“It is a privilege for our school to be accredited by this internationally authoritative accreditation community,” said Hai Wen. “This achievement recognizes the efforts of all stakeholders, including our faculty, staff, students, alumni, corporate partners, and university administrators. We will continue to build up a top international business school.”
A qualified institution often needs to spend years to acquire the AACSB accreditation. During the process, PHBS developed and implemented a plan to meet the AACSB accreditation standards. These require a high-quality teaching environment, cutting-edge research achievements, a commitment to continuous improvement, curricula responsive to the needs of business, and highly competitive graduates in employment market.
The group photo of the peer review team, PHBS faculty and staff
Over the past year, PHBS professors have published papers in international academic journals, such as The Journal of Financial Economics, Management Science,Strategic Management Journal,Journal of Monetary Economics,Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, European Economic Review. As Shenzhen is the cradle of China’s entrepreneurial companies, PHBS regularly invites entrepreneurs and business leaders from well-known Shenzhen-based companies such as Huawei, Vanke, and Tencent to provide special lectures and participate in international forums. Further, students also have opportunities to make company visits, where they deepen their understanding of actual business practice.
Last year, PHBS established two high-level think tanks, namely Research Institute of Maritime Silk Road (RIMS), and the Sargent Institute of Quantitative Economics and Finance. This year, the school has initiated an overseas campus in Oxfordshire, England; and started the doctoral program in western economics and master program in finance with Fintech focus. Meanwhile, PHBS has signed a strategic agreement with PinAn Technology to jointly establish a high-level research platform for macroeconomics and finance by combining AI technology, big data, classical economics and investment theories.
Before PHBS earned AACSB Accreditation, the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) conferred EPAS Accreditation to its master of economics program in September 2011. PHBS became the first higher education institution in mainland China that passed EPAS. Its master of finance program officially passed the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) University Certification Program on September 2015. The school has entered into an academic partnership with the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP), which means that the curricula of two PHBS graduate programs, the MSc in Finance and the MSc in Quantitative Finance, align well with industry-recognized standards.
Unlike EPAS, which focuses on specific programs within higher education institutions, AACSB accreditation covers all the programs offered within PHBS. Synonymous with the highest standards of excellence since 1916, AACSB provides quality assurance, business education intelligence, and professional development services to over 1,600 member organizations and more than 800 accredited business schools worldwide. All accredited schools must go through a peer review process every five years to maintain their accreditation.
“Peking University’s commitment to earning accreditation is a true reflection of their dedication—not only to their students, alumni network, and greater business community, but to the higher education industry as a whole,” said Bryant. “Today’s students are tomorrow’s business leaders, and the addition of the Peking University HSBC Business School to the network of AACSB-accredited business schools will have a lasting positive impact for their institution, both locally and globally.”
By the end of July 2018, there are only 22 AACSB-certified business schools in mainland China. AACSB-accredited schools are recognized worldwide by top employers and other universities, thus the designation is beneficial for PHBS students and its future students when preparing for a career in business or applying for further education. By providing exceptional faculty, impactful research, dedicated students, and the highest standards, PHBS strives to provide them the knowledge and skills employers and top universities require.
Edited by: Zhang Jiang
Source: Peking University HSBC Business School