Palumbo-Donahue School of Business Announces AACSB Reaccreditation

The Palumbo-Donahue School of Business has been reaccredited in business by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Less than five percent of the world’s business schools have earned this prestigious distinction.

Dr. Dean McFarlin
Dr. Dean McFarlin

“This decision by the AACSB to reaffirm and extend the school’s accreditation for another five years is most gratifying,” said Dr. Dean McFarlin, dean of the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business. “This accomplishment is a true testament to the hard work of our faculty and staff, the quality of our programs and the achievements of our students. It’s also a testament to all the humbling support we receive from alumni, corporate partners and friends of the school. We strive to improve everything we do day-by-day and the excellent advice we received from our terrific AACSB Review Team will help us do just that.”

According to the AACSB, achieving accreditation is a process of rigorous internal focus, engagement with an AACSB-assigned mentor and peer-reviewed evaluation. During this multi-year process, schools focus on developing and implementing a plan to align with the AACSB’s accreditation standards. These standards require excellence in areas relating to strategic management and innovation; student, faculty, and staff as active participants; learning and teaching; and academic and professional engagement.

“The AACSB congratulates each institution on their achievement,” said Stephanie M. Bryant, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of the AACSB. “Every AACSB-accredited school has demonstrated a focus on excellence in all areas, including teaching, research, curricula development, and student learning. The intense peer-review process exemplifies their commitment to quality business education.”

The AACSB is the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools and the largest business education network connecting students, educators and businesses worldwide.

The Palumbo-Donahue School of Business has garnered the following recognition and rankings:

  • Duquesne is one of only three Pennsylvania institutions named to the Sales Education Foundation’s 2017 Top Universities for Professional Sales Education list.
  • The MBA Sustainable Business Practices Program is ranked No. 1 in the United States and No. 5 globally in the Corporate Knights Better World MBA list
  • The Master of Science (M.S.) in Management and the Master of Science in Sports Business debuted at No. 95 in U.S. News and World Report’s 2018 Best Online Graduate Programs

Guideline to Online Schools ranked the Master’s in Management program at No. 13 among its Top 25 Online Colleges for Value.