Valdosta State University’s Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration was recently awarded extended accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International for its Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Business Administration programs.
 
“To be ranked in the top 5 percent of business schools worldwide is quite an achievement,” said Dr. L. Wayne Plumly, dean of the Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration. “This is further evidence of the high quality of education that our students receive at Valdosta State. The accreditation criteria assess impact, innovation, and engagement. The Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration excels in all three of these criteria. We are extremely proud of our faculty and especially our students.”
 
AACSB accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in business education and has been earned by less than 5 percent of the world's business schools. Today, there are 786 business schools in 53 countries and territories that have earned AACSB accreditation.
 
Achieving accreditation is a process of rigorous internal review, engagement with an AACSB-assigned mentor, and peer review. During this multi-year continuous improvement review process, schools focus on developing and implementing a plan to align with 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.
 
As the world’s largest business education alliance, AACSB International connects educators, students, and businesses to achieve a common goal — to create the next generation of great leaders. Since 1916, its mission has been to foster engagement, accelerate innovation, and amplify impact in business education
 
VSU’s Division of Business Administration was established in 1971 and renamed the School of Business Administration in 1973. The School of Business Administration became the College of Business Administration in 1994 and was renamed the Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration in 2000, in honor of a significant endowment gift. AACSB accredited VSU’s Bachelor of Business Administration program in 1981, and included the Master of Business Administration program in 1997.
 
VSU offers a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting, economics, finance, healthcare administration, international business, management, and marketing; a Master of Business Administration in business administration and healthcare administration; a Master of Accountancy; minors in advertising and promotions, economics, entrepreneurship, healthcare administration, human resources management, logistics and supply chain management, operations management, business law, and business analytics.