Introduction

Accreditation is a process by which all areas of an educational institution is reviewed. In the United States, accreditation of Colleges and Universities is conducted on three levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary. The primary (first level) accreditation is mandatory for all institutions. There are 6 regional accreditation associations that do the primary accreditation. The association covering the state of Georgia and the Southeastern United States is the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The accreditation covers Faculty, Administration, Instructional Resources, Physical Facilities, Students, and Curriculum. The SACS and similar accrediting agencies establish minimum criteria for the academic institutions to meet and maintain to remain in good academic standing. Once primary accreditation has been achieved institutions can apply for specific secondary accreditation of School or Colleges, and tertiary accreditation of departments. Field and discipline specific associations handle the secondary and tertiary accreditation. Secondary and tertiary accreditation can be for either graduate or undergraduate programs. 

In the field of Business, the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business ( AACSB) is the oldest and largest business accreditation association. Secondary (and tertiary accreditation for accounting programs) is not required for Schools of Business. The achievement of accreditation is taken as indicator of meeting a higher academic standard than non-accredited Schools of Business. The accreditation is promoted as allowing a College of Business to attract more funding, better faculty, and better students.

The focus of this article is on just one part of the secondary accreditation process of AACSB accreditation -- undergraduate curriculum -- and the experiences of a single institution -- the Richards College of Business of the State University of West Georgia. The objective of this article is to provide a case study so that other institutions can achieve compliance with AACSB standards more efficiently and effectively by reviewing the experience of The State University of West Georgia. This article reviews of the process undertaken by the State University of West Georgia's Richards College of Business Undergraduate Curriculum Committee to interpret, implement, and document the compliance with the new AACSB standards. The objective of this review of West Georgia's accreditation process is to provide a working document that can be used by other institutions considering or undergoing AACSB undergraduate accreditation. This is not intended to be a blueprint for undergraduate curriculum, but one university's experience in terms of the process and issues of accreditation. 

This article is divided into four parts: first, a description of the State University of West Georgia and the Richards College of Business in terms of their size and degrees; second, the interpretation of the new AACSB standards; third, the process of implementation of our interpretation of the new AACSB standards; and finally, some conclusions and recommendation about the AACSB accreditation process.

I. The University and the College

In the Fall of 1996 (the year of re-accreditation) there were 8560 students enrolled at the State University of West Georgia, of which 6189 were undergraduates. The Richards College of Business had 1003 (21%) Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) majors out of the 4716 undergraduate students who had declared majors during the Fall of 1996. Overall, the University awards 4 Associates degrees, 10 Bachelors degrees, 7 Masters, and 1 Specialists degree. At this time West Georgia, as all other University System of Georgia institutions, was on a 5 hour quarter system. 190 academic hours (38 classes of 5 hours each) were the minimum required for graduation. The College of Business awards 4 degrees, the Bachelors in Business Administration (BBA), a Bachelor of Arts in International Economic Affairs, a Bachelor of Science in Economics, and a Bachelor of Science in Education (Business Education). The last three are considered to non-business degrees. The first two economics degrees are evaluated based on the 25% rule⁽¹⁾ (See the first paragraph interpretation of rule P.2.b. [http://www.aacsb.edu/stand2.html, Achieving Quality 1994:6]) and the business education degree was exempt from evaluation (See the third paragraph of rule P.2.b.[http://www.aacsb.edu/stand2.html, Achieving Quality 1994:6]).

The State University of West Georgia, Richards College of Business has four departments of instruction: Accounting and Finance; Economics; Management and Business Systems; and, Marketing and Real Estate. Through these departments the College of Business offers eight BBA degrees: Accounting, Finance, Management, Business Information Systems, Administrative Systems, Marketing, Real Estate, and Economics. All BBA majors must complete a set of 15 lower and upper division business courses in addition to the requirements specific to the major. These 15 courses are referred to collectively as the Common Body of Knowledge (CBK) courses.⁽²⁾ The lower division curriculum at the State University of West Georgia is made up of 4 Core Areas. The requirements for first three Core Areas -- Area I (Humanities), Core Area II (Science and Mathematics), and Core Area III (Social Sciences) -- are specified by the University System of Georgia, with specific course requirements specified by degree. Core Area IV courses are course appropriate to the degree, and have a menu of courses specified for each degree. Each University can choose from the menu courses considered appropriate for their degree program emphasis.

At West Georgia, Core Area IV has 6 required courses for BBA majors: Principles of Financial Accounting (sophomore level), Principles of Managerial Accounting (sophomore level), Introduction to Microeconomics (sophomore level), Introduction to Macroeconomics (sophomore level), Business Information Systems (sophomore level), and Legal Environment of Business (sophomore level).

To meet AACSB standards (which will be discussed in the next section)most Universities specify a "junior" core for all BBA majors. At West Georgia the junior Business Core consists of 8 courses: Corporate Finance (junior level), Introduction to Management (junior level), Production and Operations Management (junior level), Management of Information Systems (junior level), Quantitative Methods and Applications for Business (junior level), Introduction to Economics and Business Statistics (junior level), Principles of Marketing (junior level), and Managerial Reporting (junior level). In addition, all BBA majors are required to complete Strategic Management (senior level) as the BBA capstone course. This course is included in each BBA major as a required major course. The 6 Core IV courses, 8 Junior Business Core courses, and capstone Strategic Management course constitute the 15 CBK courses that were reviewed by the undergraduate curriculum committee.

