PSUT becomes first Jordanian university to obtain AACSB international accreditation

AMMAN — Princess Sumaya University for Technology has obtained accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), which is seen as the highest reference granting accreditation to business schools around the world, according to a PSUT statement.

Upon receiving this recognition, PSUT joins 5 per cent of the world’s universities to hold this accreditation, and only 2 per cent of universities outside the US. All of PSUT’s schools have become internationally accredited, read the statement.

HRH Princess Sumaya, Chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, congratulated the PSUT family on the achievement, “which underlines the value of the unique path that the university has pursued ever since its foundation”.

“With feelings of great pride and pleasure, I am pleased to convey to you the news of the university acquiring AACSB accreditation across the board for the academic programmes taught by the King Talal School of Business Technology at the master’s and bachelor’s levels,” the princess said.

Princess Sumaya added that the AACSB accreditation, which is considered “one of the most difficult certificates of quality to obtain in the world, confirms the durability and weight of the school’s academic programmes and their outputs at the university”. 

Such programmes help graduates to compete at the global level. “PSUT has held globalisation in its sights since its inception,” she noted.

PSUT President Mashhoor Al Refai noted that it is the result of “great efforts” made by the school’s students and instructors and the university’s administration. The accreditation, he said, “would not have been achieved without the support, guidance and unflagging interest of Princess Sumaya”.

The school’s dean, Abdul Rahim Abu Al Basal, said that obtaining the accreditation required the school’s deanship to undertake a “rigorous self-evaluation”, which meant applying 15 criteria for development, improvement and quality and evaluating academic programmes and their performance.

Abu Al Basal added that the school had received several visits by accreditation officials in order to ensure that standards are applied and achieved. Accreditation will have a “positive impact” on the school’s students and graduates, as they will hold degrees that carry global recognition, he noted. 

In 2013, PSUT obtained the American ABET accreditation for the specialisations of Electronic Engineering, Computer Engineering, Communications Engineering, Computer Science and Electrical Power & Energy Engineering, making it the first Jordanian university to obtain this accreditation for these programmes, the statement said.

AACSB accreditation from the US is one of the most important accreditation bodies for business schools in the world. It serves to connect academics with students and the job market and to create a generation of great leaders, according to the statement.