AACSB International Standards:
Importance to the College of Business at Florida Gulf Coast University

The AACSB International Standards which were in effect during the College's candidacy period are presented here. First, though, make note of the following:

AACSB International Standards - Revised February 14, 2001

The AACSB International Standards are central to the process of accreditation of Florida Gulf Coast University's College of Business. For that reason, the language of the Standards is presented on this web site in complete text form, including commentary on Basis for Judgment and Guidance for Self-Evaluation. Links to the Standards are provided throughout the site.

Every effort has been made to replicate the Standards document (as revised February 14, 2001), however, the Standards language presented on this site is for reference purposes only. The official document is published by AACSB International.

Go to AACSB International Web Site

Some minor formatting changes have been made to the replicated document, and navigation capabilities have been added, for better presentation on the internet.

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ACHIEVING QUALITY
and
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
through
SELF-EVALUATION
and
PEER REVIEW

Standards for Accreditation
Business Administration

Guidance for Self Evaluation

__________

Adopted April 23, 1991
Revised April 20, 1993
Revised April 12, 1994
Revised May 9, 2000
Revised February 14, 2001

Preamble
Guidance for Self-Evaluation Report

Preconditions
P.1 Eligibility
P.2 Programs within the Scope of Review for AACSB Accreditation
P.3 Readiness for Accreditation Review
P.4 Accounting Accreditation
Guidance for Self-Evaluation Report

Mission and Objectives
M. Mission
Guidance for Self-Evaluation Report

Faculty Composition and Development
FD.1 Faculty Planning
FD.2 Faculty Recruitment, Selection, and Orientation
FD.3 Faculty Development, Promotion, Retention, and Renewal
FD.4 Faculty Size, Composition, and Development
FD.5 Faculty Qualifications
Guidance for Self-Evaluation Report

Curriculum Content and Evaluation
C.1 Curriculum Content
C.2 Curriculum Planning and Evaluation
Guidance for Self-Evaluation Report

Instructional Resources and Responsibilities
IN.1 Instructional Resources
IN.2 Collective Faculty Instructional Responsibilities
IN.3 Individual Faculty Instructional Responsibilities
Guidance for Self-Evaluation Report

Students
S.1 Student Selection
S.2 Career Planning and Placement
Guidance for Self-Evaluation Report

Intellectual Contributions
IC.1 Intellectual Contributions
Guidance for Self-Evaluation Report

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Accreditation by AACSB - The International Association for Management Education promotes continuous quality improvement in collegiate schools of business. Standards for business administration were first set in 1919. In 1980, AACSB adopted additional standards for undergraduate and master’s degree programs in accountancy to address special needs of the profession.

In April 1991, AACSB members overwhelmingly adopted new "mission-linked" accreditation standards and procedures for undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs that support institutional diversity in management education.

A collegiate institution with appropriate regional or national authorization offering degrees in business administration and accounting may volunteer for AACSB accreditation review. The initial accreditation process includes the preparation of a self-evaluation report, as well as a peer review.

AACSB - The International Association for Management Education is a not-for-profit corporation of educational institutions, corporations and other organizations devoted to the promotion and improvement of higher education in business administration and management. AACSB supports and upholds the Code of Good Practice for Accrediting Bodies of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (www.aspa-usa.org).

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Preamble

Complex demands on management and accounting education mirror the demands on organizations and managers. Challenges come from

• strong and growing global economic forces,
• conflicting values,
• changing technology in products and processes, and
• demographic diversity among employees and customers.

In this environment, management education must prepare students to contribute to their organizations and the larger society and to grow personally and professionally throughout their careers. The objective of management education accreditation is to assist programs to meet these challenges.

Accreditation focuses on the quality of educational activities. Standards set demanding but realistic thresholds, challenge schools to pursue continuous improvement, and guide improvement in educational programs.

AACSB member schools* reflect a diverse range of missions. That diversity is a positive characteristic to be fostered, not a disadvantage to be reduced or minimized. Therefore, one of accreditation's guiding principles is the tolerance, and even encouragement, of diverse paths to achieving high quality in management education. Thus, the accreditation process endorses and supports diversity in management education.

_______________________

* In this document, the unit offering degree programs in business will be referred to as a school, implying only an organizational arrangement that satisfies Precondition P.1.c. References to "business", "business administration", or "management" in these standards shall be understood to include business administration and management.
_______________________

Acknowledging the diversity within AACSB, all member schools share a common purpose – the preparation of students to enter useful professional and societal lives. Interaction among students and faculty accomplishes this purpose most directly. Accordingly, the accreditation review focuses on a school's clear determination of its mission, development of its faculty, planning of its curricula, and delivery of its instruction. In these activities, each school must achieve and demonstrate an acceptable level of performance consistent with its overall mission while satisfying AACSB standards. Substantial opportunity remains for schools to differentiate themselves through a variety of activities.

