form of notice that must be used on the institution’s website and in its catalog and other official publications is provided below:

[Institution’s name] has received specialized accreditation for its business programs through the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE), located in Lenexa, Kansas, USA. The business programs in the following degrees are accredited by the IACBE:

• Doctor of [Philosophy, Business Administration, etc.] in [list of fields] with concentrations/emphases in [list of concentrations/emphases] (if applicable)
• Master of [Business Administration, Science, Arts, etc.] [list of fields] with concentrations/emphases in [list of concentrations/emphases] (if applicable)
• Bachelor of [Business Administration, Science, Arts, etc.] in [list of majors] with concentrations/emphases in [list of concentrations/emphases] (if applicable)
• Associate of [Science, Arts, etc.] in [list of majors] with concentrations/emphases in [list of concentrations/emphases] (if applicable)

Public Disclosure of Student Learning Information

Once program accreditation has been granted by the IACBE, an academic business unit must publicly disclose information pertaining to the degree of student achievement in its IACBE-accredited business programs. At a minimum, the academic business unit must make student achievement data available on the unit’s or the institution’s website, but it should also make this information available in hard-copy form should it be requested by any member of the public. For details regarding this requirement, see our Public Disclosure page.

Annual Reports

Annual reports are required of all academic business unit members of the IACBE, regardless of accreditation status.

Requirements for Reaffirmation of Accreditation

Reaffirmation of accreditation is required in order for an academic business unit to maintain its accredited status. In order for the business programs of an academic business unit to be considered for reaffirmation of accreditation by the IACBE, the academic business unit must:

1. Submit an application for reaffirmation of accreditation. Applications must be approved and signed by the institution’s chief executive officer (i.e., president, chancellor, director general), affirming the academic business unit’s commitment to abide by the IACBE’s accreditation policies and procedures and to attaining and maintaining excellence in business education.
2. Pay its application fee for reaffirmation of accreditation to the IACBE.
3. Provide evidence that its parent institution has institutional accreditation from an appropriate nationally-recognized institutional accrediting organization. Institutions located outside of the United States must provide evidence of equivalent recognized institutional accreditation from an appropriate organization in the relevant country or region, or approvals or authorizations to award degrees from an appropriate governing, legal, or similar body. This evidence should take the form of a copy of the most recent letter from an appropriate nationally-recognized accrediting organization affirming or reaffirming institutional accreditation. For institutions located outside of the United States, this evidence would be the most recent equivalent letter, certificate, charter, or license from an appropriate accrediting, governing, legal, or similar body in the relevant country or region granting institutional accreditation, recognition, approval, or authorization to award degrees. In cases where this documentation is written in a language other than English, the academic business unit must submit a copy of the original non-English version of the letter, certificate, charter, or license, and an English translation of the original documentation.
4. Submit the following programmatic information to the IACBE:
   1. A listing of all business programs offered by the institution regardless of the academic units that administer them. These include associate-, bachelor’s-, master’s-, and doctoral-level programs and all programs at the institution that have “business,” “industrial,” “administration,” “management,” “leadership,” or “organizational” in the degree designation or program name.
   2. An identification and description of all locations where business programs are offered.
   3. For each of the programs listed in item 4.a above, provide the following information:
      1. Academic unit that administers the program
      2. Name and title of the program coordinator (e.g., dean, director, department/division chair, program director, etc.)
      3. Total number of credit hours (or contact hours as applicable) required to earn the degree
      4. Number of credit hours (or contact hours) in the program that are in the traditional areas of business education; Note: The following typical disciplinary areas are considered to be the “traditional areas of business education”: business administration, accounting, finance, human resources, information management, international business, management, marketing, economics (principles of microeconomics/macroeconomics), business law, business ethics, business communication, and business-related quantitative methods.
      5. Percentage of the total number of credit hours (or contact hours) required for the degree that is composed of credit hours (contact hours) in the traditional areas of business education; Note: Undergraduate degree programs in business are eligible for accreditation if and only if 20 percent or more of the total hours required for the degree are in the traditional areas of business education, and graduate degree programs in business are eligible for accreditation if and only if 50 percent or more of the total hours required for the degree are in the traditional areas of business education.
   4. For each of the institution’s eligible business programs, an identification of the program’s mode of delivery; This can be fully on-ground, hybrid delivery, or fully online.
   5. An identification of the eligible business programs, and the locations at which they are offered, that the institution wishes to include in the accreditation review.
   6. An identification of the eligible business programs, and the locations at which they are offered, that the institution wishes to exclude from the accreditation review, along with the rationale for exclusion.
5. Submit a current and complete outcomes assessment plan. The assessment plan must encompass all business programs for which the institution is seeking accreditation, must conform to IACBE guidelines as outlined in the IACBE document entitled “Key Content Areas of an Outcomes Assessment Plan,” and must be prepared using the assessment plan template developed by the IACBE. Note: These documents are available for download from our Accreditation Documents page.
6. Attend a self-study preparation workshop.
7. Prepare a self-study.
8. Undergo a site visit.
9. Be reviewed by the IACBE Board of Commissioners.

