School of Economics and Management atTsinghuaUniversity(Tsinghua SEM) has just been awarded accreditation by AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). This makes Tsinghua SEM the first in Chinese Mainland to be accredited for having met the highest standard of achievement in education and research for business schools worldwide.

AACSB International 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. Founded in 1916, AACSB is the longest serving and largest global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees in business and accounting. Its founding members include 16U.S.top universities such asColumbiaUniversity,Harvard University,New YorkUniversity,UniversityofCaliforniaatBerkeley,UniversityofChicago, andYaleUniversity, etc..

AACSB accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in management education. It represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. AACSB accreditation is a rigorous and demanding process - with no assured outcomes. To achieve international accreditation, business programs must satisfy expectations of a wide range of quality standards relating to curriculum, faculty resources, student admissions, degree requirements, library and IT facilities, and intellectual climate. Among others, individual institution's missions are a critical factor in determining accreditation standards in conjunction with a painstaking peer review process. Institutions seeking accreditation must demonstrate clear links between its mission and objectives and its faculty composition, curriculum content, instructional resources, student quality, and overall intellectual contribution.

Tsinghua SEM’s bid for accreditation includes the preparation of a self-evaluation report, as well as a peer review. It obtained the AACSB membership in 2002, and applied for accreditation in 2004. Three members of the AACSB review committee fromU.S.,EuropeandAsiareviewed Tsinghua SEM’s comprehensive credentials document and interviewed Tsinghua SEM staff, students, employers and other stakeholders in March, 2007. As a result of the review team’s strong recommendation to AACSB International, the Tsinghua SEM successfully achieves the accreditation after five-year efforts.

The seal of AACSB is a sign that the bearer has earned a superior level of quality distinction among an elite group of peers. It also allows Tsinghua SEM to cooperate with prestigious international b-schools for student and faculty exchange programs - an area in which Tsinghua SEM already has a good track record. Tsinghua SEM’s success in accreditation, as the first in Chinese Mainland, signals that Tsinghua SEM qualification has satisfied rigorous international management education standards, which will have a far-reaching impact onChina’s management education in its internationalization process.