International accreditations (AACSB, EQUIS...): understanding business school labels

Today, international accreditations and labels are the hardest distinctions for business schools to obtain. They are a guarantee of the high quality of the programs offered, but also of their worldwide recognition.

Business schools are fighting for the grail: the triple crown. This status is achieved after obtaining the 3 largest international accreditations: EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA.

To date, only 1% of business schools worldwide hold this triple accreditation. Although the 3 accreditations mentioned above must be combined to form the triple crown, it is possible to hold just one or two of them. This is the case for many French and international schools.

Let's find out why these three international accreditations should be considered when choosing your business school.

The AACSB label (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business)

The AACSB is an American label that evaluates both the objectives and programs of business schools. It is one of the most stringent accreditations available, enabling French business schools to compete with American business schools, for example.

The AACSB accreditation is one of the most valuable for business schools today, and is awarded for a period of 3 to 5 years.

It is a guarantee of the quality and excellence of an institution's programs. The audit to obtain it is based on various criteria such as :

• Program quality,
• School strategy,
• Societal impact and environmental commitment,
• School ethics and integrity,
• Percentage of PhD professors.

Of the 876 business schools awarded this label of excellence, only 26 are French. Among them is Esdes Business School.

AMBA accreditation

AMBA (Association of Masters of Business Administration) is a British accreditation that can be awarded to MBAs, DBAs (doctorates in business administration) and MBMs (masters in business and management) from business schools in over 50 countries, including France. It is therefore a label awarded to a specific program, not to a school as a whole.

Audit criteria include, for example:

• The opportunities and employability of graduates,
• The school's strategic objectives,
• School alliances and agreements,
• The school's mission,
• Institutional environment and context.

EFMD and EQUIS and EFMD Accredited (formerly EPAS) accreditations

EFMD is the European Foundation for Management Development. Based in Brussels, this organization issues several accreditations, of which the 2 most renowned and recognized are EQUIS accreditation, which enables students to obtain the triple-crown, and EFMD Accredited.

EQUIS accreditation

EQUIS is a highly prized accreditation awarded to a business school as a whole, guaranteeing its quality. Audits are carried out by EFMD members, who grant accreditation for a period of 3 or 5 years. It is an accreditation that guarantees the excellence of a business school, based on criteria of internationalization, connection with the professional world, faculty, programs and much more.

EFMD Accredited

The EFMD Accredited label guarantees the quality of a targeted program based on several criteria.

EFMD Accredited accreditation is awarded only to a specific program, not to a school as a whole. In France, it is generally awarded for the Programme Grande École (PGE) or MiM (Master in Management) in English. 

The EFMD Accredited audit is based on the same pillars as the EQUIS accreditation audit. It also checks the quality of the program, its curriculum, admission procedures and the professional integration of graduates.

Once again, this international accreditation is widely recognized in the higher education sector.

International business school accreditations, the debrief