II. The Interpretation of the new AACSB Standards

The State University of West Georgia had been accredited initially in the spring of 1990 under the old AACSB standards. Almost immediately, the Richards College of Business began to look towards the 5 year first re-accreditation. The new standards had been passed by AACSB, and the first year of implementation would be 1992. The Richards College of Business Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and the Richards College of Business Graduate Committee were given the charge of evaluating, and implementing the new AACSB standards.

At the State University of West Georgia the curriculum is under the purview of the faculty of the appropriate college in conformity with AAUP's 1947 statement of principles guidelines. The University is divided into three colleges -- the College of Arts and Science, the College of Education, and the Richards College of Business. The College of Business has two standing committees, the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and the Graduate Curriculum Committee. Each committee is composed of one representative from each of the four departments in the Richards College of Business and an assistant to the dean as an ex-officio member.

An important operational change was undertaken after the first reading of the new standards. The initial review and discussion of the graduate and undergraduate standards led to a reconstituting the two committees into a single committee. In the ex-post evaluation of the accreditation process, the early conjoining of the committees stood out as an important action. It increased the flow of information to the departments, allowed the critical co-ordination of graduate and undergraduate mission statements and collection of compliance data, and made the committee work burden less onerous. As will be discussed in part C.3. of this section, the graduate curriculum was found to be dependent on the undergraduate curriculum. The only way to coordinate the two curriculums was to have the committees overlap. The overlap went into the design and execution of the surveys, alumni and business meetings, and the establishment of a Board of Visitors. The two committees later separated in order to develop the specifics of the undergraduate and graduate curriculums.

The original AACSB standards under which the State University of West Georgia Richards College of Business was accredited had been interpreted as being subject oriented. These original standards revolved around a required Common Body of Knowledge that was required of all business majors (Appendix I 1989:ii). The CBK minimum requirement was "the equivalent of at least one year of work" in five areas (Appendix I 1989:ii-iii). The interpretation of the CBK was quantitative, that is that the curricula had absolute standards of disciplinary (i.e. accounting, economics) and sub-disciplinary (such as production, statistics, calculus) curriculum content that were in contact hours ("one year of work"). These standards required that information be organized quantitatively to show how the requirements were being fulfilled. The structure and the language of the standards were operationally the same for both undergraduate and graduate curriculums, with the only additional graduate requirement being breath "in nature" (Appendix I 1989:iv). West Georgia presented its evidence of compliance with the AACSB standards by a tabular analysis of the courses in the CBK. Totally revised standards were adopted by AACSB in April of 1991. Prior changes in AACSB standards have been incremental in nature, usually adding to the interpretation of existing standards, and occasionally adding to the standards. However, the new standards were different, as they eliminated the quantitative evaluation, and added a multitude of across the disciplines topics. The new standards were reviewed by both committees upon their adoption by AACSB, the process for re-accreditation was formally initiated at West Georgia.

The new AACSB Standards required a drastically different approach to the development and evaluation of the curriculum. The joint undergraduate and graduate committee decided the following were the major changes in the process of curriculum accreditation.

1. After reviewing the new standards completely, the curriculum committees decided that evaluation of curriculum is based on the University and College mission, as stated in their mission statements. The curriculum standard for accreditation is based on the mission statements. The beginning of the new curriculum standards are the mission standards, standards M.1., M.2., M.3., M.4., M.5. [http://www.aacsb.edu/stand3.html, Achieving Quality 1994:9], and their "Interpretation" for accreditation" or "Basis For Judgement"⁽³⁾. The new standards emphasized the need for the College's mission statement to reflect the viewpoints of various stakeholders and the need for consistency between the College's mission and the University's mission.

2. The new standard emphasized across-the-curriculum topics and de-emphasized disciplinary constraints. The new standards contains three content statements for the undergraduate programs (C.1.1, C.1.2.b., and C.1.2.c. [http://www.aacsb.edu/stand5.html, Achieving Quality 1994:17-18]), and three for the graduate program (C.1.3.a, C.1.3.c, and C.1.3.e) [http://www.aacsb.edu/stand5.html, Achieving Quality 1994:18-19]. The undergraduate program was required to provide an understanding of seven perspectives and two skill areas, while only making a general disciplinary requirements. The seven perspectives from standard C.1.1. are ethical issues, global issues, the influence of political issues, the influence of social issues, the influence of legal and regulatory issues, and the influence of technological issues. The skill areas from standard C.1.2.c. are written communication and oral communications. Finally, standard C.1.2.b. states "(t)the curriculum should include foundation knowledge for business in the following areas: accounting, behavioral science, economics, and, mathematics and statistics." There was (and currently is) no interpretation of the standard, leaving the committee with two quandaries: what standard for "foundation knowledge" coverage would be applied; and what was the meaning of "behavioral science". For the coverage of foundation knowledge, the committee decided that the minimum coverage was 84 quarter contact hours (or 2 courses)⁽⁴⁾. The minimum standard of 84 contact hours/2 courses was based on the committees review of other AACSB programs. Second, the term "behavioral science" was interpreted to include course work in management and marketing. The most important interpretation or decision was that the perspectives and skills are topical and/or pedagogical aspects of all of the disciplinary fields. These would be satisfied across the curriculum rather than by specific courses.

3. The new AACSB standards both freed the undergraduate and graduate curriculums from being governed by quantitative constraints to being driven by the college mission, and also imposed previously unconsidered constraints. The undergraduate curriculum, for example, had never previously had to consider it's effect on the accreditation of the graduate MBA degree. Under the previous AACSB standards, the graduate standards were identical to the undergraduate standards. Under the new AACSB standards the graduate program requirements are no longer identical. The standards for graduate and undergraduate accreditation overlap in the coverage of the seven perspectives and the undergraduate skill areas, but are otherwise separate. The graduate standards matter for undergraduate curriculum because most of the CBK undergraduate courses are required prerequisite courses for admission in to a graduate program. The undergraduate curriculum now had to take into account the additional "basic skills" of quantitative analysis and computer usage along with of eight other "core areas" of instruction: financial reporting, financial analysis, financial markets, domestic economic environment of organizations, global economic environment of organizations, creation of goods and services, distribution of goods and services, and human behavior in organizations. These skills and core areas are not part of the undergraduate curriculum requirements, but must be covered to allow the direct admission of any business undergraduate into a MBA program.

