AACSB International Accreditation

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Accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is the hallmark of excellence in business education and has been earned by less than five percent of the world's business programs. 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.

The Ithaca College School of Business has maintained accreditation of its bachelor's and master's degree programs in business administration and accounting since its initial accreditation in 2005. To maintain accreditation, programs must undergo a rigorous continuous improvement review every five years. The 2013 AACSB standards currently hold collegiate Schools of Business around the world accountable in 15 areas of continuous improvement including: faculty qualifications and intellectual contributions, strategic management of resources, student/faculty interactions, career development, curricula management and assurance of learning.  The overarching themes of engagement, innovation and impact are also required throughout these standards.

After a successful peer-review process in fall 2019, the School of Business was awarded an extension of its accreditation for the next five years.

Assurance of Learning

The purpose of assessment is to provide a systematic process which allows stakeholders to evaluate if they are successful in delivering student learning objectives. The Undergraduate and Graduate Curriculum Planning & Assessment Committees (CPAC and G-CPAC, respectively) within the School of Business are responsible for developing, implementing and monitoring the School’s assurance of learning activities and management of the curricula.

Assurance of Learning is done in the School of Business via a continuous, four step process:

1: Develop effective assessment mechanisms that reflect the School learning goals.
2: Deliver curriculum to reflect learning goals and collect assessment data.
3: Analyze and review assessment data with a vision towards improvement in the curriculum.
4: Use assessment data to make decisions at the School level.

Undergraduate Business Administration/Accounting Learning Goals

  • Critical Thinking: Demonstrate critical thinking and the ability to apply them to solving business problems.
  • Written Communication: Demonstrate effective written communication skills.
  • Analytics: Demonstrates ability to extract, manipulate, and apply relevant data to solve a problem, using appropriate software, while communicating results in a clear and professional manner.

M.B.A in Entertainment & Media Management Learning Goals

  • Essential Business Knowledge: Mastery of specific content area knowledge and ability to integrate two or more areas.
  • Understanding of Industry Applications: In-depth exposure to the applications of business theories, concepts and methodologies in the context of the industries studied.
  • Ability to Manage Create and Manage New Businesses: Ongoing involvement with creating contents under the supervision of the Program’s faculty and mentorship of industry partners.
  • Analytical Problem Solving: Apply analytical & quantitative skills to managerial decision –making in a variety of business situations.
  • Social Forces: Solve problems and manage unpredictable situations involving ethical issues and global perspectives.
  • Effective Communication: Demonstrate professional quality written and oral communication skills.
  • Teamwork & Leadership: Demonstrate effective teamwork and leadership skills in a variety of managerial and problem-solving situations.

M.S. in Accounting Learning Goals

  • Essential Accounting Knowledge: Demonstrate mastery of accounting knowledge areas sufficient to enter the accounting profession. 
  • Analytical Problem Solving: Demonstrate the ability to apply analytical and quantitative skills to a variety of accounting and finance situations.  
  • Effective Communication: Demonstrate professional quality written and oral communication skills.
  • Social Forces: Demonstrate the ability to understand and apply the professional ethics code of the accounting profession