Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) 

AACSB accreditation is probably the largest and most widely recognised business accreditation in the world. Not just a "stamp of approval", the process of earning AACSB accreditation requires a serious, long-term commitment by the School, and includes rigorous self-evaluation and peer-review elements.  

Huddersfield Business School’s process began with the submission and approval of an eligibility application, which we received in June 2017. Approval of the eligibility application meant we then entered the initial accreditation phase. 

Our Initial Self Evaluation Report (iSER) was submitted in December 2019. This asked us to consider how the School aligned with AACSB's accreditation standards and demonstrate high-quality.  This report was accepted by AACSB's Initial Accreditation Committee (IAC) in February 2020. 

In the academic year 2020/21, we submitted our First Progress Report, updating AACSB on the progress we were making towards meeting the objectives and action plan items discussed in the iSER. The Report was accepted by the AACSB IAC in February 2021 and they invited us to apply for an initial accreditation visit.  

We look forward to and are making preparations for our panel visit later in 2022.

Athena SWAN

Huddersfield Business School submitted its application for an Athena SWAN bronze charter mark for gender equality in higher education in November 2019. We are pleased to say that on 18 May 2020 it was announced that we had been successful and we are now an Athena SWAN bronze award school. We are now working on implementing the Action Plan developed as part of this process as we aim for Athena SWAN silver.

Athena Swan Bronze Award Graphic

Small Business Charter

Huddersfield Business School worked on their SBC submission throughout 2020 submitting in September of that year. In January 2022 the School was awarded the SBC in recognition of our commitment to supporting student entrepreneurship, small businesses, and the local economy. This award recognises the UK’s world-class business schools and is a significant achievement for Huddersfield Business School. The panel was particularly impressed by our significant breadth of enterprise and entrepreneurship activity, both within the School and the wider community. We were awarded the Charter for the maximum five years.  

Enriching the communities and organisations with which we interact is at the core of our Huddersfield Business School mission and it is heartening to have our engagement with SMEs recognised externally. The SBC panel heard about how we support the interests of SMEs through regional initiatives such as the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) and Local Growth Fund, as well as national initiatives including the IUK Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and collaborative awards. We’re also proud of the fact that we have recently secured £19.2m of grant funding, which is being used to support 1,869 small businesses.   

In addition to our work supporting organisations from the local to national level, the SBC also recognises our commitment to encouraging our students to be enterprising and entrepreneurial. This is demonstrated through curricular activities such as the undergraduate ASPIRE modules and Master’s level Consultancy Project. From an extra-curricular perspective, the University Enterprise Hub has recently supported 337 student entrepreneurs. The University’s Global Professional Award, delivered in partnership with the University’s Careers and Employability Service, was launched in 2019, and to date has supported 6,708 students. A more recent development is our Entrepreneurs in Residence scheme, which brings local entrepreneurs Krishna, Adnan, Brian and Katrina into Huddersfield Business School and is going to bring significant benefits for our student and staff community.  

 

Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs)

Our courses are currently accredited by the following professional bodies:​