Program Becomes Second in Nebraska to be AACSB Certified for Undergraduate, Graduate Programs
The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) announced that the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is now included in the highly-exclusive group of universities with internationally accredited undergraduate and graduate accounting programs. (June 10, 2013)
AACSB Accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in business education, and has been earned by less than five percent of the world's business programs. Today, there are only 681 business schools in 45 countries and territories that maintain AACSB Accreditation. Similarly, 179 institutions maintain an additional specialized AACSB Accreditation for their accounting programs.
“We are thrilled to have been selected for accreditation by the AACSB,” said Susan Eldridge, Union Pacific Professor of Accounting and department chair of accounting at UNO. “We have always recognized the high level of education provided by our faculty in our undergraduate and graduate accounting programs, but now that recognition is validated on an international level.”
UNO’s College of Business Administration has maintained AACSB business accreditation since 1965 for its bachelor of science degree and UNO’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program has been included in this accreditation since 1980.
UNO joins the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as one of two Nebraska universities with undergraduate and graduate AACSB accreditations in accounting. Additionally, both of UNO’s programs have shown increased enrollment numbers in each of the last five years.
Some notable alumni of UNO’s accounting program include Jim Young, chair of Union Pacific Railroad Co., and David Yates, CEO of Clearwater Marine Aquarium and source for the hit move "Dolphin Tale."
"AACSB congratulates The University of Nebraska at Omaha and Dr. Susan W. Eldridge on earning accreditation for its Department of Accounting," said Robert D. Reid, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. "Dr. Eldridge, the Department of Accounting, as well as the faculty, directors, and administrative staff of the UNO College of Business are to be commended for their role in earning accreditation in accounting.”
Founded in 1916, AACSB International is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate degrees in business and accounting.
Achieving accreditation is a process of rigorous internal review, evaluation, and adjustment and can take several years to complete. During these years, the school develops and implements a plan to meet the AACSB Accreditation Standards, which require a high quality teaching environment, a commitment to continuous improvement, and curricula responsive to the needs of businesses.
“I commend the University of Nebraska at Omaha for its dedication to management education, and for its leadership within the community,” said Reid. “By earning accounting accreditation, UNO has not only met the standards of excellence for their overall business program, but has also made a commitment to excellence for their accounting department.”