Stature of ACBSP Accreditation?

I'm not sure how we can measure the value? I think that any well designed quality control can demonstrate a benefit. Which in reality is what all accreditation is about. Standards, compliance and a quality control mechanism for measurement. ACBSP is an additional requirement beyond RA and specifically designed to provide a standard for business education. So I can see that it has value in that environment.

Based upon some of our previous discussions it seems that AACSB provides an additional value in the venue of academia. I don't recall ever seeing a school advertising for an ACBSP accredited terminal degree as a requirement.

 

"... but let's not set up straw man arguments as though every retired Fortune 100 CEO is now teaching at ACBSP schools around the nation."

I don't believe I set-up this argument at all; sorry you misinterpreted.

 

How do you conclude that "as a state university, the alumni experience might be superior to Chadron"? Jacksonville State is a state university in Alabama, but Chadron is a state college in Nebraska.

 

Ted,

Perhaps poster MISin08 doesn’t consider Nebraska a state (?)…

 

... or maybe he doesn't consider Chadron a state college.

 

Or both ...

 

I though my post was getting long as is, but perhaps I should have clarified that as part of a large state university versus a remote state college specializing in education programs, the JSU alumni experience might play a role in one's decision to attend, as the school is larger and its diverse offerings connect it to the community -- though I didn't consider this a huge point for a DL student. Whether you want your resume to say "university" because it sounds important may be more critical.

Phillip

 

Kinda hard not to take it that way when you ask the question "Which would you prefer - being taught by Lee I. or a PhD who has never run a business" as though the Lee I choice was probable.

That's like me walking into a chicken restaurant and the person behind the counter saying "White meat or dark?" only to respond "Sorry, we only have dark meat." when I ask for white.

If it wasn't an argument you were trying to make, why'd you ask the question? Survey?

I guess this is a pet peeve of mine because I see people come here and ask legitimate questions about educational choices only to be given 'spin' from time to time. If you had said "ACBSP schools tend to be cheaper and have easier admissions requirements...", I would've been all aboard that train you were conducting.

I don't think it's a legitimate argument that ACBSP schools tend to have better faculty because they hire practitioners more than AACSB schools. You could make that same argument for ANY school that insists on using adjuncts over full-time staff. And I don't buy it there either. Of course, your mileage may vary. But the average practitioner isn't a CEO but rather a departmental manager who likes to teach on the side.

How do I know? I'm one of the adjunct nation.

 

Originally posted by major56:

Would you rather be taught by Lee Iacocca, former CEO of Chrysler, or by some tenure professor who never ran a business? The sad thing is that Iacocca would never be made a tenured professor because he lacked tenure in academia and doesn't have a doctorate degree. So folks like Iacocca are more likely to teach at ACBSP schools than at an AACSB.

DBA Curious Posts:

"... but let's not set up straw man arguments as though every retired Fortune 100 CEO is now teaching at ACBSP schools around the nation."
“If you had said "ACBSP schools tend to be cheaper and have easier admissions requirements...” I would've been all aboard that train you were conducting.”
“You could make that same argument for ANY school that insists on using adjuncts over full-time staff.”

Dear Curious,

Really; where do you make the connection with Iacocca and any school using adjuncts over full-time staff? My account concerned: 1) tenure, 2) Iacocca’s probability of non-qualified status for tenure at an AACSB department, 3) learning /teaching advantage with say Iacocca vs. far-less experienced tenured professor, and 4) odds of his (Iacocca) teaching for ACBSP vs. AACSB. However I will revise my earlier statement of "...Iacocca would never be made a tenured professor." It’s probable that rules could be [bent] for say someone with Iacocca’s standing (e.g., the politics).

My observation is that your in general correlation is still flawed on this subject as relates to my posting; however I do deem it pointless in our continuing to further correspond on this particular subject thread; that’s not beneficial to other readers whatsoever. Hopefully we can agree on that. And if you like, feel free to PM me.

 

Yes, number of faculty per department is another metric that I forgot to mention...

