By Sari Wakefield, Manager, Digital Communications, AACSB International As explored in a somewhat recent Wall Street Journal article, "The Diploma's Vanishing Value," the decision to attend college in the United States is more often based on the uncertainty of a degree's immediate return on investment, rather than its life-long value. With "unemployment among college graduates at historic highs and outstanding student-loan debt at 1 trillion USD," U.S. high school students are more often thinking twice about going to college due to economic and financial circumstances (Selingo, 2013). However, students should try to think about the long-term rewards versus the short-term... Continue reading

By Sari Wakefield, Manager, Digital Communications, AACSB International The IESEG School of Management (France), Renmin University of China (China), The University of North Carolina at Pembroke (United States), Universidad ESAN (Peru), and Yeshiva University (United States) are now AACSB-accredited. The following 68 schools have maintained their AACSB Business and/or Accounting Accreditation: Maintained Business Accreditation: Adolfo Ibanez University (Chile) American University (United States) Appalachian State University (United States) Aston University (United Kingdom) California State University, Stanislaus (United States) Clark University (United States) Duke University (United States) Duquesne University (United States) ESCP Europe (France) Fairfield University (United States) Florida Gulf Coast University... Continue reading

By Bo Breuklander, Associate, Digital Communications, AACSB International The task of choosing an MBA concentration may be daunting, especially with the growing number of track choices. But before you choose just any track that looks interesting, keep in mind that your choice should ultimately come down to what you want to do with your career. For instance, how can having a specific concentration help you gain the job you want following graduation? Will this concentration gain the attention of prospective employers who view your resume? What types of advantages will you have after graduation with the particular concentration? Depending on... Continue reading

By Bo Breuklander, Associate, Digital Communications, AACSB International Once you decide to apply to business school, it is best to check the requirements again and again. There are many components to consider for both undergraduate and graduate entry. The application process is tough and getting into a great b-school is competitive. Marketing yourself effectively is an important chunk of the admission process. Research the key faculty members at the school and tailor your application materials, such as a statement of intent, personal essay, or an interview to match the interests of those members and the program as a whole. Do... Continue reading

Who Can Benefits from an Assistantship? Two common concerns students may have related to attending graduate school are the cost of tuition and job opportunities following graduation. According to CNN Money, the average tuition at public universities during 2011 increased 8.3%, and that only included undergraduates. An option to avoid excess debt can be to pursue a graduate teaching assistantship or TA position. If cost or debt is not a concern for you, a position as a TA is still something worth exploring, as it can increase your attractiveness to potential employers. Either way, a teaching assistantship is a great... Continue reading

MBAs and Accounting Graduates Look to Fair Nicely Article has been reposted from BizEd magazine, an AACSB International publication for the business education industry. Visit: www.bizedmagazine.com to learn more about the publication. Corporate trainer Training the Street (TTS) finds that the vast majority of MBA graduates are still receiving competitive job offers, despite their increasing concerns about employment prospects. TTS’s third annual hiring survey, which was completed by more than 300 MBAs from 25 programs, shows that 10% of respondents are less optimistic about their job prospects than a year ago. That pessimism arises even though 94% have been invited... Continue reading

An increasing number of students are pursuing dual degrees in business school. For example, many students pursue an MBA due to the degree's prestige, but also really enjoy marketing, therefore; they decide to pursue a second master's degree (or dual degree) in marketing science. But, how do you know if this is the right choice for you? Determine if Your Career Path is in a Unique Industry that Requires More Knowledge Is your goal to pursue environmental management, civil engineering management, or healthcare administration? All of these career paths require business skills to manage employees, budgets, operations, and more. Therefore,... Continue reading

In today's uncertain economy, and with the number of competitors in the marketplace, having knowledge of business concepts can be extremely helpful and perhaps critical to the success of your startup. Because of this, many quality business schools are offering custom business degree programs particularly for entrepreneurs. If you are not in a position to pursue a full-degree program, many accredited business schools also offer certificate programs (often lasting less than a year) or one-off classes on a variety of small business topics. For example, business schools will allow you to take entrepreneurship classes as a "non-degree seeking student." Here... Continue reading

