UBC Sauder celebrates 21 years of prestigious AACSB accreditation

UBC Sauder School of Business has again achieved accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), reaffirming the school’s capacity to offer the highest standards of business education. UBC Sauder first achieved AACSB accreditation in 2003, and is now in its 21^st year as an AACSB-accredited business school.

“AACSB accreditation is an important benchmark available to business schools to ensure excellence in research, teaching, outreach and the student experience,” says Darren Dahl, Dean, UBC Sauder School of Business and Innovate BC Professor. “This recognition is a testament to UBC Sauder’s relentless commitment to and continuous improvement in academic excellence, research innovation and global impact.”

Founded in 1916, AACSB International is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees in business and accounting. AACSB accreditation is known, worldwide, as the most recognized form of specialized accreditation that an institution and its business programs can earn. Accreditation is a voluntary, nongovernmental process that includes a rigorous external review of a school's mission, faculty qualifications, curricula, and ability to provide the highest-quality programs. During the process, a peer-reviewed evaluation takes place, with a team of business and management school deans visiting the campus to carefully evaluate the school first-hand.

The fundamental purpose of AACSB accreditation is to encourage business schools to hold themselves accountable for improving business practice through a commitment to strategic management, learner success, thought leadership, and societal impact. AACSB provides a platform for business schools to work together to foster engagement, accelerate innovation, and amplify impact in business education—and create a shared sense of responsibility to have a positive impact on society. 

AACSB now has 1,026 accredited institutions in over 65 countries and territories and 194 institutions with AACSB accreditation for accounting programs.

Earlier this year, AACSB announced its 2024 Class of Influential Leaders, a group of 22 AACSB-accredited business school faculty demonstrating impact through their research. Included in the 2024 Class was UBC Sauder’s Professor Katherine White, Senior Associate Dean, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Sustainability.