As for research, my understanding is that to get the necessary research productivity the AACSB aspiring school must change it's business model--hire more faculty for a given number of students so that faculty have both a research load and a teaching load each semester. This is one reason why many AACSB schools often have higher tuition and fees.

 

Do I understand correctly, then, that an AACSB school might keep the best professors busy with research while classes are taught by underlings? Conversely, at an ACBSP school you might be taught by lead professors because they are not as tied up in research as they would be at a AACSB school? Was that just one poster's opinion or would that be considered a solid fact?

 

I think that is the caser at SOME high end R-1 AACSB schools, but not the majority of aacsb schools by any means.

 

When you put it like that it just sounds wrong!

 

You raise a good question - but I'd put this in context. There are lots of sources of value in an MBA program. Faculty are important - but so are the caliber of one's peers. When looking for an MBA program (AACSB or not) you have to weigh a lot of factors. Also, all AACSB and ACBSP programs aren't identical - there is a wide variation.

Top tier AACSB schools draw top tier students. Expectations are likely higher than at ACBSP schools. While some programs may trade teaching for research, many AACSB programs balance teaching and scholarship.

My experience at Vanderbilt several years ago is instructive. The faculty there both taught (many very well) and did research. Their teaching loads allowed this.

ACBSP faculty typically have a higher ratio of teaching to research - and many teach more courses per year.

Which works best for you? It all depends on what you are looking for. If you have time and money (not to mention the GMAT and GPA) for a full-time program, I'd look closely into top AACSB programs. If you are looking for a part-time program a more run of the mill AACSB or ACBSP program may meet your needs.

Regards - Andy

 

Yea, but it makes me feel better about going to an ACBSP school.

 

One interpretation of my statement is that at an AACSB school you are more likely to be taught by an instructor who is actively conducting research, because the school is requiring / supporting research activities.

The converse interpretation might be that at an ACBSP school you are less likely to be taught by an instructor who is actively conducting research.

I've heard either the research focus of AACSB schools or the teaching focus of ACBSP schools heralded as a "core competency".

The only thing I really know for sure is that the profit margins, organizational designs, and business models of AACSB, ACBSP, and IACBE schools are largely different. As for actual quality of instruction, who can tell?

 

Ok, let's use the example of NCU, probably one of the lowest regarded RA schools. Does an accreditation by ACBSP raise the reputation of the school, or is that agency not prestigious enough to matter that much? If someone were criticizing that school, could you defend it by mentioning the ACBSP? If listed on a vita, would the accreditation prove that your degree from NCU caries some weight? Or is the general reputation the school the most relevant factor?

 

I think most people do not know a majority of schools out there by name, so they rely on accreditation to understand the *type* of school they are. RA only for example, with a school I have nbot heard of - I would think a very small school that could not obtain AACSB or a UoP school. If I see AACSB, then I think of a research based school. Since I don't know about ACBSP, it would not play a factor.

 

AACSB states that only 5% of all business schools worldwide are accredited by them. Seems to me that there are plenty of opportunities and lots of other schools from which to choose. I doubt that only 5% of the business schools are alone in contributing to the research and knowledge in the world of business and business education. Whether any of us have heard of a school is probably an indicator of our own lack of knowledge and not the sum total of a school's footprint or contribution. However, in the greater pecking and political order of things an AACSB accredited degree could be beneficial when applying for an academic position.

 

There’s an interesting paper “Quality Assurance, Accountability, and Accreditation in Collegiate Business Programs” by Terry MacTaggart that may add to answering the original poster’s inquiry: Stature of ACBSP Accreditation?

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:3coPyBK-Uh4J:www.acbsp.org/download.php%3Fsid%3D323+what+percentage+of+universities+are+ACBSP+accredited&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShI7NgEttDQwBTzG3s_NfldWhy51cnw_vn39jn4_CfYAyy5kCFPYi3P3Ybq1hRGELyf6okaiwi2XWWjkoOwKyY3ONkkYhtsXnmjnJazO_lcDXcM2LUHdfyC0tAR6blDGUhot9HX&sig=AHIEtbR5fYms1Ljn00wwF7ReI1F32vDMEQ