Earning your business degree online may be your only option, especially if you are raising a family, working full-time, or not physically able to attend classes on a campus. But before you choose the first program that appears on the search results, it is important to find a quality online business program that will fit with your style of learning and provide you with the resources you need to succeed. Determining Your Learning Style Your learning style is based on your preferred sense. That is, seeing, hearing, moving, and/or feeling. Often times, we have more than one preferred sense. In... Continue reading

You have decided that you want to pursue a PhD in business. You know the discipline you want to study (whether it is accounting, finance, marketing, or one of the many other business discplines). Now, comes the difficult, and often frustrating, part of the process—finding a doctoral program that will provide you with the career you want after graduation. Here are a few tips and steps to help make finding the perfect PhD program easier: Decide where you can study. It is pretty rare that students find doctoral programs near where they live. For this reason, you may need to... Continue reading

The word "accreditation" is often loosely used by business schools and universities—particularly by institutions that are not legit, such as diploma mills and schools that do not have the proper credentials to grant degrees. Often times, a diploma mill will gain accreditation from what is known as an "accreditation mill." Accreditation mills are organizations that do not have proper authorization to accredit higher-education institutions. As a prospective student, it is not only very important to inspect a school's level of accreditation, but also by whom it is accredited. This is important whether you plan to study in Europe, the Americas,... Continue reading

What are Diploma Mills? Diploma mills are commonly defined as institutions that operate either illegally or without supervision by proper educational oversight authorities. They grant diplomas that are either not valid (due to the lack of quality assurance) or fraudulent. Because business is the most commonly offered degree field by institutions that can be considered diploma mills, it is especially important for prospective business students to be on guard, particularly when looking for a school outside of their home nation, state, or province. Many such institutions count on students' lack of familiarity with educational systems in other countries and even... Continue reading

Many hopeful entrepreneurs have a tough time deciding between a degree in business administration (such as a bachelor of arts/science or MBA) and a degree in entrepreneurship (such as a bachelor of arts/science or master of science). Both degrees provide a wealth of skills related to running a business, so which one is right for you if you plan to pursue a startup opportunity some day? Degree Programs in Business Administration Business administration programs (both undergraduate and graduate) teach students foundational knowledge of business. These programs require that students take a variety of courses related to the many business disciplines.... Continue reading

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (a U.S.-based organization), U.S. business graduate salary offers have increased between 2010 and 2011. This trend has occurred at both the bachelor and master's degree level. Continue reading

AACSB recently accredited six additional schools, including the first institution in India to receive the accreditation. The schools included: 1. Indian School of Business Location: Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India Type: Private Business Programs Offered: Full-Time Post Graduate in Management, Post Graduate in Management for Senior Executives, Executive Education Programs, and Fellow Program in Management all with areas of specialization available. Website: www.isb.edu 2. Kyungpook National University Location: Daegu, South Korea Institution Type: Public Business Programs Offered: Undergraduate programs in economics and business administration, MBA, Master of Science in Business Administration, Master of Science in Technology Management, and Ph.D. Website: http://biz.knu.ac.kr/eng/index.asp... Continue reading

Most business programs (even at the undergraduate level) require incoming applicants to provide an essay on a specified topic. The topics generally are very similar between schools. For the most part, a school wants to know what you plan to do with your degree, how obtaining a business degree will provide you with benefits, and what type of work ethic you have. If you are applying to more than one school, essay writing can become cumbersome and often stressful. Here are a few tips to help you prepare and compose your essays. Think About What Your Educational and Career Goals... Continue reading

In an effort to lower the country's expenses, the U.S. government will soon stop subsidizing student loans for graduate students. Right now, U.S. graduate students can borrow up to 20,500 USD per year in government loans. As much as 8,500 USD of the loan can be subsidized, if the student is found to have a financial need. Students with U.S. government subsidized loans do not incur interest while they are in school, and their loans have a six-month grace period following the end of their classes before interest begins to incur. The proposed budget plan will not allow any new... Continue reading

There are many universities that offer study abroad programs in business at the undergraduate and graduate level. From summer programs spent traveling with faculty and classmates to semester or year-long exchanges at other schools, there are a lot of options. Common Student Exchange Programs The most common type of study abroad program is the student exchange. This option allows students to take several (the amount varies per program) courses in another country at another school. Most of these programs are pre-established through the universities involved. Meaning, the universities have developed agreements for student exchanges. This enables students to attend classes... Continue reading

