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AMBA & BGA Joint Accreditation

Institutions in possession of AMBA accreditation can apply for AMBA & BGA joint accreditation. The joint process is designed for schools who already hold AMBA accreditation and are looking to add BGA to their portfolio.*

AMBA & BGA joint accreditation emphasises the importance of an institution’s overall impact and value creation for students, employers, and communities, with a focus on responsible management, while maintaining the same level of rigour found in AMBA’s accreditation of post-graduate business programmes. Achievement of joint accreditation allows institutions to demonstrate the quality of their programmes, their responsible management practices, and positive impact on stakeholders across the entire school, as well as within their MBA.

Undergoing a joint accreditation means that institutions need only one visit of highly experienced assessors, and combines required documentation from the two accreditations, thus reducing the amount of administrative work and tasks.

*In exceptional circumstances, institutions new to both AMBA & BGA can engage in an AMBA & BGA joint accreditation, provided they meet all the eligibility criteria.

Joint Accreditation Process

Joint accreditation allows the school to utilise an accreditation system that it is familiar with and translate it to the entire school’s activities, while providing unique insights into its overall impact and responsible management initiatives. Schools also submit an additional sample programme outside the MBA for further analysis which will provide specific ideas and recommendations for development and continuous improvement. This is all undertaken in a streamlined manner that greatly reduces the impact on the school’s resources – both in terms of time and cost.

The AMBA & BGA joint accreditation process consists of three stages to ensure business schools are fully prepared for the final assessment visit. Each step exists to support the quality enhancement of the institution.

Joint Institution Accreditation Documentation

Institutions undergoing a joint visit have the benefit of a streamlined workload, resulting in fewer documents produced than necessary. All documents serve as the footprint to the final assessment visit.

Assessment Visit

The AMBA & BGA assessment visit consists of a two full-day visit to the institution’s main campus by a Peer Review Team (PRT). The PRT includes three assessors who belong to the AMBA & BGA Faculty of Assessors, a group of current and retired deans and directors with decades of experience concerning business school education.

The institution will be given an agenda for the two days on how to address both the AMBA and BGA accreditation criteria.


If you're interested in BGA accreditation or have questions about it, please feel free to contact us.

UCU Business School

UCU Business School Achieving Accreditation with AMBA & BGA

UCU Business School’s journey to accreditation with AMBA and BGA not only met the challenge of assuring quality but also transformed the institution into a local leader in business education. UCU Business School, is the first in Uruguay to obtain BGA accreditation. The impact of this achievement is evident in the school’s reputation, enrolment numbers, industry connections, and commitment to ongoing excellence in business education.

Almau Business School Logo

Advancing our University Reputation, Positioning, and Networking

The BGA accreditation is also a tool for enhancing and advancing the university’s reputation, positioning, and networking. Standing in line with the world’s prominent institutions highlights the strengths of AlmaU and raises the visibility of its impact. Undoubtedly, the BGA accreditation has made positive change for AlmaU in the sense that it put us in order, made us consider and find a rationale for our numerous activities related to social responsibility and third mission.

Improving Strategic Alignment, Enhancing Leverage, and Fulfilling the Needs of a Broader Range of Stakeholders

Working with BGA has helped the Faculty of Business, City University of Macau to enhance its work with stakeholders. The school is currently developing strategic partnerships with universities in Zhuhai, China, to share resources and organise joint projects. At the 2019 AMBA & BGA Global Conference in Istanbul, the school initiated conversations with several other BGA member schools. As a result, in 2020, the Faculty of Business, City University of Macau, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Shanghai University and started an exchange programme for professors in 2021.

University Of Bradford Logo

Striving to Make Management Education More Inclusive and Accessible to all

The BGA accreditation has influenced the school’s offering in many ways, including inspiring direction of travel as a school that is committed in making an impact on their students and the wider community it serves. Internally, the process has improved organisational buy-in and governance, especially with the use of CIM to track and monitor progress across different dimensions and the key priority areas.

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