4. The change in AACSB standards had moved from being driven by course coverage of the CBK to being mission driven. The resulting coverage of skills and perspectives imposes a burden on schools to set their own standards. As noted previously, the topical areas and skill area requirements come with no statement of minimums or maximums. Indeed, there is no standard for how skills and topical areas are to be evaluated. The question of how we measure coverage became an issue when considering how coverage of writing and communication skills would be documented. There were three possible measurement norms considered. First, the coverage of communication and writing skills could be measured by hours of in-class work, as the disciplinary and most topical areas coverage was to be documented. If the norm was in-class coverage, then an hourly measure would give little weight to major projects since the work was done outside of class. The second norm discussed would include both in-class or out-of-class coverage by time. The problems were how the out-of-class time would be measured, and if there was a limit to the out-of-class time assigned. The final possible norm was to count and characterize the assignments that fell under the skill area. The curriculum committee decided to approach the skills by using the later, counting and characterization, standard. The would leave any hours of coverage measure as an in-class coverage measure.

Finally, a question arose about across the curriculum coverage. The standards can be set for the amount of coverage by the program or by an overall coverage with a multiple courses contributing coverage, or by an intensive coverage in particular courses. State University of West Georgia decided to use an across the curriculum hourly requirement.

5. The new standards implicitly require that the mission and, hence, the curricula, undergo a continuing process of review and revision. Changes in the make-up of stakeholders (faculty, students, alumni, and employers), along with changes in the school mission and disciplinary or topical knowledge, needed to be incorporated into the mission and curriculum. This on-going review process had to be initiated in conjunction with the writing of the mission.

6. Finally, the standards implicitly require that the skill and topical areas be coordinated across the curriculum. The development of topical issues and the skill areas requires that the different courses containing those elements be consistent and developmental in approach. Computer skills will not be adequately developed if each course does not build on the programs and computer knowledge gained from previous courses. This is also true of written, oral, ethical, global and other topical areas.

In conclusion, for undergraduate degrees in business, the new standards have considerable flexibility in how a business school fulfills AACSB mandated standards. The standards also impose a burden on business schools to define their mission and document the fulfilment of that mission. The new AACSB standards give no guidance, and thus complete freedom, in the process of implementing and documenting the fulfillment of a business school's mission and AACSB mandated standards. These processes are institutionally defined. Similarly, the graduate degree requirements have been restructured so that the curriculum can be approached with creativity to achieve the mission. The freedom the new standards allow implies the documentation of the development and implementation of those standards.  

III. The Process of Implementation

The development of the basic outline of the interpretation of the standards was relatively quick, taking only about a month. In contrast, the process of implementation of the interpretation took almost 2 years, with most of time utilized in the development of the Richards College of Business Mission Statement.

The undergraduate and the graduate committees decided to meet together to write the Richards College of Business mission statement. This was done in part because the mission statement should, in both committees' judgement, reflect both graduate and undergraduate goals in its construction. The development of the mission took place as a series of steps.

1. The first issue was to decide on the "various constituencies" or stakeholders in the undergraduate and graduate business degree programs. Four groups were identified as stakeholders: the Richards College of Business faculty, local and regional businesses, Richards College of Business alumni, and current Richards College of Business students. Each of the four groups needs an avenue to express their concerns about the curriculums' strengths and deficiencies.

2. The method of surveying the four constituencies needed to be developed. Faculty input was already achieved via the committee structure, and any individual faculty member's concerns could be discussed at a departmental or College meetings.

The process for the evaluation of the curriculum content by alumni and business persons had to be developed. Three techniques were employed to elicit evaluations of the College of Business' degree programs. Initially, focus groups and surveys were used with undergraduate alumni, MBA alumni, and regional businesses. The surveys proved to be extremely useful. Two alumni and business surveys were conducted in 1992 and 1996. The 1992 survey was part of an intensive two year evaluation of the curriculum in terms of new AACSB standards and was conducted prior to the writing of the mission statement. The 1996 survey was used to update the curriculum evaluation and the curriculum (See Appendix II for a copy of the 1996 survey). The 1996 survey employed the same document with minor changes that the joint committee developed in 1992. In addition to the survey, alumni were interviewed at alumni meetings held in Atlanta, Dalton and Carrollton. These interviews were social successes, but the convivial nature of the meetings seemed to limit the depth of the discussions. In addition, the data acquired mirrored the survey data without any confidence in its reliability. For these reasons interviewing alumni was discontinued. Similarly, businesses were invited for a one day conference to review the College of Business' curriculum. The results of this conference, while qualitative in nature, were extremely focused and of considerable use to the committee. The success of this process of intensive on-site review evolved into the creation of a Board of Visitors. In part, the Board of Visitors was created in order to continue and expand the on-going employer review of the curriculum. This Board is comprised of business and community leaders, alumni, along with faculty, and administrators from other colleges within the State University of West Georgia.

