Number of schools worldwide with single, double and triple (AACSB-AMBA-EQUIS) accreditation in 2023
Each of the three institutions assesses a business school according to different criteria and scope:
AACSB (United States) accreditation looks at the whole business school and is intended to "signify a business school's commitment to strategic management, learner success, thought leadership, and societal impact". There has been a greater emphasis on diversity and inclusion since the 2020 revision.[3]
AMBA (United Kingdom) accreditation examines theMaster of Business Administration programme portfolio and is intended to show that this "demonstrates the highest standards in teaching, learning and curriculum design, career development and employability, student, alumni and employer interaction".[4]
EQUIS (Belgium) accreditation also looks at the whole business school, and is intended to "signal the school’s overall quality, viability and self-improvement commitment".[5]
Most business schools in the United States chose to only pursue AACSB accreditation. The structure of United States business schools' MBA programs often does not align with European standards. For example, AMBA accreditation criteria require all MBA students to have a minimum of three years of postgraduate work experience. This is a requirement that the vast majority of top United States business schools do not meet, as their MBA programs also admit applicants with a bachelor's degree and no work experience.[6]
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