Victoria's Faculty of Commerce and Administration achieves 'Triple Crown'

Victoria University's Faculty of Commerce and Administration is now among just 58 business schools worldwide that hold the 'Triple Crown' of international accreditations EQUIS (www.efmd.org), AACSB (Business) (www.aacsb.edu) and AMBA (www.mbaworld.com).

EQUIS accreditation was this week confirmed from the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD).

"As well as being part of this elite group of 58 out of more than 13,000 business schools worldwide, we are the only Triple Crown holder to also hold AACSB accreditation in Accounting," says Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Commerce, Professor Bob Buckle.

"We are delighted to be the first holder of both the Triple Crown and AACSB accreditation in Accounting. It gives our students a distinct advantage and recognises the quality and relevance of our programmes, as well as our commitment to continuous improvement. In today's competitive tertiary environment it's essential that our students feel assured of receiving a top quality education that is recognised internationally."

John Shewan, Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers New Zealand and Chair of the Advisory Board to the Faculty, congratulated the Faculty on this latest achievement and noted the importance of this recognition to graduates competing in an increasingly tougher job market.

"With EQUIS the Faculty demonstrates not only high general quality in all dimensions of its activities but also strong connectedness to the business and public sectors and a high degree of internationalisation in its programmes," says Mr Shewan.

He observed that gaining EQUIS adds European recognition for the Faculty's programmes to the recognition that the Faculty already holds from the United States with AACSB and the United Kingdom with AMBA accreditations.

"EQUIS will give the Faculty special appeal for international students and in particular those from Europe."

About EQUIS accreditation

EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System) is a leading international system of quality assessment, improvement and accreditation of higher education institutions in business. Run by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD), EQUIS' fundamental objective, linked to the mission of the EFMD, is to raise the standard of business education worldwide.

EQUIS is not primarily focused on the MBA or any other specific programme. Its scope covers all programmes offered by an institution, from the first degree up to the PhD.

As of December 2011, 133 business schools have been awarded EQUIS, with 38 countries represented among the accredited schools.

To learn more about EQUIS accreditation visit www.efmd.org