Nearly 100 years ago, on June 16, 1916, a group of deans from some of the most recognized universities of the era joined to create an association dedicated to the advancement and quality of business education. Today, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, better known as AACSB, is an organization of more than 1,200 schools worldwide, 620 of whom are accredited for their business programs (as of June 2011). What was quite real about the development of an organization like AACSB was that it was driven by demands from the business community, not the academic community. The Industrial... Continue reading

Besides figuring out how to finance your return to business school, determining how you will manage your schedule of classes with a full-time job should be your next priority. A typical semester is 12 to 16 weeks long. If you are taking back-to-back semesters (such as with an excellerated program or summer term), there really isn't a break from the rigor of lectures, exams, and class projects. Therefore, the routine of days in the office, two to three evening classes per week, and weekends spent studying and keeping up with a household can be extremely exausting. Pre-Plan Your Class Nights... Continue reading

The following schools recently earned AACSB Business Accreditation: American University of Sharjah (UAE) Melbourne Business School (Australia) Rouen Business School (France) RWTH Aachen University (Germany) Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China) Singapore Management University (Singapore) University of Hull (United Kingdom) University of Maryland Eastern Shore (USA) University of St. Thomas–Houston (USA) Universidad del Turabo (Puerto Rico) Winona State University (USA) Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (Germany) Xi’an Jiaotong University (China) The following schools earned an additional accreditation from AACSB for their accounting programs (these schools are already AACSB-accredited for business): Singapore Management University (Singapore) University of Louisiana at Lafayette (USA) In addition to... Continue reading

In addition to examining a school's accreditation, exploring academic journals by discipline also can help narrow down a list of schools that likely have high-quality doctoral programs in your area of interest. For example, if you are interested in pursuing a PhD in management, look through top management journals. Take notes of article authors and the schools they are from. Then, explore their research backgrounds. Are these authors well-known in their fields? What kinds of topics have they researched? Are they recognized as specialists in any one area (such as organizational design, leadership, employee morale, etc.)? Are any of these... Continue reading

There are a variety of AACSB-accredited schools that offer non-PhD doctorate degrees, such as the DBA or EDB/M (Executive Doctorate of Business or Management). Based on 2009-10 AACSB data, below is a list of AACSB-accredited schools with links to their respective programs. Also see archived blog article: "Differences Between a DBA and a PhD" and the Executive Doctorate Programs page on the AACSB student website for more helpful information. AACSB-Accredited DBA, EDB, and EDM Programs (Worldwide) Aston University (DBA) Birmingham, UK (PDF brochure available.) City University of Hong Kong (DBA) Hong Kong, China Cleveland State University (DBA) Cleveland, OH, USA... Continue reading

Each year, AACSB International collects salary data from business schools. This year, worldwide, 463 AACSB-accredited institutions participated from Asia, Europe, Oceania, and the Americas. Here's how the salaries stacked up for the most common disciplines: Accounting New Hires at Public Institutions (Average in USD): Instructors: 67,100 New Doctorates: 136,300 ABD: 106,900 New Hires at Private Institutions (Average in USD): Instructors: 78,500 New Doctorates: 138,600 ABD: 115,200 Behavioral Science/Org Behavior New Hires at Public Institutions (Average in USD): Instructors: 65,800 New Doctorates: 127,300 ABD: None reported New Hires at Private Institutions (Average in USD): Instructors: None reported New Doctorates: 137,800 ABD:... Continue reading

Recently AACSB-Accredited for their Business Programs: CENTRUM Catolica (Peru) Elizabeth City State University (United States) Groupe Sup De Co Montpellier (France) Insper Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa (Brazil) Lingnan University (China) Ramapo College of New Jersey (United States) University of Melbourne (Australia) University of St. Thomas—Minnesota (United States) University of Victoria (Canada) Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand) WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management (Germany) Institutions with bachelor's, master's, or doctoral programs also may apply for an additional, specialized accreditation from AACSB International for their accounting programs. This does not mean that accounting is not covered with the standard AACSB Business... Continue reading