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 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:
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:
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:
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 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:
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:
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:
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:
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.
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:
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:
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.