Just as managers face rising expectations for their performance and the performance of their organizations, programs in management education also should anticipate rising expectations, even within a given mission. No fixed curriculum, specific set of faculty credentials, single type of faculty performance, or approach to instruction will suffice over time. Accordingly, programs in management education, and the accreditation process, must focus not only on the present, but also on the preparation for the future. The processes used to strengthen curriculum, develop faculty, improve instruction, and enhance intellectual activity determine the direction and rate of improvement. Thus, these processes play an important role in accreditation, along with the necessary review of inputs and assessment of outcomes. As part of each school's effort to prepare its students for future careers, the school should provide a total educational experience that emphasizes conceptual reasoning, problem-solving skills, and preparation for life-long learning.

The primary relationship in the accreditation process is between AACSB and the school to be reviewed. Although many individuals and groups have a stake in the AACSB accreditation process, it is implemented through a series of individual reviews. The process provides a common reference point for quality and performance in management education for all AACSB members.

To be accredited, a school must satisfy the standards set forth in this document.

However, certain standards or portions of standards apply differentially, depending on the various missions and objectives of different schools. This document describes all of the standards involved in the accreditation process.

The accreditation process is implemented through a review of the school's Self-Evaluation Report and through a visit to the school by a peer review team representing AACSB. Because of the link between a school's mission and the accreditation process, and because the assessment by the peer review team will be central to the accreditation decision, it is the peer review team's responsibility to judge the reasonableness of any deviations from these standards.

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The Self-Evaluation Report provides an opportunity for the school to describe its mission and progress toward accomplishing its mission, as well as its processes for the delivery and continuous improvement of quality management and accounting education programs. Thus, the Self-Evaluation Report summarizes the school’s evaluation of itself in accordance with its defined mission and the criteria specified in the accreditation standards. The peer review process confirms achievement of the school’s mission, as well as the effectiveness of continuous improvement processes consistent with AACSB standards.

No single format for the presentation of the results of the Self-Evaluation Report is prescribed. Just as substantial opportunity exists within the AACSB accreditation standards for schools to differentiate themselves, substantial opportunity also exists for schools to individualize documentation of the self-evaluation process. In the preparation of the Self-Evaluation Report, the school is encouraged to utilize documents or assessments created as part of its normal management process to demonstrate its ongoing commitment to achieving quality and continuous improvement as called for in the accreditation standards.

Because the Self-Evaluation Report serves as the basis for the peer review process, the needs of the peer review team members should be considered in the assembly and preparation of the document. Although a school has significant flexibility in preparing the Self-Evaluation Report, the school has a responsibility to compile and present information in a concise and useful format that communicates effectively with the peer review team. Assertions of achievement of objectives and consistency with standards must be supported by materials either included in the Self-Evaluation Report or readily available on campus during the visit.

In accordance with the mission orientation of the AACSB accreditation process, the Self-Evaluation Report should describe the school’s mission, objectives, and the processes established to achieve such objectives, and should provide evidence of the progress toward accomplishing the objectives and of the outcomes of these processes. Documentation of effectiveness of processes should relate to the time period since the previous accreditation visit or interim report.

In accordance with the continuous improvement orientation of the standards, the Self-Evaluation Report should describe objectives for the future, as well as the processes in place to achieve those objectives. Such descriptions will aid in evaluating the effectiveness of the current processes, as well as provide a basis for assessing continuous improvement in future accreditation reviews. Because AACSB accreditation reviews generally cover a five-year time period, objectives and plans for the next approximate five-year period should be described.

These guidelines and suggestions for documentation are intended to assist schools in describing their approach to satisfying the accreditation standards. These suggestions should not be considered either a required set or a sufficient set to be used in the Self-Evaluation Report.

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PRECONDITIONS

Characteristics of the institution in which degree programs are offered have a bearing on the quality of those programs and on the educational value created for its students. These conditions deal, in part, with organization and governance. They also encompass the manner in which multiple degree programs offered within an institution will be considered for accreditation. They are presented here under the heading of Preconditions for accreditation.

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P.1. ELIGIBILITY

INTERPRETATION: The attributes described in this precondition are more important than the title of the unit offering the programs submitted for accreditation. The unit may be known as a curriculum, faculty, department, school, college or other title, provided this condition is met. A degree program in business that is offered by an informal federation of faculty with no continuing budget or with no authority to propose full-time faculty appointments does not meet this requirement. If the parent institution has a system of tenured faculty appointments, the unit offering programs in business should be able to propose tenure-track appointments and also should be able to recommend individuals for tenured appointments.