The fourth group of stakeholders are the current Richards College of Business students. The success of the curriculum is dependent upon the curriculum adequately providing Richards College of Business graduates with appropriate job skills and abilities. The educational outcomes evaluation mechanism is the CBK Assessment Exam, which is given as part of the MGT 460 course (Strategic Management). Students must take the course during their last 30 hours (two quarters from graduation for a full-time student) and completion of the Business Core. The CBK Assessment Exam consists of 8 sections with 10 questions in each section (for a total of 80 questions). The questions were randomly selected from the AACSB test bank and a database of economics questions developed by the West Georgia Economics Department. The eight evaluation areas are: Accounting; Business Environment and Strategy; Finance; Behavioral, Organizational, and Human Resources; Marketing; Management Information Systems; Quantitative Analysis/Operations Management; and Economics. The complete test banks were reviewed by the faculty to insure that a representative test bank and exam was developed. In addition, each department had an assessment of majors process. The objective of the assessment of majors is to compare the performance of graduates to departmental goals. It includes the use of specific assessment tools, including course evaluations, exit interviews, focus group interviews, work portfoilios, and exit exams. The departmental assessment results are an important source of information used by departments in their analysis of educational outcomes.

3. The next step was to write the mission statement. The Richards College of Business specified 16 educational objectives in the mission statement for the BBA degree (see Appendix II). Nine of the educational objectives are identical to AACSB undergraduate curriculum standards, and seven of the educational objectives were established by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee in concert with the individual departments, the results of the initial survey, the focus group discussions, and the initial session of the Board of Visitors. These seven West Georgia specific educational objectives are: Library Research Skills; Computer and Software Skills; In-depth knowledge in a Major Field of Study; Ability to Integrate All Areas of Business; Awareness of Historical Aspects of the Business Environment; Social Skills; and Critical Thinking Skills. The list reflected the intresta of all stakeholders. The inclusion of computer skills and social skills was due to the input provided by businesses and the Board of Visitors.

The writing of the College of Business mission statement was immediately followed by an evaluation of the undergraduate curriculum in terms of AACSB standards. The undergraduate committee decided to create a set of tables covering each of the areas mandated by AACSB. The undergraduate curriculum had four specific areas were coverage is mandated by the AACSB standards. These areas were the mission (AACSB standard M.3), the perspectives (AACSB standard C.1.1), the Foundation Knowledge for Business (AACSB standard C.1.2.b), and the Important Characteristic (C.1.2.c). In developing the compliance documents, a series of questions had to be answered (for the compliance documents, see Appendix III).

1. The first question was how would in-class hours be counted. This discussion was about the ability of a topic to cover several "Areas of Content" -- or topics covered in the course -- simultaneously. For example, in the International Finance class the discussion of company compliance with the international accounting (FASB 52) requirements is simultaneously a discussion of regulation, a global issue, and also an issue in corporate ethics. Hence the 3 hours of coverage of FASB 52 would also be 3 hours of coverage in global, 2 hours of coverage in regulation, and 1 hour of coverage in ethics. Thus each form would list the "Areas of Content" for each course, with the total hours of coverage not to exceed 42 (the hours of coverage established by University System of Georgia Board of Regents). The hours reported in each cell cannot exceed the coverage hours of the topic, but the sum of the coverage hours for all of the mission objectives/perspectives/important characteristics could exceed the coverage hours of a topic because of coverage overlap. This decision was reached by both committees because specific topics and examples could overlap in coverage.

2. As discussed earlier, for some areas -- such as skills -- hourly coverage did not seem appropriate. The in-class topics were easily covered by hours, but out-of-class written assignments, oral assignments that required out of class preparation, and computer assignments that required out of class preparation would be difficult, if not impossible, to establish and justify the hours assigned. Thus these would be counted rather than measured in terms of hours. To distinguish between different assignments, the committee went through several draft lists of the different types of written assignments. Each variation was reviewed by faculty. The process involved several iterations until they captured the variations that the faculty felt reflected accurately the different types of assignments. The final list of 8 variations for written communications were: case study, article summary, research paper, report, proposal, letter, essay test, and other. The final list of 5 oral communications were: group presentation, individual presentation, case presentation, graded discussion, and other. These lists are not exhaustive, but were developed to reflect the practices of West Georgia faculty at the time of the self study.

3. First, the committee had to establish the minimum standard in contact hours for coverage for each of the perspective topics and areas of foundation knowledge. The committee established standard for the minimum contact hours of coverage for the perspectives is 42 hours (or one standard quarter length course). The minimum coverage for foundation knowledge is of 126 hours (equivalent to three standard quarter length courses).

The first evaluation of the curriculum using the compliance document resulted in several changes in the mission and curriculum. Originally there were 10 West Georgia mission objectives. Several of the standards were changed to clarify them, and others were dropped because of the inability to measure their achievement. The committees recommended to the faculty the addition of a required course (Introduction to Speech) and the additional coverage of topics across the curriculum. The committee was particularly concerned about the teaching of communication skills and computer skills across the curriculum objective. The need to monitor the progress towards a more complete integration across the curriculum of these skills resulted in the committee establishing an annual curriculum calendar.

The annual curriculum calendar includes a curriculum review. The primary tool used for the curriculum evaluation of courses is a course portfolio. The course portfolio consists of a course syllabus with learning objectives, examples of assignments and exams, and an evaluation of the course coverage of: AACSB mandated perspectives, AACSB mandated foundation knowledge, AACSB mandated written and oral communication, and College of Business degree and major missions.

The annual calendar seeks to routinized the process of mission and curriculum evaluation. The annual evaluation of educational outcomes involves all four groups of stakeholders. The recommendations of the Board of Visitors, the results of the once-every-four-years alumni and business surveys, and faculty input through departmental representatives provide a continous review process of the mission objectives and the fulfillment of those objectives. The Richards College of Business Mission Statement is reviewed annually by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee in conjunction with the performance of graduating business majors on the CBK exam. The mission is then revised as deemed appropriate.  

