International Accreditation | NUCB Business School

Quality Assurance of Education and Research

Without accreditation from an international accreditation body, claims about the quality of an MBA program can only be considered subjective. AACSB is the oldest MBA accreditation body, established in 1916 by a group of American business schools, and it is known worldwide for being the leading third-party evaluation agency for management education. Only 5% of the world’s top business schools are able to receive AACSB accreditation.

International accreditation organizations evaluate business schools based on over 100 criteria, gauge the institution's performance in terms of improvements made in the quality of its education and research, require schools to take action in developing plans for further improvement, and judge all aspects of the institution against top schools worldwide. In order to honor the NUCB Business School mission "to educate future leaders with the ability to bridge the gap between New Asia and the rest of the world," not only will we continue to improve the quality of our education through international accreditation, but we will maintain a presence as member of a number of international networks.

There are three major accreditation bodies for management education, with AACSB (US) being the leading accreditation organization for business schools. Each group has its own unique focus; AACSB puts an emphasis on academic achievement, while AMBA (UK) focuses on the educational content of the MBA program. There is a tendency to seek historical and ethical perspectives in the MBA curriculum in light of reflections on profit-oriented MBA education. EFMD (Belgium), which is a representative accreditation body in Europe, has a twofold stance considering both international academic research achievements and educational programs. Alongside an emphasis on educational standards for management education, EFMD also focuses on bringing together companies and academic institutions to facilitate and strengthen exchanges between the two.

International Accreditations

In 2002, we were the second educational institution in Japan to acquire AACSB International membership. NUCB Business School achieved accreditation of its graduate programs in 2006 and has successfully maintained it to date. AACSB-accredited schools have better programs, better faculty, better students with higher overall GPAs, more international students, more employers that recruit from them, and graduates that receive better salaries.
NUCB Business School is the first Japanese business school accredited by AMBA. AMBA accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement in postgraduate business education and is earned only by the best programs. Students, business schools, graduates and employers all recognize it as a gold standard. In a crowded education market, our AMBA accreditation ensures your investment is rewarded with the finest business education available.
On September 29, 2021, NUCB Business School was awarded European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) accreditation from the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD), one of the largest international quality evaluation organizations for management education. Only educational and research institutions that demonstrate the highest possible quality in curricula and research activities throughout a rigorous review by a panel of esteemed expert examiners are eligible to become one of the few hundred (as of now 197 business schools worldwide) to earn EQUIS accreditation.

International Networks

Since becoming a United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) signatory in 2011, our school has adopted self-assessment and evaluation practices to ensure sustainability, social responsibility, and contribution to society in its operations and program content. PRME is a United Nations-supported initiative founded in 2007 in order to develop future leaders who understand the complex challenges facing companies and society in the 21st century. PRME promotes and advocates education on responsible management and sustainability through the integration of these and related themes into curricula, research, and teaching methods at the top business schools and universities around the world. Working through Six Principles, PRME engages business and management schools to ensure they provide future leaders with the skills needed to balance economic concerns with sustainability goals, promoting the SDGs and aligning academic institutions with the work of the UN Global Compact.
Being the best means being among the best, and therefore the NUCB Business School is a school member of the EFMD Management Development Network. This organization is nearly 900 members strong, with academic institutions, corporations, public service entities, and consultancies in 88 countries. The School follows the principles of EFMD as a catalyst for development in research, academic and practical outcomes, and continuous improvement and innovation of the staff, faculty, and students for the long-term sustainability and high-quality impact of the School to the local, regional and global stages. As the NUCB Business School strives to become the first Japanese school to achieve the coveted "triple accreditation" of business schools, our commitment and dedication to enhancing our excellence in management development are achieved by being a member school of the EFMD.
NUCB Business School is the only Japanese institution listed as a member school of the Executive MBA Council (EMBAC). This unique network of global business schools is highly specialized in forming an elite collection of programs that offer EMBA programs with the specific intent of allowing business leaders the flexibility to earn their degrees while continuing to work full-time. The School's flagship program is centered around this principle– the Weekend MBA. Further, a significant number of the School's global partner institutions are also member schools of EMBAC. This organization was founded in 1981 at the University of Houston when only 50 EMBA programs existed. Today, more than 330 such programs have been launched.
Recognizing the importance of regional strength and forming a collective for the mutual ascension of the reputation and awareness of Asia-Pacific Business Schools, the NUCB Business School became a member of the Association of Asia-Pacific Business Schools (AAPBS) which was formally established in 2004. The founding President, Professor Sung Joo Park, Dean Emeritus of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has played a personal role as a visiting professor and direct advisor for the development of graduate school programs. Although the majority of member schools sharing best practices and know-how at annual conferences are based in the Asia-Pacific region, there are also a number of European, Latin American and North American institutions taking part as affiliate, associate or corporate members.
Our school became the first Japanese member of the Global Business School Network (GBSN) in 2019. GBSN was established in 2003 as a program of the International Finance Corporation and an institution of the World Bank Group. The vision of GBSN is to enable business schools to drive sustainable development worldwide-through education, research, and community engagement. GBSN has made a major impact through its improvement of management and entrepreneurship efforts throughout the developing world. For 17 years, the Network has pursued its purpose by leading and participating in a large number of international development projects designed to increase management education capacity. Through its successes, GBSN has grown to over 100 leading business schools in more than 50 countries and has increased its diversity, connecting business schools to a wider set of powerful organizations, that share their vision of a developing world with the talent it needs to generate prosperity.
NUCB Business School has been certified as meeting the standards for higher education institutions set by the Japan University Accreditation Association (JUAA) and has attained JUAA accreditation from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2028. JUAA is a public interest incorporated association that works to maintain and improve the quality of universities through evaluation and other activities. JUAA began university evaluations based on self-assessment in the 1990s and was certified as Japan's first institutional accreditation organization in 2004. The association also conducts research and studies on higher education in Japan and abroad, and strives to strengthen cooperation with overseas quality assurance agencies to ensure international acceptance of its evaluations.