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P.2. PROGRAMS WITHIN THE SCOPE OF REVIEW FOR AACSB ACCREDITATION

INTERPRETATION: The accreditation review will consider the full set of degree programs in business offered by the institution, in accordance with these standards. The administrative structure within which the programs are offered is at the discretion of the institution. The outcome of the accreditation review will be one accreditation decision with regard to this set of programs.

An institution offering programs in business at multiple degree levels shall submit all such programs for review at the time of initial accreditation. If an accredited institution initiates a degree program in business at a new level (e.g., at the master’s level, when degrees previously had been offered at only the baccalaureate and doctoral levels), all programs at all levels must be reviewed within five years of the initiation of the program at the new level.

INTERPRETATION: Programs offered by the institution that (1) permit more than 25 percent of a baccalaureate program or 50 percent of a master’s program in course content or credit hours in subjects commonly available in a school of business, or (2) convey any connotation of a program in business administration or management normally will be included within the scope of the accreditation review. However, degree programs for a particular industry (including but not limited to hotel management, agribusiness, recreation management, health care administration, and engineering management) offered outside of the business unit will not fall within the scope of the accreditation review.

Degree programs in secondary business education, whether offered inside the business unit or elsewhere in the institution, will not fall within the scope of the accreditation review.

Non-business degree programs offered by the business unit will not fall within the scope of the accreditation review. Publicity, curriculum, and placement records will be used to determine whether these are business degree programs.

INTERPRETATION: A branch unit that is included in an institution’s accreditation cannot have separate business accreditation under these standards. A branch unit with separate institutional accreditation cannot be included in the business accreditation review for another institution. Off-campus course offerings that allow automatic transfer of credit to an institution will be considered part of that institution’s offerings and subject to review when that institution submits programs for accreditation review.

Degree programs in business administration or management delivered via telecommunications or other electronic means will be reviewed along with the institution’s other degree programs. Although an institution may use a variety of educational delivery systems at various locations, the institution must demonstrate comparable quality of its educational programs for all students.

AACSB encourages developing academic linkages between institutions accredited by AACSB and institutions in other countries. These interactions are appropriate and desirable in response to the globalization of business activity. Academic linkages may result in the transfer of credits to the institution whose programs are accredited by AACSB. These credit transfers must be subject to normal faculty review and validation procedures. If the linkage results in the conferral of a business degree by the institution whose programs are being reviewed, the entire academic program, including the component offered at the external institution, will be included within the accreditation review. This accreditation review may require visits to review academic activities at any institution that significantly contributes to the degree programs.

Because of international linkages, institutions holding AACSB accreditation may contribute to a degree program offered by an institution in another country. If the degree program conveys any connotation of being a degree program of the institution holding AACSB accreditation, the entire academic program will be subjected to AACSB accreditation review. If the degree program does not convey any connotation of being a degree program of the institution holding AACSB accreditation, it may be excluded from the accreditation review.

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INTERPRETATION: Programs must have produced information concerning graduates and their placement, as well as evidence of ongoing processes for curriculum development, assessment of teaching effectiveness, and faculty development and evaluation. Schools reviewed for business reaccreditation are presumed to satisfy this precondition.

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INTERPRETATION: Separate accounting accreditation may be sought at the election of the school seeking AACSB business administration accreditation. Standards for accounting accreditation are an extension of the standards applicable to business administration or management. The STANDARDS FOR ACCOUNTING ACCREDITATION, a separate section of this document, state the requirements for accreditation in accounting.

When an institution submits degree programs in accounting for separate accreditation review, all accounting programs offered will be included in the review, and one accreditation decision will be the result of that review.

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The objective of this section of the Self-Evaluation Report is to describe the effectiveness of the organization and governance in achieving the school’s mission and educational objectives, and to demonstrate consistency with the precondition standards.

Provide the following:

1. General Information



• Name of business school,
• Name of dean,
• Name of university,
• Address, telephone, and facsimile numbers,
• Date of submission of Self-Evaluation Report,
• Individual to contact for questions related to the Self-Evaluation Report,
• Certification of the accuracy of the submitted materials by the chief executive officer of the institution and by the head of the business school, and
• Copies of the most recent business school and university catalogs describing all business administration programs.



2. Preconditions



• Designation of institutional degree-granting accreditation,
• Description of (or reference to documents that describe) the business school’s position in the institution’s organizational structure,
• Description (or reference to documents that describe) the institution’s policies with regard to underrepresented groups,
• List of all degree programs offered by the business school,
• Description of programs that convey a business administration or management emphasis offered elsewhere in the institution,
• Description of all programs delivered to or at off-campus locations, and
• Number of degrees awarded by program and location for the period covered in the Self-Evaluation Report (i.e., period since previous accreditation visit or interim report).
• Discuss the effectiveness of the organization and governance in accomplishing the school’s mission and in achieving quality and continuous improvement.