IV. Conclusions and Recommendations

There were several aspects of the process that are worth consideration by similarly sized institutions seeking AACSB accreditation.

1. The process of AACSB accreditation evaluation should begin as early as possible. At West Georgia the timing of the change in standards just after the initial accreditation of the Richards College of Business, provided both an incentive to begin the process of interpreting the new standards and the luxury of 5 years for interpretation, implementation, and refinement. Two years were spent in establishing our mission, surveying the stakeholders, and reviewing the curriculum. The last three years were spent in changing and re-reviewing the curriculum. While the former could have been shortened considerably - developing the survey documents took several months - the later process is a fairly long process because it required changing the faculty's perspective on course content.

2. Business Schools need to use the strenghts of other departments and faculty members throughout the institution. The development of across the curriculum considerations and the integration of written and oral components in most courses took time for the faculty to adapt to and develop appropriate pedagogical skills. The English Department and the Mass Communications and Speech Department both provided faculty workshops on how to design and grade written and oral presentations. The College of Arts and Sceinces "Writing Across the Curriculum" program has also been of continuing assistance to Richards College of Business faculty.

3. The interpretation and the measurement of coverage of graduate and undergraduate standards need to be combined. The coverage of graduate standards by the undergraduate courses -- and these standards being unique to the graduate curriculum -- makes the co-ordination of the two curriculums important for successful accreditation. Common tasks, such as surveys and focus sessions are accomplished more rapidly when these tasks are divided between the committees.

4. The School of Business should do surveys of the identified stakeholders . The surveys can be both re-affirming of the basic mission and informative of the opinion of the different stakeholders. More importantly, the surveys and other contacts can easily be the beginning of an on-going relationship that is beneficial to the University, College, and department. Both the information and the relationship can become invaluable assets for a College of Business.

5. The School of Business needs to create a systematic process for the establishment of compliance with its mission. At West Georgia compliance was documented by the combination of the course portfolio and, AACSB and mission compliance documents. This, though, was the least successful portion of the committee work. The documents developed for this purpose were time consuming to complete, and therefore, unpopular with the faculty. The standards documents had considerable overlap between the mission portion and the AACSB standards portion because the AACSB standards were integrated into the Richards College of Business mission. This was confusing for many. In addition, the topical coverage overlap of a presentation added another layer of confusion. Finally, any standard of documentation for written and oral communication activities ismore art than science. The extremes are either too few categories (or categories that are not descriptive of what the faculty does), so differences in approaches between courses can not be demonstrated, or too many categories, making each each case is unique and a summary is impossible.

6. Finally, the College of Business should establish a curriculum calendar to routinized a majority of the accreditation support activities. The West Georgia calendar includes an annual review of the mission, an annual review of the course portfolios, a semi-annual meeting with the Board of Visitors, and a every four year survey. AACSB compliance documentation should be easier during the new accreditation cycle, given that the standards probably will not change considerably.

IV. Curriculum

The purpose of the curriculum shall be to provide for a broad education preparing the student for imaginative and responsible citizenship and leadership roles in business and society - domestic and worldwide. The curriculum shall be responsive to social, economic, and shall reflect the application of evolving knowledge in economics and the behavioral and quantitative sciences. To facilitate the foregoing, the Accreditation Council encourages continuing development and appraisal of both new and existing curricula.

There is no intention that any single approach is required to satisfy the worldwide dimension of the Curriculum Standard, but every student should be exposed to the international dimension through one or more elements of the curriculum.

An undergraduate school of business should concentrate its professional courses in the last two years of a four-year program, and should offer only a limited amount of work below the junior year. The objective of this is to provide a foundation of work in those academic areas necessary for an appropriate combination of descriptive and analytical approaches to the study of business administration. Such foundation work would normally include courses in communication, mathematics, social sciences, humanities, and the natural sciences.

Examples of topics which be offered at the lower division level are: Principles of accounting, principles of economics, legal environment, statistics, and introduction to business. Examples of topics which should be offered only at the upper division level are: principles of finance, principles of management, and principles of marketing.

Normally, 40 to 60 percent of the course work in the baccalaureate program shall be devoted to studies in business administration and economics. Normally 40 to 60 percent of the course work shall be devoted to studies other than business administration and economics.

The major portion of the courses in the first group shall be in business administration. Recognizing that the major portion of the courses in the second group are typically included in the general education curriculum, business faculty, where consistent with the general governance system of the institution, should be active participants concerning the institution's general education curriculum. Credit for remedial courses of sub-collegiate level shall not be consider toward meeting the Standards of the Accreditation Council. Up to nine semester hours of lower division economics may be counted in either of the curriculum segments.

To provide students with the common body of knowledge in business administration, programs shall include in their course of instruction the equivalent of at least one year of work comprising the following areas:

• a background of the concepts, processes and institutions in the production and marketing of goods and/or services and the financing of the business enterprise or other forms of organization;

 
• a background of the economic and legal environment as it pertains to profit and/or nonprofit organizations along with ethical considerations and social and political influences as they affect such organizations;

• a basic understanding of the concepts and applications of accounting, of quantitative methods, and management information systems including computer applications;

 
• a study of organization theory, behavior, and interpersonal communications;

 
• a study of administrative processes under conditions of uncertainty including integrating analysis and policy determination at the overall management level.

Schools may choose to meet this Standard in a variety of ways. Some may prescribe individual courses in each area; others may organize learning in different ways. Further, some coverage of the common body of knowledge in the same way, nor that two students in the same concentration should meet the common body of knowledge in the same way.