The determination of the programs and locations to be included in and excluded from the reaffirmation of accreditation review will be made well in advance of the self-study year by the IACBE Board of Commissioners. Subsequent to the submission of the application for reaffirmation of accreditation, the institution and its academic business unit will be sent the commissioners-approved list of programs and locations that will be included in and excluded from the reaffirmation of accreditation review.

Guidelines for preparing the self-study are found in the IACBE’s Self-Study Manual. It is essential that these guidelines be followed when preparing the self-study. Incomplete, inaccurate, or poorly organized information may jeopardize a program’s potential for accreditation.

> Self-Study Manual (DOC)

A preliminary draft copy of the self-study must be submitted to IACBE headquarters no less than 120 days prior to the site visit. IACBE staff will review the draft self-study for completeness and accuracy. Any missing information and inaccuracies will be communicated in writing to the academic business unit, which will then revise its self-study accordingly to ensure that it is complete, addresses all accreditation principles, and is in the appropriate format with accurate tables. The completed self-study must be submitted to IACBE headquarters no less than 60 days prior to the site visit. No explicit site visit travel arrangements will be made and no site visits will be conducted until the IACBE has received a complete and accurate self-study.

If reaffirmation of accreditation is granted by the IACBE Board of Commissioners, it will cover a time period not to exceed seven years. Under extenuating circumstances, an extension of an academic business unit’s accredited status may be approved by the Board of Commissioners.

Public Notification of Accreditation

Once program accreditation has been granted by the IACBE, an institution must denote this status on its website and in its catalog and official publications, and may denote it in its advertising. The form of notice and specific permissible language are prescribed by the IACBE. Such notice should, in all cases, clearly delineate the name of the business programs that are accredited.

The form of notice that must be used on the institution’s website and in its catalog and other official publications is provided below:

[Institution’s name] has received specialized accreditation for its business programs through the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE), located in Lenexa, Kansas, USA. The business programs in the following degrees are accredited by the IACBE:

• Doctor of [Philosophy, Business Administration, etc.] in [list of fields] with concentrations/emphases in [list of concentrations/emphases] (if applicable)
• Master of [Business Administration, Science, Arts, etc.] [list of fields] with concentrations/emphases in [list of concentrations/emphases] (if applicable)
• Bachelor of [Business Administration, Science, Arts, etc.] in [list of majors] with concentrations/emphases in [list of concentrations/emphases] (if applicable)
• Associate of [Science, Arts, etc.] in [list of majors] with concentrations/emphases in [list of concentrations/emphases] (if applicable)

Public Disclosure of Student Learning Information

Once program accreditation has been granted by the IACBE, an academic business unit must publicly disclose information pertaining to the degree of student achievement in its IACBE-accredited business programs. At a minimum, the academic business unit must make student achievement data available on the unit’s or the institution’s website, but it should also make this information available in hard-copy form should it be requested by any member of the public. For details regarding this requirement, see our Public Disclosure page.

Annual Reports

Annual reports are required of all academic business unit members of the IACBE, regardless of accreditation status.

Accreditation Costs

The costs related to obtaining accreditation by the IACBE will vary somewhat depending on the institution’s location and the size of the site-visit team. These costs include an application fee plus travel, food, hotel expenses, and honoraria for members of the site-visit team. Specific information about the costs associated with accreditation can be found by following the link below:

> Accreditation Costs

Apply for First-Time Accreditation or Reaffirmation of Accreditation

> Application for First-Time Accreditation (DOC)

> Application for Reaffirmation of Accreditation (DOC)

More Information

For more information or if you have questions about first-time accreditation or reaffirmation of accreditation, please contact IACBE World Headquarters.