NOTE: Accounting units seeking accreditation of their accounting programs should refer to the Guidance for Self-Evaluation Report included in the accounting standards.

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MISSION AND OBJECTIVES

The school should articulate its mission as a guide to its view of the future, its planned evolution and its infrastructure and use of resources. The accreditation evaluation process for a school is linked to its mission.

Each business school is faced with choices as a result of a wide range of opportunities and inevitable resource limitations. The development of a mission requires decisions regarding these alternatives, and the mission embodies these choices. Within each school, decisions must be made regarding the relative emphasis across a number of dimensions. To satisfy the Mission and Objectives Standards, these choices must be documented.

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M. MISSION

BASIS FOR JUDGMENT: To satisfy this standard, a school must demonstrate that its mission:

• Emphasizes the achievement of high quality in each of its degree programs as one of its educational objectives,
• Is the outcome of a process in which the viewpoints of various constituencies have been considered,
• Is reviewed periodically and revised as needed, and
• Is consistent with institutional resources.

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The objective of this section of the Self-Evaluation Report is to describe the mission that the school defines for itself. The description should provide information concerning the translation of the mission statement into: educational objectives for degree programs, faculty priorities, and priorities for intellectual and service activities.

B. In describing the school's mission, programs and/or educational objectives, discuss:

• The relative emphasis given to each degree program,
• The types of students and other constituents served by each degree program,
• The geographical orientation of each degree program (local, regional, national, international),
• The priorities and expectations of the faculty related to teaching in degree programs, intellectual contributions, and service,
• The priorities established for the faculty's intellectual contributions related to the school's mission, and
• Expectations concerning the nature and extent of service activities (if significant) and their relationships to teaching and intellectual contributions. Service refers to support given to academic or professional organizations, professional contribution to organizations in the community or region, teaching in non-degree executive education, and the like.

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FACULTY COMPOSITION AND DEVELOPMENT

The faculty's composition and qualifications are essential to the school's educational programs. These qualifications are key to creating and delivering high quality degree programs.

Each school recruits, develops, and maintains a faculty to accomplish its mission with respect to instruction, intellectual contributions, and service. A variety of faculty skills is needed to meet any school's mission and individual faculty members may be appointed to meet specific aspects of the mission.

Faculty resources and faculty management should be consonant with the school's stated mission. The aspirations of individual institutions may create circumstances unforeseen in these more general statements. It is the visit team's responsibility to judge the reasonableness of any deviations from the standards.

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FD.l FACULTY PLANNING

BASIS FOR JUDGEMENT: To satisfy this standard, a plan for faculty resources management must be in place.

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FD.2 FACULTY RECRUITMENT, SELECTION, AND ORIENTATION

BASIS FOR JUDGEMENT: To satisfy this standard:

• Recruitment and selection practices must be consistent with the school’s mission and programs.
• Practices for orienting new faculty to the school should exist and should create an understanding of the expectations for new faculty members, and
• Recruitment and selection practices should include efforts to achieve demographic diversity in the faculty consistent with the school's mission and student population.

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FD.3 FACULTY DEVELOPMENT, PROMOTION, RETENTION, AND RENEWAL

Development, promotion, retention, and renewal of business school faculty should reflect both the school's mission and the demanding competitive and technological challenges faced by businesses. To gain understanding of these challenges, faculty should interact with people in organizations on subjects related to the phenomena about which they teach, perform research, and publish.

Business schools need mechanisms through which faculty observe business practices in action so they may learn the applicability and relevance of the ideas and concepts developed through their intellectual activities. Moreover, this improves the content of instructional development and teaching. Faculty whose primary emphasis is theory development can benefit by efforts to integrate theory with practice.

INTERPRETATION: Continuing intellectual development activities may vary across schools with different missions. These activities may include involvement with leading-edge, innovative practitioners; conversion of discipline-based research results for application in problem-focused and cross-disciplinary situations; and other forms of intellectual activity, such as writing textbooks and related teaching materials, incorporating information technology in teaching and research activities, and providing leadership to professional associations.

FD.3.d: The school should support faculty participation in academic and professional organizations.

BASIS FOR JUDGEMENT: To satisfy this standard, the school must demonstrate that:

• Identifiable processes exist that support faculty development,
• Review and evaluation processes yield results consistent with the school’s mission and objectives, and the results demonstrate that attention is given to instructional issues in the reviews,
• Resources are allocated to faculty development activities,
• A broad cross-section of the faculty, normally exceeding 80 percent, engages in continuing intellectual development activities,
• Faculty activities include participation in academic and professional organizations, and
• The school monitors outside faculty activities for consistency with applicable policies.