In the spirit of the accreditation philosophy, a school may develop curricula at variance with the common body of knowledge when it supports the mission of the school and institution and demonstrates that overall high quality is maintained.

Opportunities for advanced work in some of the subject areas should be provided consistent with the school's objectives and capabilities.

Masters degree programs in business administration must require students to have completed, either at the undergraduate or graduate level, the equivalent of the common body of knowledge as set forth above.

The common body of knowledge may be satisfied by undergraduate or graduate work. The requirements of less than 30 semester hours of undergraduate courses or 20 semester hours of work in courses reserved exclusively for graduate students to satisfy the common body of knowledge is presumed to be insufficient. This presumption may be overcome by evidence to the contrary. Average weekly contact hours and credit hours should normally bear an approximate relationship of one-to-one for most courses offered in the business unit.

For the MBA degree, it is expected that the program in addition to the courses identified as satisfying the common body of knowledge shall be broad in nature and aimed at general competence for overall management.

"Breadth" means that the student must earn at least 15 semester credit hours or equivalent of work in addition to that in the common body of knowledge out-side the field of specialization.

For other masters degrees, the limitation on specialization will not apply.

For the MBA degree, it is expected that the programs will require for most students a minimum of two semesters of academic work in addition to the common body of knowledge and the baccalaureate degree in classes reserved exclusively for graduate students.

The word "most" means 90 percent or above. The phrase "two semesters" means 24 semester credit hours (36 quarter hours).

For other masters degrees, it is expected that programs will require for most students a minimum of two semesters of academic work in addition to the common body of knowledge and the baccalaureate degree of which at least two thirds of two semesters of academic work will be in classes reserved exclusively for graduate students.

The phrase "two thirds of two semesters" means 16 semester hours (24 quarter hours).  

State University of West Georgia promotes human development through excellence in teaching, research, and service.

The Richards College of Business at the State University of West Georgia provides its students a high quality business education, at both undergraduate and graduate levels. The goal is to enable graduates to secure entry level managerial/professional employment or to continue graduate studies.

Faculty members are committed to professional development through various intellectual activities. The primary means by which instructors can enhance and update the content of their present courses and design new ones is through research and professional development activities. Such intellectual activities are essential to enhance the status of the institution among AACSB member schools, potential employers, and other organizations.

Service to the institution and to the professional community supports activities necessary to accomplish this mission. Such involvement promotes a superior curriculum, placement of graduates, discovery of new ideas for further intellectual activities, classroom instruction, and the procurement of external funding.  

B.B.A. programs provide students with a high quality business education based on a solid liberal arts foundation to secure entry level positions in organizations and/or to pursue graduate studies.

Therefore, the faculty are committed to educate students who, upon graduation, will possess: 1) written communication skills; 2) oral communication skills; 3) the capability to conduct library research; 4) general computer and appropriate software skills; 5) a background in Accounting; 6) a background in Economics; 7) a background in Behavioral Science; 8) an in depth knowledge in a major field of business; 9) an ability to integrate all areas of business; 10) an awareness of ethical aspects of the business environment; 11) an awareness of the social aspects of the business environment; 12) an awareness of the political aspects of the business environment; 13) an awareness of the historical aspects of business environment; 14) an awareness of the global aspects of business environment; 15) quantitative skills; 16) social skills; and 17) critical thinking abilities.

B.B.A. programs serve high school graduates as well as students transferring from two-year and four-year institutions of higher learning. The majority of students are from the local area. The programs also attract a small number of students from outside of the College's regional service area, including other states and countries.  

The MBA program provides bachelor degree students a high quality management based business education to secure middle/upper management positions in local, regional, and national organizations or to continue studies at the doctoral level.

The faculty members recognize that to accomplish the program objectives each student, upon graduation, will: 1) be able to communicate effectively; 2) be able to think and act strategically; 3) be aware of the role of technology; 4) be able to integrate all relevant knowledge; 5) be committed to life long learning; 6) be able to make decisions under conditions of uncertainty; 7) be committed to high ethical standards; 8) be well grounded in the core areas of business; 9) be aware of global issues; 10) have analytical and problem solving skills; 11) have leadership skills; 12) have demonstrated high quality work.

The MBA program serves a constituency composed of part-time students who are employed full-time in the region, full-time students who enter graduate school with little or no work experience, and full-time international students who usually return to their own country after graduation.

II.C. Objectives of the MPAcc Program

The MPAcc program at State University of West Georgia provides students a high quality professional accounting education either to secure entry level professional accounting positions in local, regional, and national organizations or to continue studies at the doctoral level. In addition, the faculty members are committed to professional development through intellectual activities. The primary means by which instructors can enhance and update the content of their courses and design new ones are through research and other professional development activities. Intellectual activities are also essential to enhance the status of the institution among AACSB member schools, potential employers, and other publics. Finally, service to the institution and professional community supports the activities of the program.

To accomplish this mission the faculty members are committed to educate accounting professionals who, upon graduation, will be: 1) skilled in written and oral communications; 2) capable of conducting professional research in accounting and other business related objects; 3) capable of obtaining professional certification in one or more areas with proper review where appropriate; 4) experienced in the use of computers, appropriate software, and appropriate research data bases; and 5) prepared for the expanded level of knowledge required of professionals in the various accounting fields as well as in management and finance.

The MPAcc program serves students graduating from liberal arts based B.B.A. programs both at State University of West Georgia and other comparable institutions. In addition, students graduating from non business degree programs are served. The majority of students are from the local/regional area served by State University of West Georgia. The program also attracts a small number of students from outside the College's regional service area, including other states and countries. The program aims to attract students with liberal arts degrees and women and minority candidates are especially encouraged to apply.

