Business and IT degree programs earn accreditation

The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) has accredited the four programs in the Department of Business and Information Technology (BIT) in UA’s College of Applied Science and Technology (CAST).

This means the associate and baccalaureate degree programs in the department have passed a rigorous accreditation process modeled after the Baldridge National Quality Program.

Accreditation certifies that the teaching and learning processes within the four programs meet the council's standards for academic quality, institutional leadership, strategic planning processes, relationships with the community, faculty credentials and services, and educational support.

Commitment to teaching excellence

“UA’s Department of Business and Information Technology has shown its commitment to teaching excellence and to the process of quality improvement by participating in the accreditation process,” said ACBSP Chief Accreditation Officer Dr. Steve Parscale, who will present the Certificate of Accreditation at ACBSP Conference 2016 in Atlanta in June. “This accreditation is evidence that the department is committed to providing the highest quality business education for their students.”

Established in 1988, ACBSP is the only organization offering specialized business accreditation for all degree levels, from associate to baccalaureate to doctoral degree programs.

Valued by employers

“ACBSP has a strong reputation globally for its leadership across business education programs,” said Dr. Todd Rickel, dean of the College of Applied Science and Technology where BIT is housed. “There is an equal sense of rigor and innovation that infuses the culture at ACBSP and this, among other important factors, is what drew the college’s interest. We are proud of our faculty and staff that have worked hard to achieve this recognition.”

Enoch Damson, chair of UA’s Department of Business and Information Technology pointed out that the department is the only business unit in an ACBSP public member institution in Ohio to receive accreditation for both its associate and baccalaureate degrees.

"This is testament to the hardworking faculty and staff of the department to offer quality programs,” Damson said.

The BIT department focuses on providing students a comprehensive quality professional education that is applied, experiential, career relevant, and community/economically oriented. Surveys conducted by BIT department at the end of each semester show that employers of recent BIT graduates include such top companies as:

• The J.M. Smucker Company,
• Cisco Systems,
• FirstEnergy,
• Progressive Insurance,
• Sherwin Williams,
• Google,
• Cleveland Clinic,
• Marriott Hotels,
• Verizon, and
• Goodyear.

The accreditation will boost an already strong degree program within CAST. A recent survey of Spring 2015 CAST graduates showed that their average starting salary is $50,192 and 83% were hired full-time in their chosen field within 6 months of graduation.

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