Accreditation and Ranking
BI Norwegian Business School is the only Norwegian business school that has received the three most prestigious international accreditations.
Triple Crown
Three accreditations are especially important for a business school with international ambitions: the European EQUIS (European Quality Improvement Systems), the American AACSB (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) and the British AMBA (The Association of MBAs).
Schools that achieve all three of these accreditations are called Triple Crown Schools, and they are in a class of their own among international business schools. Less than 1 % of business schools worldwide have achieved triple accreditation. The accreditations are proof of BI's rigorous standards.
What does the accreditation mean to you?
As a student, the triple accreditation means that:
- Your degree will be recognised and valued all over the world, thus increasing your employability
- Your education holds high academic and ethical standards, and meets the demands of the labour market
- Your learning process at BI is supported by a team of high quality teachers
- Your opportunity to experience extra-curricular activities is world class
As an employer, the triple accreditation means that:
- Graduates with a degree from BI will have the knowledge and skills necessary to meet your needs
- The content of BI's academic programmes is constantly updated and developed, in alignment with the expectations of employers globally
- Our academic programmes are supported by high quality research and have an international perspective
The Accreditation Bodies
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BI has had the European Foundation for Management Development (EQUIS) accreditation since 1999 and was among the first to obtain this status. Accreditation is given for a maximum period of five years and re-accreditation was bestowed upon BI in 2004/05, in 2010 and then again in 2015. The requirements that have to be met are raised each time and it is no "walk over" to be reaccredited based on former merits.
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BI was accepted as a member of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) in 2008 and has since worked actively towards accreditation. The process differs from that of EQUIS. The school is expected to mature to a level worthy of accreditation, before a final evaluation is made by an expert committee. The process is therefore extensive and can take up 7 years.
BI was visited by an AACSB expert committee in January 2014, and in May the Board of AACSB awarded BI with accreditation.
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Association of MBAs (AMBA) is an accreditation of the institution's MBA/DBA programmes (full-time/part-time). BI has recently devoted considerable time to restructuring and developing our executive MBA programmes. BI was awarded AMBA accreditation in November 2013.
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The European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) is one of the largest international networks in management development in the world. EFMD plays an important role in shaping an international approach to management education and is an important forum for information, research, networking and debate on innovation and best practice in management training. The network includes more than 800 member institutions in over 80 countries.
Online Course Certification System (EOCCS) is an accreditation that is designed and owned by EFMD. The accreditation was granted for the first time this year and is the only international accreditation of its kind. Based on an extensive application and review process, the accreditation is awarded to operators in the categories of Business Schools and Corporate Institutions / Universities. BI was awarded the accreditation in 2016.
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In 2008 the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT) granted Specialised University Institution status to BI. This is the single-most important decision with strategic impact in the recent history of BI and a sign of recognition and final endorsement by its peers of BI as a bona fide-high quality academic institution. NOKUT also has the responsibility to review the institution´s quality assurance system for educational programmes. BI's quality assurance system was accredited in 2004 and given new approval in 2011.
Our accreditation has been awarded by the world's leading and most respected accreditation bodies. The accreditation bodies are continuously following up to ensure that we fulfil their high requirements at all times.
These bodies have extensively assessed:
- our programmes and student environment
- the quality of our staff
- our international engagement
- our ability to continually maintain and improve the high standard necessary
Rankings
BI achieves good results in the most reputable rankings of business schools, Financial Times Ranking and Eduniversals Top Business Schools Worldwide.
Ranking differs from accreditation in that the institution is measured against the other participant schools based on a set of criteria. These criteria are related to characteristics of the alumni, the programme and the institution.
For the students, the high rankings mean that:
- BI has a strong international reputation which ensures that your degree will be valued all over the world
- Your education holds a high standard, compared with top business schools worldwide
- The professors at BI holds the high level needed to achieve high rankings
- Our offer of extra-curricular activities is world class
For the employers, the high rankings mean that:
- Candidates with a degree from BI has an internationally recognised education
- Our programmes holds a high quality and has an international perspective, compared with top business schools in Europa
- The content of our programmes accords with the expectations of employers globally
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Over the past years BI has moved up more than 30 places in Financial Times European Business Schools Ranking. The results of the sub-rankings are summarised in a European Schools Ranking. The most important factors measured are linked to alumni´s wage levels and careers development, and customer satisfaction.
Financial Times has a total of six separate rankings that target specific educational programmes. BI competes in the top three categories listed below, as well as the summary school ranking (FT European Business School ranking).
- Executive MBA
- Masters in Management
- Executive Education
- Masters in Finance
- Global MBA
- Online MBA
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Eduniversal selects 1000 schools to its annual ranking. The candidates are selected on the basis of reputation among the other participants. The last five years BI have been among the twenty best in Europe, along with schools as London Business School, INSEAD and HEC School of Management.
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The Economist has ranked the 40 best 'Masters in Management' programmes in the world. BI is ranked with its Master of Science in Business programme and placed 17 in 2017, which is the best in the Nordic region and well ahead of a number of top international universities and business schools.
The participating schools are ranked based on various criteria related to faculty, students, alumni and statistics from BI, which includes job offerings within three months of graduation, salary, and how students and alumni rank the school facilities and other services.