Business Accreditation Standards

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CURRICULUM CONTENT AND EVALUATION

Curricula are central to the implementation of degree programs. Creating and delivering high quality curricula requires planning and evaluation. Similar academic objectives may be achieved through curricula with different structures and approaches.

Undergraduate business curricula provide a broad context within which education for business is set. These curricula combine general education and basic study of business.

Master's curricula in business provide a distinctly professional perspective. Master's of Business Administration (MBA) degree programs prepare students with a general managerial perspective. Specialized master's curricula prepare students who seek specialized roles in business, management, and related professions.

Doctoral education in business prepares scholars to create and transmit knowledge and to advance managerial and professional practice.

C.1 CURRICULUM CONTENT

C.1.1 Perspectives: Undergraduate and MBA

C.1.1: Both undergraduate and MBA curricula should provide an understanding of perspectives that form the context for business. Coverage should include:

• ethical and global issues,
• the influence of political, social, legal and regulatory, environmental and technological issues, and
• the impact of demographic diversity on organizations.

C.1.2 Undergraduate

C.1.2.a: Each undergraduate curriculum should have a general education component that normally comprises at least 50 percent of the student's four-year program.

C.1.2.b: The curriculum should include foundation knowledge for business in the following areas:

• accounting,
• behavioral science,
• economics, and
• mathematics and statistics.

C.1.2.c: The business curriculum should include written and oral communication as an important characteristic.

C.1.2.d: The school should state additional requirements for completion of the undergraduate business degree consistent with its mission. Majors or specializations should be consistent with the institutional mission and the availability of resources.

C.1.2.e: The school should require that at least 50 percent of the business credit hours required for the business degree be earned at the degree-awarding institution.

C.1.3 MBA and Other General Management Master's Programs

C.1.3.a: The curriculum should include instruction in the following core areas:

• financial reporting, analysis and markets,
• domestic and global economic environments of organizations,
• creation and distribution of goods and services, and
• human behavior in organizations.

Normally, these MBA core areas should require a minimum of 18 semester hours if taken at the graduate level. Part or all of this requirement may be completed at the undergraduate level.

C.1.3.b: The MBA curriculum normally should require a minimum of 30 semester hours beyond the MBA core areas (C.1.3.a). A minimum of 18 hours is required in courses outside the area of specialization, if any.

C.1.3.c: Basic skills in written and oral communication, quantitative analysis, and computer usage should be achieved either by prior experience and education, or as part of the MBA curriculum.

C.1.3.d: Each school's curriculum planning process should set additional requirements consistent with its mission and goals. The program also should allow adequate elective material for reasonable breadth.

C.1.3.e: The curriculum should integrate the core areas and apply cross-functional approaches to organizational issues.

C.1.4 Specialized Master's Programs

C.1.4.a: Specialized master's programs should prepare students who seek specialized roles in business, management and related professions.

C.1.4.b: Normally, each specialized master's program should require a minimum of 30 semester hours, of which at least 12 should be in the area of specialization.

C.1.5 Doctoral Programs

C.1.5: The education of students in doctoral programs in business should include:

• the acquisition of advanced knowledge in the student's area of specialization,
• the development of advanced research skills for the area of specialization,
• explicit attention to the role of the area of specialization in managerial and organizational contexts, and
• experiences that prepare the student for teaching responsibilities in higher education for those students who expect to enter teaching careers.

C.2 CURRICULUM PLANNING AND EVALUATION

C.2.1 Curriculum Planning

C.2.1: The curriculum for each degree program should be the result of a curriculum planning process and should be consistent with the school's mission.

C.2.2 Monitoring of Programs for Effectiveness

C.2.2: Each degree program should be systematically monitored to assess its effectiveness and should be revised to reflect new objectives and to incorporate improvements based on contemporary theory and practice.

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