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FD.4 FACULTY SIZE, COMPOSITION, AND DEPLOYMENT

BASIS FOR JUDGMENT: To satisfy this standard:

• An adequate faculty complement must exist that provides continuing improvement in support of the full range of the school’s degree programs. The full-time equivalent (FTE) faculty complement should normally exceed the minimum full-time equivalent (MFTE) faculty, which is defined as the sum of:
• One FTE for each 400 undergraduate student credit hours per term, and
• One FTE for each 300 graduate student credit hours per term.

The faculty complement might appropriately be less than the MFTE if extensive commitments have been made to effective alternate mechanisms for delivering quality instruction. The faculty complement should be larger than the MFTE if faculty have extensive commitments to other activities, such as executive education, research, and professional service.

• Normally, full-time faculty should constitute at least 75 percent of the MFTE as defined above.
• At least 60 percent of the student credit hours in each discipline are taught by full-time faculty.
• For each path through which a student can obtain a particular degree, at least 60 percent of the student credit hours are taught by full-time faculty. This applies to degree programs, day and evening programs, and locations.
• Faculty resources are managed to permit faculty members to meet the expectations that are held for them with regard to teaching, intellectual contribution, and service, as derived from the school’s mission. The school’s mission must include an explicit commitment to intellectual contributions. To support this commitment, teaching loads normally should not exceed 12 hours per term. For a school that places greater emphasis on intellectual contributions, teaching loads may be adjusted downward accordingly.

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FD.5 FACULTY QUALIFICATIONS

FD.5: The faculty, in aggregate, should have sufficient academic and professional qualifications to accomplish the school's mission.

INTERPRETATION: The following statements define academically and professionally qualified faculty.

Academic qualification requires a combination of original academic preparation (degree completion) augmented by subsequent activities that maintain or establish preparation for current teaching responsibilities.

1. A doctoral degree in the area in which the individual teaches.

   This qualification includes individuals holding the JD degree who teach business law or legal environment of business and individuals who teach taxation holding (1) LLM (in taxation)/CPA, or (2) JD with an accounting master’s degree.

2. A doctoral degree in a business field, but primary teaching responsibility in a business field that is not the area of academic preparation.

   Persons meeting this condition normally will be considered to be academically qualified, assuming they maintain active involvement in the areas of teaching responsibility through writing, participation in professional meetings, or related activities. Those with doctoral degrees in areas related to the field in which they teach are translating their expertise in ways relevant to business. Since many business theories and practices derive from related business fields, these business doctorates can be important faculty resources. The greater the disparity between the field of academic preparation and the area of teaching, the greater the need for supplemental preparation in the form of professional development.

3. A doctoral degree outside of business, but primary teaching responsibilities that incorporate the area of academic preparation.

   Those with doctoral degrees in areas related to the filed in which they teach are translating their expertise in ways relevant to business. Since many business theories and practices derive from basic disciplines outside of business, these individuals can be important faculty resources. Therefore, faculty meeting this condition normally will be considered academically qualified, provided they maintain active involvement in areas of teaching responsibility as outlined above. The greater the disparity between the field of academic preparation and the area of teaching, the greater the need for supplemental preparation in the form of professional development.

4. A doctoral degree outside of business and primary teaching responsibilities that do not incorporate the area of academic preparation.

   Those meeting this condition would not be considered academically qualified without additional preparation. To be considered academically qualified, an individual meeting this condition must have completed additional coursework or personal study sufficient to provide a base for participation in the mix of teaching, intellectual contribution, and service sought by the school. The burden of justification in these cases rests with the school under review.

5. Substantial specialized coursework in the field of primary teaching responsibilities, but no doctoral degree.

   Individuals meeting this condition may constitute specialized instructional resources for the school. Such a faculty member may have a specialized master’s degree in a business-related field and have completed some coursework in a business-related doctoral program, or currently may be a student in a business doctoral program. These individuals are considered to be academically qualified, but their number should be limited. A school should not be substantially dependent in any discipline on persons with these qualifications.

Professionally Qualified: Both relevant academic preparation and relevant professional experience will be required in establishing a faculty member as professionally qualified. Normally, the academic preparation should consist of master’s degree in a field related to the area of teaching assignment. Normally, the professional experience should be relevant to the faculty member’s teaching assignment, significant in duration and level of responsibility, and current at the time of hiring. The burden of justification regarding professionally qualified faculty rests with the school under review.

