MBA Accreditation

by Henry Gunther

As you begin searching for a college that has the right MBA or eMBA program for you, accreditation is one of the most important factors. After accreditation, most students tend to rank universities based on cost of tuition, length of the program, whether or not the degree is available online, quality of the resources and the faculty.

Benedictine University

MBA Accreditation

Benedictine University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC).

Benedictine University is a private, top-tier institution with a tradition of academic excellence that spans over 120 years. The MBA program has been offered for just under 40 years, and consistently draws well qualified candidates from all over the world. According to a 2009 survey, 96% of Benedictine students and graduates would confidently recommend the program to a friend or colleague:

  • Accelerated MBA
  • Entrepreneurship and Managing Innovation MBA
  • Finance MBA
  • General MBA
  • Health Administration MBA
  • International MBA
  • Marketing MBA
  • Master of Business Administration – Accounting

Read more or get a program guide from Benedictine University.

Out of all of those equally important factors, it is accreditation that is probably the most important (despite the fact that you do need to be aware of how much the school will cost and how long it will take to complete the coursework).

University Accreditation

For a college or university to have accreditation guarantees you an overall level of quality that has met the standards of the US Department of Education and will assure that you have the best learning experience possible. Schools can take a number of years to receive accreditation as the accrediting institutions review a number of different aspects of the school. These can include the quality of the degree program, the educational resources available to the students, quality of the faculty and even the sustainability of the school over a long period of time.

When looking at a college or university that has MBA programs, you should be able to locate the school’s accreditation on the main page of their website or in a separate section devoted to the various accreditations they have received. There are two types of accreditation any school can receive; regional and national.

Regional accreditation is given by, as you can guess, region. The country is divided into 6 regions. The regional accreditation a school can receive will be based on its location. This is the most broad type of accreditation and the easiest to recognize. National accreditation can be based not on region, but on courses of study, methods of delivery (such as online education), and more.

AACSB Accreditation

Many MBA programs will have AACSB accreditation (Association for Advanced Collegiate Schools of Business). This type of national accreditation is specifically for business-related degrees. Most MBA programs have AACSB accreditation, which means that you have enrolled in a high quality MBA program.

Conclusion

Accreditation from a legitimate accrediting institution will guarantee you that you have received a well-rounded MBA education and that you will get the most out of your time and money. By not attending an accredited school, you could risk losing tens of thousands of dollars for a degree that won’t be worth the paper on which it is printed.