Spring Break
Heller accredited after ranking No. 9 in world
by Matthew Brock
News | 1/29/08
Posted online at 3:14 AM EST on 1/29/08
/ Last updated at 7:03 PM EST on 1/29/08
The Heller School for Social Policy and Management's M.B.A. program was recently accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business along with several programs at Brandeis' International Business School.
The announcement came one month after the Aspen Institute rated the Heller School's M.B.A. as the top-ranked program of its kind in the greater Boston area and 19th worldwide.
"We are in a school of social policy, which makes the M.B.A. program unique," said Prof. Jody Hoffer Gittell, director of the program. The social policy aspect of the Heller School's M.B.A. is one of the main justifications for its high ranking, according to a University press release.
The program occupies the same niche as M.B.A. programs at many top universities, said Gittell, and only 10 percent of the world's M.B.A. programs receive AACSB accreditation. The process for receiving this accreditation required the Heller School to apply to the AACSB and then undergo an on-site evaluation before being recommended for accreditation.
The competition for accreditation has become more intense as more institutions bring a social dimension to programs, Gittell said. Every program has some focus on social entrepreneurship and social impact, but only at Heller do all students come to learn about social impact, he said.
The 16-month M.B.A. program was started in 1999, said Gittell, and was meant to provide a separate avenue of study for students who did not want to partake in the master's in management program that was previously offered. The master's in management program was completely dissolved in 2003 due to students' preference for the M.B.A. program.
Gittell said that the AACSB accreditation and Aspen Institute rating will no doubt increase the prestige and popularity of Heller's M.B.A. program, although it may take several years until there is a significant increase in applicants.
In anticipation, Gittell plans to increase the size of the program from the current 35 participants to 50.
The announcement came one month after the Aspen Institute rated the Heller School's M.B.A. as the top-ranked program of its kind in the greater Boston area and 19th worldwide.
"We are in a school of social policy, which makes the M.B.A. program unique," said Prof. Jody Hoffer Gittell, director of the program. The social policy aspect of the Heller School's M.B.A. is one of the main justifications for its high ranking, according to a University press release.
The program occupies the same niche as M.B.A. programs at many top universities, said Gittell, and only 10 percent of the world's M.B.A. programs receive AACSB accreditation. The process for receiving this accreditation required the Heller School to apply to the AACSB and then undergo an on-site evaluation before being recommended for accreditation.
The competition for accreditation has become more intense as more institutions bring a social dimension to programs, Gittell said. Every program has some focus on social entrepreneurship and social impact, but only at Heller do all students come to learn about social impact, he said.
The 16-month M.B.A. program was started in 1999, said Gittell, and was meant to provide a separate avenue of study for students who did not want to partake in the master's in management program that was previously offered. The master's in management program was completely dissolved in 2003 due to students' preference for the M.B.A. program.
Gittell said that the AACSB accreditation and Aspen Institute rating will no doubt increase the prestige and popularity of Heller's M.B.A. program, although it may take several years until there is a significant increase in applicants.
In anticipation, Gittell plans to increase the size of the program from the current 35 participants to 50.
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