IIM Kozhikode becomes the first AMBA accredited IIM

Good news guys… IIMK PGP/EPGP became AMBA accredited…. During the in-campus session it was promised that by Dec 2010 there is a possibility of getting accredited and yes here it is ….

For those who are not aware –  EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA are the three most highly regarded international accreditations in the business field in higher education.

BTW SP Jain and MDI gurgaons PGP program and EPGP program are also AMBA accredited. Details below –

Management Development Institute

Accredited Programme	Programme Name	Delivery Mode	Country
MBA	National Management Programme	FT	India
MBA	Executive Management Programme	PT	India
MBM	Postgraduate Programme in Management (PGPM)	FT	India

SP Jain Institute of Management and Research

Accredited Programme	Programme Name	Delivery Mode	Country
MBA	Post Graduate Programme in Management	FT	India
MBA	Executive Management Programme	MD	India
MBM	Postgraduate Diploma in Management	FT	India

To know more about accreditions see below –

AMBA (http://www.mbaworld.com/)
With so many MBA degrees on offer, quality has become a key issue. The Associations of MBAs is commitment to management education and development. Since its beginnings in 1967, the Association’s objectives have been:

• To promote the MBA to institutions, prospective students and employers and to increase the supply of and demand for MBA programmes
• To ensure the quality of programmes produces professional managers

An accreditation process was established to secure these objectives. The accreditation is market-driven and has an international in focus. It assesses the characteristics of a business school and its MBA programme against a set of criteria established by our International Accreditation Advisory Board. The senior academics and corporate representatives who sit on the board constantly monitor the accreditation criteria.

The Association of MBAs has two main roles:

• The Association is an independent accreditation body which assesses the quality of MBA programmes (AMBA accredits the MBA programme, whereas EQUIS accredits the institute).
• The Association is a membership organisation for students and graduates of accredited MBA programmes (and selected leading MBA programmes around the world).

EQUIS http://www.efmd.org
EQUIS is an international system of strategic audit and accreditation designed by Europeans for the assessment of institutions in widely different national contexts. Although it is inspired by the particular needs of a European situation characterised by extreme cultural diversity within a large civilizational area, EQUIS is not limited to European problems in its scope. The standards are those of effective education for international management and apply to schools in any cultural environment whether in Europe or outside Europe.

It was launched in 1997 by the EFMD which has championed the issue of quality in management development for many years and has brought together the key operators in Europe in a common initiative. As Europe’s largest network association in the field of management development, with some 400 members from academia, business, public service and consultancy in 40 countries of Europe and the world, EFMD plays a central role in shaping the European approach to management education.

EQUIS has been designed through a process of close cooperation between existing national accreditation bodies in the field of management education assembled in an association called EQUAL. The role of EQUAL was first of all to define the criteria and the procedure of a future European accreditation system. Now that EQUIS is operational, EQUAL contributes to the monitoring of the system and provides qualified assessors for the audit teams.

However, EQUIS can only be obtained by an academic institution and not by an educational programme. There are only 64 educational institutions in Europe that have obtained the EQUIS accreditation. All five of the Euro*MBA consortium members already have the EQUIS accreditation.

FYI, IIM Bangalore got EQUIS accredited in year 2010

AACSB (http://www.aacsb.edu)
AACSB International was founded in 1916 and began its accreditation function with the adoption of the first standards in 1919. Additional standards for programmes in accountancy were adopted in 1980. AACSB International members approved mission-linked accreditation standards and the peer review process in 1991.  In 2003, members approved a revised set of standards that are relevant and applicable to all business programs globally and which support and encourage excellence in management education worldwide.

Accreditation is a process of voluntary, non-governmental review of educational institutions and programmes. Institutional accreditation reviews entire colleges and universities.  Specialized agencies award accreditation for professional programmes and academic units in particular fields of study. As a specialized agency, AACSB International grants accreditation for undergraduate and graduate business administration and accounting programs.

AACSB International accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide.  Member institutions that earn accreditation confirm their commitment to quality and continuous improvement through a rigorous and comprehensive peer review.  AACSB accreditation is considered to be the hallmark of excellence in management education.

Through accreditation, business schools provide stakeholders with the assurance that they:

• Guide educational delivery by a carefully constructed mission
• Select and support students to produce outstanding graduates
• Deliver degree programs with qualified faculty
• Structure learning through relevant curricula
• Contribute to knowledge through research and scholarship