Georgia State University
AACSB-Accredited
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Determining a
Program’s Quality
Accreditation, particularly specialized, professional accreditation, such as AACSB Accreditation, is the most reliable source for determining a program's quality. Accreditation is a quality assurance measure that indicates that knowledgeable peers from other institutions have determined that a school's programs meet a set of standards for faculty composition, curriculum content, instructional resources, intellectual contributions, and a variety of other critical areas. Most countries have their own accrediting bodies, which are often government agencies. However, a school may pursue additional specialized accreditation from private organizations for its various disciplines.
Within the field of business, AACSB International is the largest and oldest specialized accrediting body in the world. Obtaining a doctoral degree from an AACSB-accredited school has become so important that many schools will only hire doctorates who graduate from an AACSB-accredited school.
Learn More About Accreditation
Role of Rankings in Choosing a Doctoral Program
Publications that provide rankings of business schools should be viewed with skepticism when evaluating doctoral programs. These studies are highly subjective and depend on unscientific survey data, word-of-mouth, and a variety of other unreliable sources. Moreover, rankings by national or global business magazines often focus exclusively on MBA programs and there may be little correlation between the ranking of an MBA program and the quality of the school's doctoral programs. Be sure that the rankings you find do not substitute your own investigation of the school's characteristics.
To learn more about media rankings, visit the MBA/Masters, Understanding School Rankings section of this website.
Consider Faculty Qualifications and Research
Another way to access the quality of a school’s doctoral program is to review the qualifications of the faculty and the level of research they have produced.
1. Search for the vitas of the program’s faculty online or request their background information directly from the school.
2. Review top research journals in your field of interest and note the universities and institutions that are frequently publishing articles.
3. Speak with your previous professors and ask them what they know about the programs you are interested in.