I am currently pursuing a MBA which does not have AACSB accreditation. It is a member and in the process of getting the AACSB Accreditation. The membership is from April 2017. I understand that this is a long process which takes 4-5 years. Do all schools which undergo evaluation post membership ultimately end up with the Accreditation? Are there instances where after evaluation AACSB declines providing them with the Accreditation?

[Edited by Pablo Ghose on Jul 15, 2019]

Schools can lose accreditation and fail to be granted it. Dont take the risk.

Schools can lose accreditation and fail to be granted it. Dont take the risk.

I have already started taking classes and completed a few courses. To give some background. It is a partnered course - between a Swiss public university and a UK university's business school.
Since I am already working and living in Switzerland with 14 years of work experience and a good six figures salary, I did not want to take a break in my career and wanted to do a full time MBA. Hence I opted for this one which is in the city I live in and offers weekend classes. So far I am not disappointed with the overall learning experience. I find the materials helpful and the teachers qualified (so far all of them have been Phd holders, academics with business experience. For example the Finance instructor worked in Deloitte and PwC and has written several German text books on Accounting. The teacher for Strategic Planning had worked in McKinsey for several years). So overall I am happy with the level of education. The other participants in the cohort are all having several years of experience as well and are from other reputed industries.
I don't think that at least for me, getting a MBA degree will be similar to opening the gates of Narnia or something. I want a management degree so that it gives me space to develop in my career. I also plan to boost this degree with other executive education certificate program from MIT Sloan which I plan to complete in the next few years.
Thus, I am not terribly concerned about having or not having the AACSB badge. I am more curious about the process it entails and is there any real possibility of the school getting or not getting it before I graduate at the end of 2020.

[Edited by Pablo Ghose on Jul 15, 2019]

Its hard to assess. One sign is whether the school is trying now to move to higher standards, as Northumbria and Trent have both done. If the school is well known for weak selectivity, token assessment and poor academic support then it's really hard to move up to higher standards without reshaping the business model. It would take quite an effort, for example, for Cumbria or Heriot Watt to get to that level.

If you're happy with the educational experience so far, and that's the only important consideration for you, then I am not sure if would be a big deal.

However, if networking opportunities and career support are factors for you, then a school that already has an established accreditation—and the network to go along with it—would probably be a much better choice.

If you're happy with the educational experience so far, and that's the only important consideration for you, then I am not sure if would be a big deal.

However, if networking opportunities and career support are factors for you, then a school that already has an established accreditation—and the network to go along with it—would probably be a much better choice.

Yes. I am happy with the educational experience so far. I am just curious if the school applied for AACSB Accreditation in April 2017, then will it get it before I complete the course at the end of 2020. Accreditation was not the only thing which I considered while registering for this course as they provide a valid dual degrees....one from a Swiss University and another from a UK University. But it would be better if the school gets AACSB Accreditation in the meanwhile. I plan to continue working in Switzerland in the near future. However if I ever get an opportunity to work in the USA in the future, having an AACSB Accredited degree would help.

Its hard to assess. One sign is whether the school is trying now to move to higher standards, as Northumbria and Trent have both done. If the school is well known for weak selectivity, token assessment and poor academic support then it's really hard to move up to higher standards without reshaping the business model. It would take quite an effort, for example, for Cumbria or Heriot Watt to get to that level.

What are the problems with Heriot Watt? Are their degrees invalid and are not accepted by other countries?

HW lacks any of the three triple crown accreditations. So, these are legal degrees that meet the minimum UK standards but they would not be acceptable as equal to an internationally accredited MBA by a recruiter who was familiar with the MBA degree.

If you start a degree before the school is accredited then you don't have an accredited degree.

What are the problems with Heriot Watt? Are their degrees invalid and are not accepted by other countries?

They are very much acceptable in every country. They are what in the U.S. is known as "regionally accredited". The same with any and every university in the UK, and the whole EU.

The three international accreditations are an optional extra tier of achieving quality.

It is a way to distinguish the best from the rest.

It is much preferred and highly recommended, but not absolute. For example, I would prefer a graduate from University of London MBA, than someone from a crap unknown university that has AACBS.

[Edited by George Patsoulis on Jul 26, 2019]

As someone with a UoL MBA, I am not sure I would. Some of those colleges have issued some badly structured MBAs.

What are the problems with Heriot Watt? Are their degrees invalid and are not accepted by other countries?

They are very much acceptable in every country. They are what in the U.S. is known as "regionally accredited". The same with any and every university in the UK, and the whole EU.

The three international accreditations are an optional extra tier of achieving quality.

It is a way to distinguish the best from the rest.

It is much preferred and highly recommended, but not absolute. For example, I would prefer a graduate from University of London MBA, than someone from a crap unknown university that has AACBS.

Thank you for the information

If you start a degree before the school is accredited then you don't have an accredited degree.

But I thought AACSB accreditation is for the institution and not the course. What if the institute gets accredited while you are studying? You still pass out of an accredited institute. The degree certificate or the transcripts do not contain AACSB stamp!

No, your degree won't have the stamp. However, having a stamped diploma is not really the important part of graduating from an accredited school. An accredited school will have better career support, better networking opportunities, and more connections with employers.