TAMPA, Florida, April 6, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- AACSB International announced today that University of Ljubljana has earned accreditation for its Faculty of Economics. University of Ljubljana is the first university in Slovenia to earn business accreditation from AACSB International. Founded in 1916, AACSB International (AACSB) is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees in business and accounting.

AACSB congratulates the University of Ljubljana and dean Dusan Mramor on being the first university in Slovenia to earn accreditation, and we welcome them into the family of AACSB accredited business schools, said John J. Fernandes, president and chief executive officer of AACSB International. AACSB accreditation represents the highest achievement for an educational institution that awards business degrees. Dean Mramor and the faculty, directors, and administrative staff of the University of Ljubljana are to be commended for their role in earning accreditation.

AACSB accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in business education, and has been earned by less than five percent of the world's business schools. Today, there are 593 business schools in 37 countries that maintain AACSB accreditation. Similarly, 173 institutions maintain an additional specialized AACSB accreditation for their accounting programs.

Achieving accreditation is a process of rigorous internal review, evaluation, and adjustment and can take several years to complete. During these years, the school develops and implements a plan to meet the 21 AACSB standards requiring a high quality teaching environment, a commitment to continuous improvement, and curricula responsive to the needs of business. As required by AACSB standards, all accredited schools must go through a peer review process every five years in order to maintain their accreditation.

It takes a great deal of self evaluation and determination to earn AACSB accreditation, and I commend the University of Ljubljana for its dedication to management education, as well as its leadership in becoming the first university in Slovenia to earn accreditation, said Jerry Trapnell, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. Through accreditation, the University of Ljubljana has not only met specific standards of excellence, but has also made a commitment to ongoing improvement to ensure that the institution will continue to deliver high quality education to its students.

AACSB International also announced that City University (United Kingdom), Drury University (USA), Fudan University (China), Hanyang University (South Korea), Hong Kong Baptist University (China), IESE Business School (Spain), Midwestern State University (USA), Missouri Western State University (USA), Montana State University-Billings (USA), National Taiwan University (Chinese Taipei), Reims Management School (France), The University of Hong Kong (China), and the Universidad de los Andes (Columbia) earned AACSB accreditation in business, and Kent State University (USA), North Carolina State University (USA), and Seton Hall University (USA), and The University of Hong Kong (China) earned AACSB accreditation in accounting. Additionally, 63 institutions have maintained their accreditation in business and 17 have maintained their accreditation in accounting.

About AACSB International

AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), founded in 1916, is a membership association of almost 1,200 educational institutions, businesses and other organizations in 74 countries and territories. AACSB's mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation and thought leadership. AACSB accreditation is the mark of quality distinction most widely sought after by business schools -- less than 5% worldwide have earned the achievement. As the leading membership and accrediting body for institutions offering undergraduate, master's and doctorate degrees in business and accounting, the association also conducts a wide array of conferences and seminar programs at locations throughout the world. AACSB's global headquarters is located in Tampa, Florida, USA and its Asia headquarters is located in Singapore.

For more information, please visit www.aacsb.edu

SOURCE: AACSB International

CONTACT: Amy Ponzillo of AACSB International, +1 813-367-5207,mediarelations@aacsb.edu