Agricultural and food business programmes at the University of Reading have been awarded the prestigious AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) business accreditation.
Founded in 1916, AACSB International is the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools and universities that offer undergraduate, masters and doctoral degrees in business and accounting.
Professor Gordon Marshall, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, said: "We are delighted that AACSB accreditation recognizes the quality of business education in the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development."
It takes a great deal of self-evaluation and determination to earn and maintain AACSB accreditation," said Jerry Trapnell, vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. "Schools not only must meet specific standards of excellence, but their deans, faculty, and staff must make a commitment to ongoing improvement to ensure continued delivery of high-quality education to students."
Less than 5% of business schools or universities worldwide have earned the AACSB hallmark of excellence in management education. To maintain accreditation a business programme must undergo a rigorous internal review every five years, at which the programme must demonstrate its continued commitment to the 21 quality standards relating to faculty qualification, strategic management of resources, interactions of faculty and students, as well as a commitment to continuous improvement and achievement of learning goals in degree programmes.
Three undergraduate and one Masters programme in the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development have been accredited by AACSB.
Mike Davies, Programme Director for the BSc Agricultural Business Management, at the University of Reading, said : "Due to current global, economic and environmental issues we see ourselves in a position which is key in terms of research and teaching excellence for the next generation of the world’s agriculturalists."
The School of Agriculture, Policy and Development recruited its highest ever undergraduate intake in 2010/11 (112 students) at its highest ever UCAS tariff (353). According to the National Student Survey 2010, the School has the greatest graduate employability record in agriculture and related subjects (over 80% satisfaction). The Times 2010 rated the School as the top institution for agriculture degree programmes for the second year in a row.
