AACSB – a platform for success

Northumbria University’s Newcastle Business School is attracting more international students following its recent double accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

AACSB is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degrees in business and accounting – and last year Newcastle Business School was the first business school in Europe to be recognised for both its business and accountancy programmes.

One international student to choose Newcastle Business School because of the accreditation is Axel Junginger. The 26-year-old, from partner institution Heilbronn University in South West Germany, will spend a year at Newcastle Business School as part of his studies for a double Masters degree in business.

He said: “You can get great degrees in Germany which are recognized internationally, especially for the practical orientation, but there is still a certain weight attached to UK universities. When I was looking for a university to combine those two strengths in a double degree, the AACSB-accreditation helped me to make an informed decision in a market characterized by heavy advertising and numerous different rankings. I am also looking to work overseas, hopefully in Australasia or Asia, and I feel that studying at a double AACSB-accredited institution like Newcastle Business School will open the right doors and help me work wherever I want in the world.”

Newcastle Business School is also building on the success of AACSB accreditation by enhancing its academic offering and extending its student exchange and overseas study links with international partner institutions. Axel believes the benefits to him as a German student coming to the UK are equally relevant to UK students wishing to study in Germany. He would encourage students from Northumbria to take up exchange opportunities wherever they can.

Principal Lecturer Doctor Andrew Robson said: “The international market for Masters courses is highly competitive, especially in the UK, Europe, North America and Australasia. The good news for us is that AACSB is a global endorsement of the value and academic rigour of our programmes. We are now revalidating our Masters’ programmes and are increasing the flexibility of our offering by revalidating the courses as both one-year and two-year alternatives, including study abroad or business practice. This provides flexibility, variety of opportunity, and also reflects a global shift in favour of the higher learning experiences associated with two-year courses, whilst retaining our successful one-year options. This approach will I’m sure help us develop in better and stronger relationships with our partner universities such as Heilbronn.”

To learn more about Northumbria University visit https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/academic-departments/newcastle-business-school/

To learn more about AACSB International accreditation, visit www.aacsb.edu/accreditation/

To register for Northumbria’s Open Days on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 June at www.northumbria.ac.uk/openday