Stillman School of Business Maintains Prestigious AACSB Dual Accreditation

AACSB, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, has announced that it is extending business and accounting accreditation for Seton Hall University's Stillman School of Business.

For more than a century, AACSB accreditation has been synonymous with the highest standards in business education and is earned by only 6 percent of the world's schools offering business degrees at the bachelor's level or higher. Globally, 1,037 schools have earned AACSB accreditation in business, and only 195 maintain supplemental accreditation in accounting, with the Stillman School of Business among them.

Per their press release, achieving AACSB accreditation is a mission-driven, rigorous process that includes an in-depth assessment of internal activities, mentorship with an AACSB advisor and a peer-reviewed evaluation focused on continuous improvement. During this multi-year path, schools focus on developing and implementing a plan to achieve their mission and align with AACSB’s accreditation standards. These principles-based standards require excellence in areas relating to strategic management and innovation, research and teaching and learning.

“This achievement is a testament to the collective efforts of the entire Stillman community — our faculty, staff, students and alumni — who collaborate to enrich the Stillman educational experience,” said Joyce Strawser, Ph.D., dean of the Stillman School of Business. “We take great pride in being among the fewer than two percent of business schools worldwide that hold both business and supplemental accounting accreditation. This recognition underscores our steadfast dedication to delivering an outstanding business education and shaping our graduates into principled business leaders.”

To achieve accounting accreditation, an institution must first earn AACSB business accreditation. Then, in addition to developing and implementing a mission-driven plan to satisfy the business accreditation quality standards, accounting accreditation requires the satisfaction of a supplemental set of standards specific to the discipline and profession of accounting. Once accreditation is achieved, each institution participates in a five-year continuous improvement peer review to maintain high quality and extend its accreditation.

“For the past 15 years, we have remained the only AACSB-accredited accounting school in Northern New Jersey, standing alongside the nation's top accounting programs,” said Mark Holtzman, Ph.D., CPA, chair of the Department of Accounting and Taxation. “This prestigious distinction, coupled with our strong CPA exam pass rates and successful placements at leading accounting firms, reinforces our ongoing commitment to excellence in preparing our students for success.”

Stephanie Bryant, executive vice president and global chief accreditation officer at AACSB, commended the institutions whose accreditation has been extended. “The commitment to earning accreditation is a true reflection of each school’s dedication — not only to its students, alumni network and greater business community — but to society as a whole,” she said.

Established in 1950, the Stillman School was the first private business school in New Jersey to earn AACSB accreditation. Today, the school offers 13 undergraduate majors, six graduate degrees — with eight M.B.A. specializations — as well as several dual and joint-degree options.

In 2024, Poets & Quants ranked the Stillman School among the top seven percent Best Undergraduate Business Schools in the nation. In addition, the M.S. in accounting program recently earned endorsement by the Institute of Management Accountants, enabling students to pursue and earn the Certified Management Accountant credential.

Categories: Business