`The Board of Directors of AACSB-International, the longest-serving and premier global accrediting body for business schools, has ratified the recommendation of the organization’s peer review team (PRT) and the accreditation committee to extend Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s business and accounting programs accreditation through the 2031–32 academic year.
The six-member PRT, comprised mainly of deans of business schools in the country, thoroughly evaluated the Eberly College of Business over the last academic year, culminating in a three-day campus visit during the spring semester. The team met with administrators, faculty, students, alumni, and the Eberly College of Business Advisory Council during the visit.
Only 1,077 universities in the world hold AACSB business accreditation, representing about six percent of the world’s colleges and schools of businesses. IUP’s business program has been accredited since 2001.
IUP’s accounting program has held the supplemental AACSB Accounting accreditation since 2023; only 195 universities globally have achieved this accreditation and IUP holds the distinction of the first and only member of the Pennsylvania State System to receive this recognition. IUP’s accounting program offers a bachelor of science degree and a minor in accounting. The accounting program is part of the IUP Department of Accounting and Information Systems.
“Securing AACSB-International accreditation demonstrates the Eberly College of Business’s ongoing commitment to excellence and to student success,” IUP Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Lara Luetkehans said. “I congratulate the Eberly College of Business faculty and staff, especially Eberly College of Business Dean Dr. Prashanth Bharadwaj, on this recognition of AASCB-International accreditation of the business and accounting programs,” she said.
The Eberly College of Business includes the departments of Accounting and Information Systems, Finance and Economics, Hospitality and Employment Relations, Management, and Marketing.
In addition to the accounting program, bachelor’s degree programs in finance, entrepreneurship and small business management, general management, human resource management, supply chain management and marketing, and the Master of Business Administration and PhD in Business all hold AACSB accreditation. Programs in the Department of Hospitality and Employment Relations hold accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration and the American Culinary Federation.
The accreditation process requires extensive documentation and site visits with stakeholders, including community businesses, evaluating a college’s continuous improvement in strategic management, innovation, learning assessment, faculty scholarship, and societal impact.
“AACSB accreditation is a very rigorous process, and achieving accreditation reflects the entire Eberly College of Business’s commitment to academic quality, student success, and faculty excellence,” Eberly College of Business Dean Prashanth Bharadwaj said.
“It is especially gratifying to have the peer review team recognize our strong infrastructure for strategic planning, our work to improve student retention and persistence—including our WINGS mentoring program and our strong internship and experiential learning emphasis—along with our strong connections with alumni and industry professionals,” Dean Bharadwaj said.
To realize accounting accreditation, an institution must first earn or maintain AACSB business accreditation. Then, in addition to developing and implementing a mission-driven plan to satisfy the business accreditation quality standards, accounting accreditation requires meeting an additional set of accreditation standards that are specific to the discipline and profession of accounting.
“The peer review team applauded the accounting faculty members’ commitment to applied scholarship and to the use of technology in their pedagogy. It was heartening that they recognized the excellent work of the Student Accounting Association as well as the accounting advisory board that includes more than 20 members from industry. Our accounting graduates continue to have successful careers in public accounting, government, corporates, and nonprofit organizations. For the accounting accreditation, I want to acknowledge the leadership of Dr. Suneel Maheshwari, the chair of the Department of Accounting and Information Systems,” Dean Bharadwaj said.
The review team also recognized the Eberly College of Business’s strong curriculum development process, including the development of STEM programs, international partnership programs, the Eberly Business Honors Program, and faculty research productivity, especially in the PhD program, and the strong research culture. The team also praised the Eberly College’s impressive, modern, and professional facilities.
In addition to its national presence, the Eberly College of Business has partnerships and exchange agreements with universities around the world. About half of all the international students at IUP are in Eberly College, and nearly half of the faculty in the college were born outside the United States. Dozens of American students from IUP study abroad each year in Eberly College programs.
“The Eberly College of Business is grateful to Provost Luetkehans and IUP President Dr. Michael Driscoll for their constant support of the business school, especially in our maintenance of this prestigious accreditation,” Dean Bharadwaj said.
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. IUP’s Impact 150 comprehensive campaign is designed to honor a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, public service, and leadership in healthcare education, including the first college of osteopathic medicine at a public university in Pennsylvania.