BASIS FOR JUDGEMENT: To satisfy this standard:

• The academically qualified portion of the faculty (as defined in the interpretation above) should not fall below 50 percent of the minimum full-time equivalent (MFTE) faculty. The percentage required varies for schools with different missions. The percentage of academically qualified faculty required for a school with graduate degree programs should exceed the percentage required for schools with no graduate degree programs. For example, a school with a doctoral program and an emphasis on basic scholarship might require a faculty consisting predominantly of individuals with academic qualifications as defined above.

• The total number of FTE faculty who either are academically qualified or professionally qualified (or both) must constitute at least 90 percent of the MFTE faculty.

• Qualified faculty are distributed across programs and disciplines consistent with the school’s mission and the student’s needs.

• Classification as academically or professionally qualified may be lost if there is no evidence of faculty development, intellectual contributions, or current professional experience relevant to the teaching field within the five-year period preceding the accreditation review.

• The number of FTE faculty who are academically qualified but who do not possess doctoral degrees should not exceed 10 percent of the total FTE faculty.

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The objective of this section of the Self-Evaluation Report is to describe the effectiveness of faculty composition, development, and deployment in achieving the school’s mission and educational objectives, and to demonstrate consistency with the faculty standards. Performance over the past five-year period should be described and evaluated. Objectives and plans for the next five-year period should also be discussed.

1. Describe (or refer to documents that describe):
• Processes for acquisition and deployment of faculty resources,
• Recruitment, selection, and orientation practices for new faculty,
• Development, promotion, and retention and renewal practices, including:
• Processes for faculty development and personnel reviews,
• Criteria employed in personnel decisions,
• Processes and resources that support continuing instructional and intellectual development,
• Faculty involvement in academic and professional organizations, and
• Policies for outside activities of faculty, paid and unpaid.



2. Demonstrate how the school maintains a faculty consistent with:
• The faculty size, composition, and deployment standards, including a summary of teaching assignments by programs and discipline, and
• The faculty qualifications standard, including a summary of faculty qualifications describing academic preparation and relevant professional experience.
  
  Include in a separate volume the vitae for all full-time faculty. Schools are encouraged to submit such documents in formats utilized by the institution for other purposes. However, reasonable consistency of format within the set of vitae is essential to efficient review by the visit team.
3. Discuss the effectiveness of the above described resources and processes in accomplishing the school’s mission and in achieving quality and continuous improvement.

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CURRICULUM CONTENT AND EVALUATION

Curricula are central to the implementation of degree programs. Creating and delivering high quality curricula requires planning and evaluation. Similar academic objectives may be achieved through curricula with different structures and approaches.

Undergraduate business curricula provide a broad context within which education for business is set. These curricula combine general education and basic study of business.

Master's curricula in business provide a distinctly professional perspective. Master's of Business Administration (MBA) degree programs prepare students with a general managerial perspective. Specialized master's curricula prepare students who seek specialized roles in business, management, and related professions.

Doctoral education in business prepares scholars to create and transmit knowledge and to advance managerial and professional practice.

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C.1 CURRICULUM CONTENT

INTERPRETATION: The perspectives indicated above might be addressed via individual courses with titles that explicitly identify the perspective being treated. However, it is not the intent of this standard to require a separate course for any one or for any combination of these perspectives. Schools may approach any or all of these topics by interweaving them throughout other required curricular elements.

INTERPRETATION: The general education component for business students should be consistent with the general education required of all students at the institution and should reflect the institution's mission. Up to nine semester hours of economics and up to six semester hours of statistics may be counted as part of the general education curriculum.

The general education component will normally be expected to constitute 33 percent of a three-year undergraduate program in a culture with a 13-year pre-collegiate education or 50 percent of a four-year undergraduate program that follows 12 years of pre-collegiate education.

INTERPRETATION: Normally, undergraduate programs in business require work in those academic areas necessary for an appropriate foundation of descriptive and analytical approaches to the study of communications, humanities, natural sciences, accounting, economics, behavioral sciences, and mathematics/statistics. The school's additional requirements for the business degree (C.1.2.d) normally are concentrated in the last two years of a four-year program, with only a limited amount of work below the junior year. However, a school may structure its curricula differently to fit its mission and educational philosophy.

The faculty should implement a process for transferring courses from other institutions. This process may include articulation agreements, as well as procedures for dealing with individual transfer students.

BASIS FOR JUDGEMENT: To satisfy this standard, undergraduate degree programs must:

• Include coverage of the perspectives that form the context for business (C.1.1),
• Contain an appropriate general education component (C.1.2a),
• Include foundation knowledge for business (C.1.2.b),
• Include written and oral communication (C.1.2.c),
• Contain required business course work in addition to the foundation knowledge (C.1.2.d), and
• Require that at least 50 percent of the business credit hours required for the business degree be taken at the degree-awarding institution (C.1.2.e).

