Accreditation Process and Requirements
Reaffirmation, New Program, and Accounting Accreditation Processes
The processes for accreditation are set to accommodate each type of program. For detailed information on each program type, visit the sections below.
Reaffirmation of Accreditation
Reaffirmation of accreditation is required for an academic business unit to maintain accredited status for its programs. For the business programs of an academic business unit to be considered for reaffirmation of programmatic accreditation by the IACBE, the academic business unit must follow the process summarized below:
Be a Member with Accredited Programs in Good Standing
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Submit Application Materials for Reaffirmation of Accreditation
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Schedule Site Visit
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Attend the IACBE Accreditation Institute
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Prepare and Submit Draft Self-Study
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Undergo a Technical Review
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Prepare and Submit Final Self-Study
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Undergo an Accreditation Site Visit
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Receive and Respond to Site Visit Report
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Undergo Accreditation Review by Board of Commissioners
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Board of Commissioners Determines Accreditation Status of Business Programs
Requirements for Reaffirmation of Accreditation
Reaffirmation of accreditation is required for an academic business unit to maintain accredited status for its programs. For the business programs of an academic business unit to be considered for reaffirmation of accreditation by the IACBE, the academic business unit must:
- Have programs that are currently accredited by the IACBE and be in good standing with the IACBE.
- Have at least one set of graduates for which there are outcomes assessment results for each program to be considered for accreditation.
- Submit an application for accreditation and pay its application fee. The application must be submitted and the fee must be paid prior to the beginning of the self-study year.
- Fully implement its outcomes assessment plan which includes collecting at least one full set of results for each academic program included in the self-study.
- Have at least one representative attend the IACBE Accreditation Institute within the year immediately preceding the beginning of the self-study year. If a representative of the academic business unit attends the Accreditation Institute as a part of the candidacy process and the school begins the self-study year with one year of attendance, the requirement will be met. If the individual who attended the Accreditation Institute is no longer employed by the academic business unit, the requirement is no longer considered met and another individual will be required to attend the Accreditation Institute.
- Prepare and submit a draft self-study and all supporting materials at least 120 days prior to the scheduled site visit.
- Prepare and submit the final self-study and all supporting materials at least 60 days prior to the scheduled site visit.
- Undergo a site visit.
- Be reviewed by the IACBE Board of Commissioners.
If two or more institutions have the same parent institution or if an institution provides business programs under different institutional names, separate membership may be required. Contact the IACBE office to discuss the options that are available.
Guidelines for preparing the self-study are found in the IACBE’s Self-Study Manual (see Member Resources area). It is essential that these guidelines be followed when preparing the self-study. Incomplete, inaccurate, or poorly organized information may delay a program’s Pursuit of accreditation.
A preliminary draft copy of the self-study must be submitted to IACBE headquarters at least 120 days prior to the site visit. Upon receipt of the draft self-study, IACBE staff will contact the academic business unit to schedule a virtual meeting to conduct an initial technical review of the self-study for completeness and accuracy. This technical review will not include any judgments regarding the quality of the responses contained in the self-study, nor will it evaluate the extent of the academic business unit’s compliance with the IACBE’s Accreditation Principles, policies, and requirements. These determinations are the prerogative of and will be made by the site-visit team and the Board of Commissioners.
The purposes of the technical review are:
- to identify any technical issues associated with the academic business unit’s self-study (i.e., missing, incomplete, and/or inaccurate information) and
- to help to ensure a smooth visit by the site-visit team. Any missing or incomplete responses and inaccurate information will be communicated to the academic business unit during the technical review consultation.
Subsequent to the review, the academic business unit will then revise its self-study accordingly to ensure that it is complete, addresses all Accreditation Principles, and is in the appropriate format with accurate tables. The revised, final self-study must be submitted to IACBE headquarters at least 60 days prior to the site visit. No site visit travel arrangements will be made until the IACBE has received the final self-study documents.
Once an academic business unit has been admitted to educational membership in the IACBE, the institution may provide a link on the academic business unit’s home page to their Member Status Page. A link to the page will be sent to the academic business unit along with the letter notifying them of their acceptance for educational membership. If accreditation is granted, it will cover a time period not to exceed seven years.
New Program Accreditation
New Program Review Process
If an institution and its academic business unit begin to offer new business programs after accreditation has been granted, but before the next reaffirmation review, then the IACBE must be notified of these new program offerings. For IACBE purposes, a new business program is defined to be any business program that:
- is added to an institution’s offerings subsequent to the granting of accreditation;
- is substantially different than the programs that are already accredited by the IACBE; and
- does not appear in the listing of accredited programs that are identified in the institution’s accreditation letter.
These new programs may be newly created, or they may be existing programs transferred to the academic accounting unit to administer.
If the academic business unit wishes to have any new business programs accredited prior to its next reaffirmation review, the following criteria must be satisfied:
- Each new program must have at least one set of graduates for which there are learning outcome assessment results.
- A self-study must be submitted for the new programs that addresses the ‘New Program Accreditation Principles’ as detailed in the New Program Accreditation Manual.
- An outcomes assessment plan that addresses student learning assessment must be developed for each new program.
Requirements for New Program Accreditation
For the new business programs of an academic business unit to be considered for accreditation by the IACBE, the academic business unit must:
- Submit the Report on New Programs.
- After review, the IACBE will notify your institution if the following steps are required.
- Submit an application for new program accreditation, an application supplement containing programmatic information, and pay the application fee.
