Students enrolled in business programs may wonder about the functions of the The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs after seeing ACBSP accreditation listed in the course catalog. While the primary function of the organization is the accreditation of college degree programs in business topics, it also performs other functions that apply to members who join the ACBSP.
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Accredit College Degree Programs
The main function of the ACBSP is college accreditation. College accreditation of this type is a form of institutional accreditation that only applies to degree and certificate programs that relate to the business industry, including programs in human resources management, international business and marketing. Prior to granting any college accreditation, the ACBSP requires that those schools fill out an application and agree to let the organization do research on the courses available, job placement rates and other factors. Once a college receives ACBSP accreditation, it must agree to renew its accreditation and go through another extensive check every decade or so.
Scholarships for Business Students
Students enrolled in business programs at the undergrad or graduate level may have a hard time paying for college. ACBSP now offers some scholarship opportunities for students enrolled in these programs. Some of the scholarships are only open to students who join ACBSP and pay their annual dues, but the organization can also provide students with help finding and securing scholarships from other sources. Many of these scholarships are only open to students who scored higher on tests like the SAT or GMAT and those who have a high grade point average in college.
Honors Societies
In addition to accrediting college programs, the ACBSP is also responsible for accrediting some of the top business honors societies in the United States. Honors societies allow the brightest students to come together and help each other both in school and out. Many societies provide students with networking opportunities that let them meet professionals working in the business industry. They can later use those connections when searching for internships and even jobs. ACBSP provides a full list of all accredited honors societies on its website.
Resource Library
ACBSP also provides business professionals and students with access to a full resource library that provides them with all the information they need to learn more about current trends and other topics. This library includes a digital version of its own scholarly journal called The Transnational Journal of Business and other publications like ACBSP Update, Business Education Week and the ACBSP Annual Edition. Web users can purchase individual copies of each publication, but members receive full access to those publications. The resource library also includes podcasts, articles about searching for a new job and detailed reports of what happened in past conferences.
Career Center
The official website of the ACBSP also provides members and users with access to a Career Center. Its Career Center features job postings from companies around the world. Users can view the latest postings on the main page or do a search to narrow down some of their options. Postings include both entry-level positions and jobs for those with more experience. Users can search for jobs working for colleges, nonprofit organizations and Fortune 500 companies in one convenient spot.
The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs is an agency that accredits the business certificate and degree programs available from colleges across the country. Though accreditation is one of the more important functions of the The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs, the ACBSP also performs other functions, including maintaining a Career Center for job seekers and offering digital and online resources for professionals and students.
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