INTERPRETATION: Normally, at least 80 percent of the student's course work beyond the MBA core should be in courses exclusively for graduate students.

BASIS FOR JUDGMENT: To satisfy this standard, MBA degree programs (and other general management master's programs) should:

• Include coverage of the perspectives that form the context for business (C.1.1),
• Require coverage of the core areas (C.1.3.a),
• Meet the credit hour requirements of C.1.3.b,
• Require acquisition of skills in written and oral communication, quantitative analysis, and computer usage (C.1.3.c),
• Contain required business course work and electives in addition to the core areas (C.1.3.d), and
• Integrate core areas and include application of cross-functional approaches to organizational issues (C.1.3.e).

INTERPRETATION: By its publicity, curriculum, and placement patterns, each specialized master’s degree program should be distinguishable from a general management degree. Master’s programs that appear by the evidence of publicity, curriculum, or placement records to be preparing students for general management positions will be reviewed against the standards for MBA programs (C.1.3).

BASIS FOR JUDGMENT: To satisfy this standard, each specialized master’s program must:

• Serve a need identified in the school’s mission,
• Meet the credit hour requirement of C.1.4.b, and
• Require that 70 percent of each student’s coursework be in courses designed primarily for graduate students

BASIS FOR JUDGMENT: To satisfy this standard, doctoral programs must:

• Provide advanced knowledge in the student’s area of specialization,
• Provide advanced research skills to support scholarship in the area of specialization,
• Address the role of the area of specialization in managerial and organizational contexts, and
• Provide orientation to teaching responsibilities for those students who expect to enter teaching careers.

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BASIS FOR JUDGMENT: To satisfy this standard, a school must demonstrate that:

• Processes exist for planning, monitoring, and revising curriculum, and
• The processes have resulted in new or revised curriculum.

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The objective of this section of the Self-Evaluation Report is to describe the effectiveness of the curriculum in achieving the school's mission and educational objectives, and to demonstrate consistency with the curriculum standards. Performance over the past five-year period should be described and evaluated. Objectives and plans for the next five-year period also should be discussed.

1. Describe (or refer to documents that describe) processes for:
   • Curriculum planning, evaluation, and revision, including an analysis of educational outcomes, such as:
     • A review of placement of graduates from each program in light of the program's stated objectives,
     • Information from stakeholders, such as employers and alumni, on graduates' performance, and
     • Other outcome assessment activities.
   • Ensuring student satisfaction of curriculum content specification.

2. For each degree program, describe:
   • The content and structure of the degree program, and
   • How the curriculum satisfies the curriculum content standards for each type of degree program.

3. Discuss the effectiveness of the above described curriculum and processes in accomplishing the school's mission and in achieving quality and continuous improvement.

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INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

As a central activity of a business school or program, the instructional program must be effective. This effectiveness is influenced by the availability of resources and by the way the instructional program is managed, delivered, and evaluated by the academic unit.

Learning by students as they prepare for business, management, or teaching reflects the quality of instruction offered to them. The school's faculty must assume the primary responsibility for the relevance of what is taught and the means by which it is delivered to students. Faculty should be involved in activities that improve course content and teaching quality.

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IN.1 INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES

BASIS FOR JUDGMENT: To satisfy this standard, the school must demonstrate that the available instructional resources are sufficient to satisfy the instructional objectives of the programs offered. A summary assessment concerning instructional resources should consider the items identified below:

• Appropriate instructional technologies and related support should be available and utilized by the faculty.
• Students should have access to and be required to make use of the library and computing facilities.
• Schools with heavy emphasis on graduate programs or applied and basic scholarship must augment library resources, data bases, and information technology appropriately to support those mission elements.
• When on-campus resources cannot be duplicated reasonably for off-campus programs, comparable access should be provided through inter-library loans, electronic delivery systems, agreements with other libraries, or by other means.
• Space, facilities, and staff support should be adequate to meet program goals and objectives.

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BASIS FOR JUDGMENT: To satisfy this standard, the school must demonstrate that the faculty in aggregate and faculty sub-units effectively create, deliver, evaluate, and improve instructional programs, and make innovations in the instructional processes. This calls for a summary assessment of the faculty's implementation of instructional programs.

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BASIS FOR JUDGMENT: To satisfy this standard, the school must demonstrate that individual faculty members provide up-to-date instruction, perform effectively in their respective instructional assignments and meet the school's expectations for student access to faculty. This calls for a summary assessment concerning the commitment and performance of faculty members in their individual teaching responsibilities.