- Submit an outcomes assessment plan that addresses student learning assessment for each new program for which the academic business unit is seeking accreditation. The assessment plan must encompass all of the new programs, must conform to IACBE expectations and requirements as outlined in the IACBE document entitled “Guidelines for Preparing an Outcomes Assessment Plan,” and must be prepared using the assessment plan template developed by the IACBE.
- Prepare a new program self-study. Additional resources are available in the Member Only Resource are of the website.
- If applicable, undergo a site-visit (contact the IACBE to determine if the program will require a site visit).
- Be reviewed by the IACBE Board of Commissioners.
Until the Board of Commissioners has reviewed and granted accreditation to any new programs, the academic business unit and its parent institution must not list the new programs among those that are accredited by the IACBE.
Guidelines for preparing the new program self-study are found in the IACBE’s New Program Accreditation Manual. It is essential that these guidelines be followed when preparing the self-study. Incomplete, inaccurate, or poorly organized information may jeopardize a program’s potential for accreditation.
A preliminary draft copy of the self-study must be submitted to IACBE headquarters at least 90 days prior to the scheduled review by the IACBE Board of Commissioners. Upon receipt of the draft self-study, IACBE staff will contact the academic business unit to schedule a virtual meeting for the purpose of conducting an initial technical review of the self-study for completeness and accuracy. This technical review will not include any judgments regarding the quality of the responses contained in the self-study, nor will it evaluate the extent of the academic business unit’s compliance with the IACBE’s Accreditation Principles, policies, and requirements. These determinations are the prerogative of and will be made by the Board of Commissioners.
The purposes of the technical review are:
- to identify any technical issues associated with the academic business unit’s self-study (i.e., missing, incomplete, and/or inaccurate information) and
- to help to ensure a smooth visit by the site-visit team. Any missing or incomplete responses and inaccurate information will be communicated to the academic business unit during the technical review consultation.
Subsequent to the review, the academic business unit will then revise its self-study accordingly to ensure that it is complete, addresses all Accreditation Principles, and is in the appropriate format with accurate tables. The revised, final self-study must be submitted to IACBE headquarters at least 30 days prior to the review by the Board of Commissioners. No accreditation review will be conducted until the IACBE has received the final self-study documents.
Special Accounting Accreditation
Be a Member with Accredited Programs in Good Standing
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Submit Application Materials for Accounting Program Accreditation
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Schedule Site Visit
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Prepare and Submit Draft Self-Study
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Undergo a Technical Review
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Prepare and Submit Final Self-Study
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Undergo an Accounting Accreditation Site Visit
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Receive and Respond to Site Visit Report
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Undergo Accreditation Review by Board of Commissioners
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Board of Commissioners Determines Accreditation Status of Accounting Programs
Requirements for Special Accounting Accreditation
Special Accounting Accreditation is optional. For the accounting programs of an academic business unit to be considered for special accounting accreditation by the IACBE, the academic business unit must:
- Have at least one set of graduates for which there are outcomes assessment results for each program to be considered for accreditation.
- Submit an application for special accounting accreditation, an application supplement containing programmatic information, and pay its application fee. Applications must be approved and signed by the institution’s chief executive officer (i.e., president, chancellor, director general), affirming the academic business unit’s commitment to abide by the IACBE’s accreditation policies and procedures and to attaining and maintaining excellence in business education. The application must be submitted and the fee must be paid prior to the beginning of the self-study year.
- May be Required: Attend the IACBE Accreditation Institute if a representative from the academic business unit has not attended the Institute within one year of beginning the accounting self-study.
- Prepare a self-study that includes a fully implemented outcomes assessment plan and at least one complete set of outcomes assessment results for the programs included in the review.
- Undergo a site visit.
- Be reviewed by the IACBE Board of Commissioners.
Guidelines for preparing the self-study are found in the IACBE’s Accounting Accreditation Principles and Criteria Manual. It is essential that these guidelines be followed when preparing the self-study. Incomplete, inaccurate, or poorly organized information may jeopardize a program’s potential for accreditation.
A preliminary draft copy of the self-study must be submitted to IACBE headquarters at least 120 days prior to the site visit. Upon receipt of the draft self-study, IACBE staff will contact the academic business unit to schedule a telephone consultation to conduct an initial technical review of the self-study for completeness and accuracy. This technical review will not include any judgments regarding the quality of the responses contained in the self-study, nor will it evaluate the extent of the academic business unit’s compliance with the IACBE’s Special Accounting Accreditation Principles and Criteria. These determinations are the prerogative of and will be made by the site-visit team and the Board of Commissioners.
The purposes of the technical review are:
- to identify any technical issues associated with the academic business unit’s self-study (i.e., missing, incomplete, and/or inaccurate information) and
- to help to ensure a smooth visit by the site-visit team. Any missing or incomplete responses and inaccurate information will be communicated to the academic business unit during the technical review consultation.
Subsequent to the review, the academic business unit will then revise its self-study accordingly to ensure that it is complete, addresses all Accounting Accreditation Principles and Criteria, and is in the appropriate format with accurate tables. The revised, final self-study must be submitted to IACBE headquarters at least 60 days prior to the site visit. No explicit site visit travel arrangements will be made and no site visits will be conducted until the IACBE has received the final self-study documents.
If accreditation is granted, it will cover a time period not to exceed seven years or the length of time remaining for the academic business unit’s currently accredited business programs, whichever is less.
