Consistently ranked among top in state, nation Lipscomb’s College of Business earns prestigious accreditation
Lipscomb University’s College of Business, which is consistently ranked the top in Tennessee and among the best in the nation, has earned accreditation from AACSB International (AACSB), Provost W. Craig Bledsoe announced. The accreditation comes following a rigorous review process.
“I am thrilled today to make this announcement as earning AACSB accreditation has been a long term goal for the institution,” said Bledsoe. “This accreditation reflects the quality and excellence of business education at Lipscomb as well as the hard work and dedication of our College of Business faculty, staff and leadership team to meet the rigorous AACSB standards. This is also a significant indicator of the quality education our students receive, which sets them up for success after they leave our campus. I am proud of our College of Business for this tremendous accomplishment.”
With this accreditation, Lipscomb joins an elite group of business schools internationally with less than six percent — only 926 institutions across 60 countries — earning this prestigious accreditation. Founded in 1916, AACSB is the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools, and the largest business education network connecting learners, educators and businesses worldwide.
“Achieving AACSB accreditation is a reflection of not only the quality of the Lipscomb College of Business’s academics, faculty and programs, but also the commitment of its leadership to continually pursue excellence,” said Candice McQueen, Lipscomb University president. “I am very proud of our team for accomplishing this goal, but I’m even more pleased because of the impact that this program will have on students for years to come. This is an exciting day for the Lipscomb community.”
AACSB accreditation ensures continuous improvement and provides focus for schools to deliver on their mission, innovate and drive impact. AACSB-accredited schools have successfully undergone a rigorous review process conducted by their peers in the business education community, ensuring that they have the resources, credentials and commitment needed to provide students with a first-rate, future-focused business education. AACSB accreditation recognizes institutions that have demonstrated a focus on excellence in all areas, including teaching, research, curriculum development and student learning.
“We congratulate Lipscomb University and Dean Ray Eldridge on earning accreditation, and applaud the entire College of Business team — including the administration, faculty, staff and students — for their roles in earning this respected honor,” said Stephanie M. Bryant, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB. “Lipscomb University’s commitment to earning accreditation is a true reflection of their dedication not only to their students, alumni network and greater business community, but to the higher education industry as a whole,” she continued. “Today’s students are tomorrow’s business leaders, and the addition of Lipscomb’s College of Business to the network of AACSB-accredited business schools will have a lasting positive impact for their institution, both locally and globally.”
Ray Eldridge, dean of Lipscomb’s College of Business, said being accredited by AACSB provides new opportunities for students and reflects the program’s quality.
“AACSB accreditation is the gold standard,” said Eldridge. “We want to be part of the elite group of business schools around the world because it has a direct impact on the ability of our students to pursue their educational and career goals. This is the culmination of many years of work to ensure our program met the rigorous accreditation standards and preparing for this moment. I am so proud of the quality of the College of Business, the impact it has had on the lives of countless generations of students in its 100 years of existence and for the great things to come in the future.”
Synonymous with the highest standards of quality, AACSB accreditation opens many doors for Lipscomb graduates including obtaining preferred entry status to prestigious graduate schools and the ability to draw the attention of recruiters for national and international corporations, said Eldridge.
“The designation is also a proven attraction for the most highly credentialed potential faculty,” he said. “In addition, all 6,000+ alumni of the College of Business can now note their alma mater’s new accreditation status on their resumes.”
While business college leaders and faculty have had interest in pursuing the AACSB accreditation for many years, the college became focused on the goal in 2016, when it expressed its commitment to reaching this status. Then began the college’s years’ long journey of enhancing its engagement, innovation and impact to meet the organization’s requirements.
To meet those standards, each degree offered by the college had to meet the highest level of faculty and curriculum quality, Eldridge explained. Faculty had to reach new standards of, and a balance of, academic and professional qualification. As such, contributions from many supporters in the past few years have been used to assist current faculty with strong professional backgrounds to achieve their terminal academic degrees, he said.
With today’s announcement, Lipscomb is fully accredited by the two largest business accrediting bodies in the world — AACSB and the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs. This is the latest recognition for Lipscomb’s College of Business. It is consistently recognized nationally as a leader in business education. Last month it was once again ranked the top undergrad program in Tennessee and in the top 50 in the nation by Poets&Quants for Undergrads, the leading online publication for undergraduate business education news, in its annual Best Undergrad Business Schools 2022 rankings. This is the sixth consecutive year for Lipscomb’s College of Business to be ranked among the top nationally and the best in Tennessee. In 2020, Lipscomb’s College of Business was named one of ten undergraduate business schools in the nation to watch in 2020 by Poets & Quants for Undergrads.
Lipscomb’s accounting program was ranked the top program in Tennessee and among the top 10 percent in the nation in the 2019 College Factual rankings. It is the fourth year Lipscomb’s accounting program has been named the top program in Tennessee. The department of accounting also earned a ranking of 14th in the nation and number one in the state of Tennessee for the second consecutive year for Best Accounting Programs for Veterans. Bloomberg BusinessWeek in its last ranking in 2016, identified the part-time MBA program as #2 in Tennessee. In addition, it was named the No. 1 accounting program in Tennessee and No. 2 in the nation in 2017 by Christian Universities Online.
Other recent honors include: No. 2 Part-time MBA program in TN, Top 50 in the Nation (Bloomberg/Businessweek) – 2015; No. 1 accounting program in TN and top 10% in the Nation (College Online) – 2018; No. 1 Christian Accounting program in TN, #2 program in the Nation (Christian Universities Online) – 2017; No. 2 Bachelor’s in Human Resources Degree program in TN and #26 in the Nation (College Choice) – 2016 and 2018; No. 1 in Tennessee and No. 36 in the Nation International Business Degree (College Choice) – 2017; and Top 50 marketing program in the Nation (College Choice) – 2016.
Lipscomb’s College of Business offers a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and undergraduate degrees in accounting, finance, management and marketing. Graduate studies programs include the Master of Business Administration, Master of Accountancy, Master of Health Care Administration (MHA) and Master of Management: Health Care.
