School of Management caps off fine year with accolade

The School of Management has officially received a joint re-accreditation from the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the Business Graduates Association (BGA), who are two of the world’s leading authorities on business education. 

It is three years since the School of Management became the first business school in England to receive its initial joint accreditation from AMBA and BGA. A total of 300 of the world’s 16,000 business schools, including Bradford, are AMBA accredited, equivalent to two per cent. 

Bradford’s re-accreditation follows a two-day visit in September 2023 by a three-strong team of international business school leaders.

During the re-accreditation process, conducted by AMBA, the panel commended Bradford’s School of Management on the ambition and commitment of its senior team in delivering both growth and stability. 

It was also commended for an increase in academic staff numbers which has led to portfolio development and underpinned research excellence.

The location of the School of Management, inside the main campus, was also seen as encouraging as it leads to supporting students and cross-faculty collaboration. It moved from its previous base on Emm Lane, Bradford, to main campus in 2019. 

The emphasis that the School places on pastoral care was viewed as being appreciated by its students.

Ahead of the evaluation, the School of Management produced a self-assessment report which included details on the student cohort experience at Bradford as well as the MBA design, curriculum and assessment methods. The re-accreditation process also looked at the impact of business schools on society.

Professor Sankar Sivarajah, pictured above, Dean of the School of Management at the University of Bradford, says the latest re-accreditation shows that the university is delivering high levels of management education and research.

He said: “It’s important to maintain our accreditation as it gives reassurance from an external perspective that we are doing the right things. 

“The hard bit is to maintain it (accreditation) and consistently innovate and what we are doing in the forefront of business school education. It’s about delivering quality management education and impactful research. 

“Thank you to all our colleagues, students, alumni and business community who have played their part in helping the School securing this re-accreditation.”

Dr Nick Snowden, Director of MBA and Digital Learning at the University of Bradford, branded the MBA course one of the best in the world following the re-accreditation.

He said: “Successfully gaining AMBA re-accreditation is a fantastic achievement by the MBA team, and is testament to all their hard work. 

It gives our students the confidence that they are on one of the best MBA programmes in the world

Andrew Main Wilson, CEO of AMBA-BGA, said: "Congratulations to everyone who worked towards this re-accreditation at the University of Bradford’s School of Management. 

“The panel was impressed with the school's agility and speed with which it has brought new programmes to market, which resonate with the needs of those markets. I look forward to working with the School in the future."

It is the latest re-accreditation for the School of Management, pictured above, this year after it received the same recognition from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) in November 2023.

It boasts the triple-crown of accreditations - AACSB, Association of MBAs (AMBA) and European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) – an accolade held by one per cent of world’s business schools. 

The School of Management celebrated its 60th anniversary in September 2023. A number of events have taken place to mark the milestone, including a management lecture in November.