II.D. Objectives of the M.Ed. in Business Education

The M.Ed. degree in business education is designed to prepare professional personnel for competency in teaching, research, curriculum development, evaluation, and supervision of business curricula. The content of the M.Ed. program in business education reflects the dual purpose of the degree; namely, (1) the advanced preparation of teachers in topics pertaining to the teaching of business subjects and (2) the advanced preparation of teachers in the content to be taught.

To accomplish this objective, the M.Ed. program in business education provides students with a foundation in (1) research methods, (2) issues and trends in business education, (3) tests and measurements, (4) instructional strategies, (5) vocational work experience programs, and (5) computer technology.

The M.Ed. in business education program serves students graduating from a variety of undergraduate programs, including but not limited to business, education, and the liberal arts. The majority of students are from the local/regional area served by State University of West Georgia. The program also attracts a small number of students from outside the College's regional service area, including other states and countries.

II.E. Objectives of the Ed.S. in Business Education

The Ed.S. degree in business education is designed to prepare professional personnel for competency in teaching, research, curriculum development, evaluation, and supervision of business curricula. The content of the Ed.S. degree in business education reflects the many purposes of the degree; namely, (1) the advanced preparation of teachers in topics pertaining to the teaching of business subjects; (2) the advanced preparation of teachers in the content to be taught; and (3) the preparation of teachers to identify, conduct, and implement specific research projects in their chosen area of emphasis.

To accomplish these objectives, the Ed.S. program in business education provides students with a foundation in (1) advanced research methods, (2) issues and trends in business education, (3) administrative support systems, (4) instructional strategies, (5) managerial communications, (6) curriculum and program planning, (6) professional writing, and (7) office systems technology.

The Ed.S. degree in business education program serves students graduating from a variety of undergraduate programs, including but not limited to business, education, and the liberal arts. The majority of students are from the local/regional area served by State University of West Georgia. The program also attracts a small number of students from outside the college's regional service area, including other states and countries.

II.F. Objectives of the B.S. in Business Education

The B.S. degree in business education is designed to prepare graduates as (1) public school business teachers (including elementary, middle, junior high, high, and post secondary schools); (2) teachers/trainers in business and industry, and (3) other business and industry personnel in which applicants are required to have business/teaching backgrounds.

To accomplish this objective, undergraduate programs of study in business education provide students with a foundation in (1) written communications; (2) general and computer skills and software application skills; (3) decision making, problem solving, and research techniques; (4) mathematics; (5) principles, practices, and procedures of business and economic concepts; (6) all aspects of business including office, marketing, service occupations, and business entrepreneurship; and (7) a subject matter base for effective teaching of all business subjects.

The B.S. in business education program serves students graduating from high schools as well as students transferring from other two- and four-year institutions of higher learning. The majority of students are from the local/regional area served by State University of West Georgia. The program also attracts a small number of students from outside the College's regional area, including other states and countries. A certification program also draws a number of students wishing to be certified to teach business courses at all levels.

II.G. Objectives of the B.S. Degree in Economics

The B.S. degree in Economics provides students with the flexibility to build a foundation for further graduate study in business, economics, law or other professional careers as well as providing a broad liberal arts and economics background for entry level positions in business and government.

To accomplish this objective each student upon graduation will: 1) have written and oral communication skills; 2) be capable of conducting descriptive and library research; 3) have general computer and appropriate software skills; 4) have an in-depth technical knowledge of economics; 5) be aware and knowledgeable of the ethical, sociopolitical, historical, and global aspects of the economic environment; 6) have quantitative and social skills as well as critical thinking abilities.

The B.S. degree in Economics serves students who want the flexibility to take a variety of courses in areas other than business but still have a solid understanding of the American economic system. The majority of students are from the local/regional area served by State University of West Georgia and enter the college directly from high school or transfer from other institutions of higher learning. The B.S. degree also attracts a small number of students from outside the College's regional service area, including other states and countries.

II.H. Objectives of the A.B. Degree in International Economic Affairs

The A.B. degree in International Economic Affairs is a multi disciplinary undergraduate degree. The international economic affairs program offers a broad liberal arts education with careful attention to international economics, foreign language skills, geography, cultural anthropology, political science, and sociology. The major serves its graduates by providing them with both the skill necessary to secure employment upon graduation and the broad conceptual and analytical abilities that will give them the flexibility needed for personal and professional growth.

To accomplish this objective each student upon graduation will: 1) have written and oral communication skills; 2) be capable of conducting descriptive and library research; 3) have foreign language skills; 4) have an understanding of the social, political, and economic aspects of the global economy; 5) be aware and knowledgeable of the historical context of the global economy; 6) have quantitative skills as well as critical thinking abilities.

The A.B. degree in International Economic Affairs serves students who want a background in International Economic Affairs and international economics. The program is designed to stand alone as a major, and also serve as a second major for students earning and A.B. in other areas. The majority of students are from the local/regional area served by State University of West Georgia and enter the college directly from high school or transfer from other institutions of higher learning. The A.B. degree also attracts a small number of students from outside the College's regional service area, including other states and countries.

II.I Objectives of the A.S. in Office Administration

The A.S. degree in office administration is designed to prepare graduates for office positions with emphasis on word processing and communications technology.

To accomplish this objective, undergraduate programs of study in office administration provide students with a foundation in (1) accounting, (2) economics, (3) business law, (4) computer literacy and technology, (5) communications, (6) word processing, (7) keyboarding, and (8) records management.

