The accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) comes three years after Hult announced the merger with the Ashridge Business School (UK). Hult hoped the tie-up with Ashridge, a player in executive education, will help it secure accreditation thanks to the British school’s business research and PhD-qualified professors. Ashridge had already held both AACSB and Equis accreditation.
Hult said at the time that the planned merger will not only give it a higher profile with employers around the world, it will also significantly increase its full-time faculty with PhDs and, for the first time, give it research output.
The stamp of approval from the world’s largest accreditor of business education is a major victory for Hult which described the two-year-plus process as “an incredibly intensive period.”
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Hult hopes to re-enter the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking
The accreditation from AACSB also means that Hult will now be eligible for re-inclusion in certain global rankings — notably the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking. Hult fell out of the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking in 2015 largely because the FT changed its methodology to require that all participating schools be accredited by either Equis or the AACSB. Before that change, Hult had consistently made the highly influential FT list. In fact, Hult’s first big rankings break occurred in 2009 when it cracked the FT Global MBA Ranking, coming in 97th out of 100 schools. Hult’s best showing in the FT survey occurred in 2013 when it finished 57th in the world.
Presumably, the accreditation approval will pave the way for a re-entry into the ranking as early as next year. The promotional value of being on the FT list is significant and typically translates into a higher volume of applicants and more approval from alumni.
Hult’s president, Stephen Hodges said of the achievement:
This recognition is testament not just to the tireless work of faculty and staff within the school, but of course to our passionate and talented students and alumni. We received some exceptional feedback from the AACSB review team and it is encouraging to hear something we believe so passionately in at Hult from external organisations, especially one as respected as AACSB.
Johan Roos, Hult’s chief academic officer, says that the accreditation process was an intense but gratifying experience.
This has been an incredibly intensive period for everyone involved, and a lot of colleagues contributed in telling reviewers how great faculty and professional staff offer great education to an amazingly diverse group of fantastic students, while we also transform business education. We set an audacious goal, we worked hard, and together we did it. It’s affirming to know we are able deliver the highest international academic standards while staying true to our roots as a disruptive innovator in the field of business education.
Source: Poets & Quants
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