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Certificates provide flexibility for business schools and programs to offer diversified training in a matter of months, rather than years, preparing students to enter the workplace quickly. Companies need employees who can be trained quickly in multiple and diverse skills. Certificates fill that need and ACBSP certificate accreditation provides the validation. Just as we do for accredited business programs, ACBSP wants to partner with business schools and programs to continue providing exceptional quality education through certificate accreditation.
Who is eligible for certificate accreditation?
ACBSP member campuses are eligible for certificate accreditation.
If your campus isn't a member, you must first apply for membership. Once approved, you must then submit an application for candidacy of certificate accreditation.
Accredited members will report on the following items in the online reporting portal to accredit certificates:
Student enrollment
Certificate objectives
Instructional resources
Facilities and equipment
Faculty qualifications
Admissions requirements
Completion statistics
Outcomes assessment processes and results
Which certificates are eligible for accreditation?
The certificate must be eligible for higher education credit.
It must be made up of 75% or more of the business program's curriculum.
It must be 12 or more credit hours at the level of the award - associate, baccalaureate, master's or doctorate.
Cost
For members who have accredited business programs, there is no cost for all certificates to be accredited. For nonmembers, a membership application must be submitted and approved, followed by an application for candidacy of certificate accreditation. For ACBSP members without accredited programs who want to pursue certificate accreditation, the one-time candidacy fee is $2,500.
Here's what some of our accredited members are saying about ACBSP's new certificate accreditation:
The new certificate accreditation is an excellent example of ACBSP's commitment to be a strategic leader in specialized business accreditation, as well as allowing ACBSP to provide additional accreditation services to its members. With the creation of this accreditation opportunity, ACBSP acknowledges that all aspects of a student's educational journey, whether it be degree completion, pursuing advanced studies, or supplementing skill sets with certificates, deserves the opportunity to demonstrate the high-quality of the educational experience."
- Dr. Ray Eldridge, Lipscomb University
We all know higher education must adapt and do so at an increasingly rapid rate. As higher education must intentionally stay relevant, so must accreditation. ACBSP reflects an innovative mindset with their inclusion of certificates. I believe this is just the beginning of accreditation of alternative products. With the emphasis on lifelong learning, changing workforce needs, and concerns for costs, I believe accrediting certificates is just the beginning for ACBSP to lead the way."
- Janice Stoudemire, Palmetto Academic Consulting Services, Inc.; retired from Midlands Technical College
Documents & Resources
Access everything you need to better understand and navigate the ACBSP accreditation process with detailed accreditation standards, guidelines, and resources.
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