21.2.2023
The School of Business and Economics at Åbo Akademi University awarded a prestigious international quality accreditation
Åbo Akademi University has earned business accreditation for its Åbo Akademi School of Business and Economics by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), an international quality accreditation body.
The AACSB accreditation is considered one of the foremost international quality accreditations a business school can achieve.
“This is a mark of excellence within education, research and collaboration, and we are pleased and proud to count ourselves among the global group of AACSB accredited business schools”, says Malin Brännback, Dean at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Economics and Law at Åbo Akademi University.
The AACSB accreditation procedure is meticulous and takes several years. The School of Business and Economics has been assessed according to 15 international standards, from education and study environment, to research and collaboration.
The assessment is made by chancellors and deans from other business schools internationally. They determine whether the business school has the requisite resources and processes in place to provide students with a high quality and innovative education, from bachelor to doctoral level.
“The School of Business and Economics at Åbo Akademi University benefits greatly from this accreditation when we establish international cooperation and exchange agreements and recruit foreign students and staff. It is also a hallmark of quality for our candidates, masters and doctors who want to pursue international careers. And since business education in Finland is consistently of a very high standard, accreditation is also of great importance for our national competitiveness,” explains Professor Wilhelm Barner-Rasmussen, Head of the School of Business and Economics.
Less than six percent of the world’s approximately 16,000 business schools are accredited by AACSB. The School of Business and Economics will be the seventh in Finland, where several other business schools are still in the process.
“The value also lies in our journey to reach this point. Behind the accreditation lies hard work to develop and strengthen the quality of our education, research and collaboration in a long-term and systematic way. This accreditation was made possible by the solid commitment of faculty, staff and students,“ says Malin Brännback.
According to Dean Brännback, the School of Business and Economics at Åbo Akademi University is characterised by being a department within a faculty of social sciences at a university. The peer review team that visited Turku in October 2022 also appreciated how the School of Business and Economics has turned its smallness into a real strength in a remarkable way.
“The reviewers were impressed by the way we involve students in decision-making and by the intimate and open atmosphere at Åbo Akademi University”, says Malin Brännback.
To read the AACBS press release about the business accreditation, click here.
Contact:
Malin Brännback, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Economics and Law, Åbo Akademi University
+358 50 502 7020
malin.brannback@abo.fi
Wilhelm Barner-Rasmussen, Professor, Head, School of Economics, Åbo Akademi University
+358 50 597 3794
wilhelm.barner-rasmussen@abo.fi