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The objective of this section of the Self-Evaluation Report is to describe the effectiveness of the deployment of instructional resources and responsibilities in achieving the school's mission and educational objectives, and to demonstrate consistency with the instruction standards. Performance over the past five-year period should be described and evaluated. Objectives and plans for the next five-year period should also be discussed.

1. Describe (or refer to documents that describe) the adequacy of resources, such as library and instructional and information technology, available to support instruction.
2. Describe (or refer to documents that describe) processes that demonstrate individual and collective faculty instructional responsibilities.
   • Suggestions for documentation of collective faculty responsibilities include information about processes for:
     • Monitoring of curriculum delivery to ensure that its design is implemented (this should include monitoring new faculty and graduate students who participate in the instructional program),
     • Coordination of interdisciplinary course content (this process should ensure that materials from different disciplines are presented coherently with appropriate sequencing and cross-references),
     • Coordination of multi-section courses,
     • Evaluation of student achievement, including learning outcomes, placement results and alumni surveys,
     • Assessment of teaching effectiveness through student, peer, and/or alumni evaluations, and
     • Monitoring usage of library and other information resources in course assignments and in student activities.
   • Suggestions for documentation of individual faculty responsibilities include information about currency of instruction, instructional (and related professional) development activities, and faculty availability to students consistent with the school's expectations.
3. Discuss the effectiveness of the above described resources and processes in accomplishing the school's mission and in achieving quality and continuous improvement.

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STUDENTS

A direct link exists between a school's mission and the characteristics of the students served by the educational programs. Thus, program design and student selection are interdependent processes. Careful planning and execution of these processes are necessary.

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INTERPRETATION: Schools must operate within conditions created by requirements set by governing boards, college or university policies, characteristics of the applicant pool, and availability of financial aid. The mission of a school must be consistent with the achievement of high quality within its circumstances.

BASIS FOR JUDGMENT: To satisfy this standard, the school must show a systematic process for student selection consistent with the school's mission.

BASIS for JUDGMENT:To satisfy this standard, the school must show that:

• Adequate information concerning admission policies is available to relevant interested constituencies,
• Practices for student recruitment and selection reflect efforts to achieve demographic diversity in student enrollment, and
• Retention practices support the school's objective to produce high quality graduates.

BASIS FOR JUDGMENT:To satisfy this standard, the school must demonstrate that the combination of indicators used in making admission decisions yields results consistent with the objective of producing high quality graduates.

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BASIS FOR JUDGMENT: To satisfy this standard, there should be evidence of a systematic plan and clear identification of the services available for career advisement and student placement.

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The objective of this section of the Self-Evaluation Report is to describe the effectiveness of student selection practices and services in achieving the school's mission and educational objectives, and to demonstrate consistency with the student standards. Performance over the past five-year period should be described and evaluated. Objectives and plans for the next five-year period also should be discussed.

1. Describe (or refer to documents that describe):

• Student recruitment, selection, and retention practices for each degree program (and for the institution of which it is a part), as well as how such practices are consistent with the school's mission, governance, and demographic environment.

• For graduate admissions, the school should provide a plan for selecting students able to complete graduate work successfully. This plan may include an evaluation of test scores, undergraduate records, performance in outside activities, evidence of creativity and leadership, and a record of accomplishments in business. The school also should provide data concerning the admission pool, those admitted, and those who have enrolled.

• Academic advising and career planning and placement services.

2. Discuss the effectiveness of the above described practices and services in accomplishing the school's mission and in achieving quality and continuous improvement.

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INTELLECTUAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Producing intellectual contributions represents a core set of responsibilities of higher education for business. Such contributions improve management theory and practice, and support the present and future quality of instruction at all institutions.

A wide variety of intellectual contributions is appropriate in academic institutions. For purposes of this standard, contributions have been grouped as follows: basic scholarship, applied scholarship, and instructional development. The school's mission influences the relative emphases among the types of intellectual contributions. All schools should have some of their intellectual contributions committed to instructional development.

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IC.1 INTELLECTUAL CONTRIBUTIONS

INTERPRETATION: Outputs from all forms of scholarship activities include publications in refereed journals (academic, professional, an pedagogical), research monographs, scholarly books, chapters in scholarly books, textbooks, proceedings from scholarly meetings, papers presented at academic or professional meetings, publicly available research working papers, papers presented at faculty research seminars, publication in trade journals, in-house journals, book reviews, written cases with instructional materials, instructional software, and other publicly available materials describing the design and implementation of new curricula or courses. Any of these forms of publication and presentation can support any of the emphases of the unit's mission. Self-evaluation reports should show the relation of scholarly products to the mission emphases, not just group them into type (such as book, article, presentation, etc.)

The components of intellectual contributions are: