Newly Accredited: BINUS Business School on Earning AACSB Accreditation

In this blog series, AACSB spotlights business schools around the world that have recently earned AACSB accreditation. We ask the business school leadership about their journey to accreditation and what the new achievement means to them.

BINUS Business School earned initial accreditation in November. The school’s director, Dezie Warganegara, discusses some of the unique encounters during their accreditation process, such as consolidating widespread business programs, meeting faculty requirements at large school, and how getting vast stakeholder buy-in was essential to achieving their goal behind accreditation: to develop higher-quality graduates.

Why was it important for your school to undergo the rigorous process of earning AACSB accreditation?

Aligned with its vision to be an internationally recognized institution in providing quality education, Bina Nusantara University (BINUS) decided to attain an international accreditation for its business school. After careful consideration regarding the process and the impacts, we chose to pursue AACSB accreditation. We believe that AACSB accreditation is the most reputable accreditation for business schools worldwide and that the process to be accredited is the most rigorous one. By earning AACSB accreditation, it means that we are acknowledged for our international quality standards in business education.

What did you learn about your school through your accreditation journey?

BINUS Business School decided to become a member of AACSB in 2011 and submitted the Eligibility Application (EA) in 2013. During submission of the EA we knew that there were many things we needed to do and improve on to become an AACSB-accredited business school. Six years later, we managed to achieve it, and, for sure, we learned a lot in the process—especially that the determination of all stakeholders is crucial to getting this accreditation. We obtained full support from the foundation and top management, centers and units of Bina Nusantara University, as well as from the whole team at BINUS Business School.

What were the most challenging and rewarding parts of the accreditation process?

The journey to becoming an AACSB-accredited business school was not easy, first of all because the business programs within the university at that time were “scattered” in several different schools. Together these schools led quite a big reorganization for all of the business programs to form what is known today as BINUS Business School, which comprises all management programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels.

The other most challenging part was the faculty qualification, considering that we are a rather large school with almost 400 lecturers in total. Throughout the years, we improved the qualification of our lecturers to fulfill the AACSB standards. Looking back several years ago, we never thought we could be what we are today; we have made so many improvements during the accreditation process. It was a rewarding moment when we realized we had finally made it.

What impact do you hope to see from having achieved AACSB accreditation?

All the improvements we made toward achieving AACSB accreditation should result in positive impacts for our students. The primary reason we went through the demanding process was to develop higher-quality graduates, as mentioned in our school mission. We also hope that the AACSB accreditation will open partnership opportunities to other accredited business schools in the world, which will broaden the perspectives of our students in the global business environment.

What advice would you give to another school approaching the accreditation process?

The AACSB accreditation process is very rigorous and calls for strong commitment and ample resources. Therefore, It is essential to get full support from the university top management and all teams inside and outside business school. During the accreditation process, there might be difficulties along the way, but you have to believe that your efforts will lead your business school to be in better position to achieve what you have stated in your mission.