The A.S. in business education program serves students graduating from high schools as well as students transferring from other institutions of higher learning. The majority of students are from the local/regional area served by State University of West Georgia. The program also attracts a small number of students from outside the College's regional area, including other states and countries.

The following questions relate to the quality of education you received at State University of West Georgia in the School of Business. Information given will be used to help plan for curricular improvements in degree programs. Your individual input is important to us. All information you provide to us will be treated as confidential.

General Information

1. Sex: Male Female
2. Marital Status: Married Single Divorced
3. Number of children: ___________
4. Citizen of what country:____________________________
5. Age: At matriculation: _______ At graduation:________ Date of graduation: ___________
6. Avg. # of hours enrolled per Qtr. ___________
7. Major:__________________________________________
8. Were you employed while in school? Yes No
Full-time Part-time
9. Are you currently employed Full-time Part-time
in your field of study? Yes No If yes, where are you employed and what is your job title? If no, go to Question 10.
Name of Employer _______________________________
Job/Title _______________________________________
10. If you are not currently employed in your field of study, what is the reason? _______________________________
_______________________________________________
11. If you are currently employed, what is the range of revenues of your employer?
For-Profit Employer Not-For-Profit Employer
A. Less than $1m F. Education (teaching)
B. $1m - $24m G. Education (Admin)
C. $25m - $99m H. Government
D. $100m - $499m I. Other: Please Specify
E. $500m or over _______________________

12. Which range best approximates your current earnings?
A. Less than $20,000 E. $35,000 - $39,999
B. $20,000 - $24,999 F. $40,000 - $44,999
C. $25,000 - $29,999 G. $45,000 - $49,999
D. $30,000 - $34,999 H. $50,000 or over

13. Following graduation, have you entered or do you plan to enter any graduate/certification program(s) Yes No
If yes, please complete the following:

Program(s)/Certification(s):_________________________
School(s):_______________________________________
Anticipated Enrollment Date: _______________________  

13. Please rank the following areas of knowledge according to their importance to your career aspirations. Rank each item from "1" to "5" using the scale shown below.

1 Very Important 4 Not Very Important
2 Somewhat Important 5 Not At All Important
3 Neutral

Ranking Areas of Knowledge
____ Accounting
____ Communications
____ Economics
____ Environmental Issues
____ Finance
____ Information Systems
____ International Issues
____ Ethical/Legal Issues
____ Management
____ Marketing
____ Quantitative Techniques

14. Of the areas of knowledge listed in #13 above, which two do you think helped you the most in securing your first business position after graduation?
#1: ____________________________________________
#2: ____________________________________________

15. Of the areas of knowledge listed in #13 above, which two do you think were the most critical to your advancement and promotion to higher levels of responsibility?
#1: ____________________________________________
#2: ____________________________________________

16. Of the areas of knowledge listed in #13 above, are there any that you believe were not adequately covered at West Georgia?
#1: ____________________________________________
#2: ____________________________________________

17. Of the areas of knowledge listed in #13 above, are there any that you believe were stressed more than necessary at West Georgia?
#1. ____________________________________________
#2: ____________________________________________

18. Based on your experience are there any areas of knowledge that you did not acquire that you believe should be added to the curriculum?
#1: ____________________________________________
#2: ____________________________________________  

19. Please rank the following general skills according to their importance to your career aspirations. Rank each item from "1" to "5" using the scale below.

1 Very Important 4 Not Very Important
2 Somewhat Important 5 Not At All Important
3 Neutral

Ranking Skills
_____ Computer Skills
_____ Foreign Language
_____ Quantitative Skills
_____ Research Skills
_____ Social Skills
_____ Speaking Skills
_____ Writing Skills

20. Of the skills listed in #19 above, which two do you think helped you the most in securing your first business position after graduation?
#1: ____________________________________________
#2: ____________________________________________

21. Of the skills listed in #19 above, which two do you think were the most critical to your advancement and promotion to higher levels of responsibility?
#1: ____________________________________________
#2: ____________________________________________

22. Of the skills listed in #19 above, are there any that you believe were not adequately covered at West Georgia?
#1: ____________________________________________
#2: ____________________________________________

23. Of the skills listed in #19 above, are there any that you believe were stressed more than necessary at West Georgia?
#1: ____________________________________________
#2: ____________________________________________

24. Based on your experience are there any skills that you did not acquire that you believe should be added to the curriculum? Yes No
If so, please identify them below.
#1: ____________________________________________
#2: ____________________________________________  

25. Please rank the following abilities according to their importance to your career aspirations. Rank each item from "1" to "5" using the scale below.

1 Very Important 4 Not Very Important
2 Somewhat Important 5 Not At All Important
3 Neutral

Ranking Ability to...

_____ Analyze Critically
_____ Make Decisions
_____ Manage People
_____ Manage Projects
_____ Motivate/Influence
_____ Organize
_____ Plan

26. Of the abilities listed in #25 above, which two do you think helped you the most in securing your first business position after graduation?
Ability #1: ______________________________________
Ability #2: ______________________________________

27. Of the abilities listed in #25 above, which two do you think were the most critical to your advancement and promotion to higher levels of responsibility?
Ability #1: ______________________________________
Ability #2: ______________________________________

28. Of the abilities listed in #25 above, are there any that you believe were not adequately covered at West Georgia?
Ability #1: ______________________________________
Ability #2: ______________________________________

29. Of the abilities listed in #25 above, are there any that you believe were stressed more than necessary at West Georgia?
Ability #1: ______________________________________
Ability #2: ______________________________________

30. Based on your experience are there any abilities that you did not acquire from West Georgia that you believe should be added to the curriculum?
Yes No
If yes, please identify them below.
Ability #1: ______________________________________
Ability #2: ______________________________________