KINGSTON, R.I. – March 19, 2019 – AACSB International has renewed its accreditation of the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degree programs offered by the University of Rhode Island’s College of Business.
The College of Business, which opened in 1923, has maintained its accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business since 1972. It is the longest standing, continuously accredited business program in Rhode Island.
In addition, the College’s accounting program, first accredited in 1994, maintained its status for undergraduate and graduate programs. URI is the only institution in Rhode Island to have its overall business program and accounting program accredited by the association.
URI’s College of Business is among just 5 percent of schools offering business programs worldwide to earn AACSB accreditation. Only four schools in New England and 14 in the Northeast have earned both accounting and business accreditation, and only 189 schools worldwide enjoy this recognition.
“Re-accreditation is evidence of URI’s commitment to a high-quality business education, ensuring all students receive the tools they need to be successful after college,” said Maling Ebrahimpour, dean of the URI College of Business and the Alfred J. Verrecchia-Hasbro Leadership Chair. “This is a credit to the hard work of our faculty and staff, who are committed to providing students with the best business education possible.”
Founded in 1916, AACSB is the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools, and the largest business education network connecting students, educators, and businesses worldwide.
“AACSB congratulates the University of Rhode Island on extending its accreditation,” said Stephanie M. Bryant, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. “The intense peer-review process confirms a school’s continued focus on excellence in all areas, including teaching, research, curricula development and student learning. The University of Rhode Island’s dedication to delivering high-quality business education will help to create the next generation of great leaders.”
The five-year AASCB accreditation is just the latest accomplishment for the URI College of Business.
The College has witnessed a tremendous increase in business majors between 2015 and 2018, with undergraduate enrollment increasing by 20 percent, making the College the third largest at URI in terms of undergraduates. It also hired 10 faculty in 2018 to meet the demand and to fill recent vacancies due to retirement.
This year, the College of Business launched a new Innovation and Entrepreneurship program, which offers major, minor and certificate programs and is open to all students across the University. The program, which prepares students to start and manage their own business, meets a growing need and has been greeted with great interest from incoming first-year students and students already at URI, Ebrahimpour said.
In addition, the website MBA Central recently placed URI’s one-year MBA program 10th in its recent Top 50 Fastest Accelerated MBA Degree Programs. Programs considered for the ranking were those that could be completed in one year or less, a great advantage in today’s fast-paced business environment.