The University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics and its Von Allmen School of Accountancy have been awarded accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
The accreditation renews the college’s undergraduate, master’s and doctoral business programs for another five years.
AACSB accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. Fewer than 5 percent of the world's 13,000 business programs have earned this level of accreditation.
“We are proud to receive re-accreditation from AACSB,” said David Blackwell, dean of the Gatton College. “We are grateful to our faculty, students and staff who participated in this intensive review process.”
The AACSB review team commended the college for significant improvements to the college over the past five years, including the new “very impressive” Gatton building, improvement in the research profile, as well as the college’s living learning programs, which “allow students to closely collaborate and learn from shared experiences.”
The review team for the Von Allmen School of Accountancy, which underwent a separate review process, praised the school’s innovative Master of Science in Accounting program, which boasts a more than 90 percent pass rate on the CPA exam, a significant increase in accounting tutoring services, and experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students who, since 2013, have conducted more than 70 operation/management audits and consulting projects in the Lexington community as part of their course work.
The Gatton College of Business and Economics has been accredited by AACSB International since 1926, when it was known as the UK College of Commerce. The accounting programs within the Von Allmen School of Accountancy have been accredited by AACSB International since 1988 soon after AACSB began offering separate accreditation for accounting programs.
“This good news comes as no surprise as the Gatton College continues to demonstrate high quality throughout its undergraduate and graduate programs,” said UK Provost Tim Tracy. “Congratulations to the faculty, staff, and students of the college, as well as to Dean Blackwell and his administrative team.”
AACSB provides internationally recognized, specialized accreditation for business and accounting programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level. AACSB’s accreditation standards challenge post-secondary educators to pursue excellence and continuous improvement throughout their business program in hopes to create the next generation of great leaders.
