Only 1% of business schools worldwide hold the ‘triple crown’ which is a recognition of the high performance and quality of research and programmes offered by the UC Business School. Our programmes, research, teaching, and facilities have undergone meticulous review by each of the international organisations offering these accreditations.
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
AACSB, founded in 1916, is the longest standing global accrediting body for business schools. It is the hallmark of business education excellence and is only earned by less than 5% of business schools worldwide. AACSB Accreditation Standards are used as the basis to evaluate a business school’s mission, operations, faculty qualifications and contributions, programmes and other critical areas.
AACSB accreditation assures students and parents that the business school is providing a top-quality education. It also assures employers that AACSB-accredited business school graduates are ready to perform on day one.
EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS)
EQUIS is one of the leading international system of quality assessment, improvement and accreditation of higher education institutions in management and business administration. EQUIS is managed and run by EFMD and its fundamental objective, linked to the mission of EFMD, is to raise the standard of management education worldwide. EQUIS provides an excellent framework for assessing quality in highly diverse institutional and cultural contexts.
AMBA was founded in 1967 and focuses on the accreditation of graduate programmes. The UC Business School’s MBA programme has held AMBA accreditation since 2002. Accreditation is based on history and development of the institution; facilities and libraries; teaching faculty, teaching standards and research track record; programme administration, career and alumni services; student admission standards, diversity and cohort size; curriculum content, programme mode and duration; and learning outcomes.
The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) is a United Nations-supported initiative founded in 2007 that aims to raise the profile of sustainability in business and management education through Seven Principles focused on serving society and safeguarding our planet. The UC Business School has been a signatory since 2017.
PRME engages business and management schools to ensure they provide future leaders with the skills needed to balance economic, environmental, and social goals, while drawing attention to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aligning academic institutions with the work of the UN Global Compact. Driven by its mission to transform management education, PRME equips today's business students with the understanding and ability to deliver change tomorrow.
Te Kura Umanga | University of Canterbury (UC) Business School has been selected as one of the new cohort of Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) Champions for 2024-2025. The mission of the PRME Champions group is to contribute to thought and action leadership on responsible management education in the context of the United Nations sustainable development agenda.
In so doing, PRME Champions commit to:
- Work collaboratively to achieve higher levels of performance in transforming business and management education in five key areas: curricula, research, educational frameworks, sustainability-based partnerships, and thought leadership.
- Serve the broader PRME community through active engagement with existing PRME Chapters, PRME Working Groups, SIP Reporting and other global opportunities, as well as to support broader and deeper implementation of sustainability principles in the institutional context of the PRME initiative.
- Contribute to broader UN goals and issues, particularly helping to realize the Sustainable Development Goals.
BSIS – Business School Impact System
On top of an existing triple crown accreditation, the UC Business School has become the first institution in Australasia to successfully complete the Business School Impact System (BSIS) assessment process. The Business School Impact System (BSIS) scheme is designed to determine the extent of a school’s impact on its local environment – the city or region in which it is located. The BSIS process is offered in collaboration between EFMD Global and FNEGE (Fondation Nationale pour l’Enseignement en Gestion des Entreprises), as a service to EFMD members in any part of the world. The impact of the business school is analysed based on the following seven areas of impact: financial, educational, business development impact as well as intellectual, societal, image, and impact within the impact zone selected by the school and its regional ecosystem.
Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ)
CA ANZ is the membership body of choice for nearly 100,000 chartered accountants working around New Zealand, in Australia and many other countries, including the world's largest commercial centres such as New York, London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai. The partnership between CA ANZ and UC traces back for a century, producing many of the country's most influential accountants, auditors and other leaders.
Certified Practising Accountants Australia (CPA Australia)
CPA Australia is one of the world's largest accounting bodies with a membership of more than 125,000 finance, accounting, auditing and business consulting professional members across the globe. Its core services to members include education, training, technical support and advocacy.
The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)
The UC Business School's accountancy programmes are accredited by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). Graduates majoring in accounting will have an accelerated route to the CIMA Professional Qualification and the global professional designation of Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA).
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
ACCA has an unrivalled global network of professionally-qualified members, students, colleges and approved employers. They offer globally recognised qualifications, support and guidance for students and employers, world-class accountancy expertise to the public and high standards of practice and ethical conduct.
QS World University Rankings
The University of Canterbury was the first university in New Zealand to receive five-star ranking university status from QS Worldwide University Ranking (2013). UC ranks 256 in the current QS World University rankings. For the 2023 QS World University Rankings by Subject, the UC Business School featured for the following subjects:
- Accounting and Finance (251-300)
- Business and Management Studies (301-250)
- Computer Science and Information Systems (351-400)
- Economics & Econometrics (251-300)
Eduniversal rankings
UC received four Palmes of Excellence in the 2018 Eduniversal annual dean's survey and is placed in the top 1000 universities amongst 154 countries. UC's Master of Commerce, MBA and taught master's programmes are ranked in the top master's programmes by the Eduniversal Master's Ranking Office. The ranking is developed by carefully assessing three factors: The reputation of the programme; the career prospects and the salary level of the first employment after graduation; and the satisfaction feedback of the students.
Times Higher Education rankings
In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024, the University of Canterbury ranks 501- 600. In the Times Higher Education Subject Rankings 2024, UC Business School ranks 176-200 for Business and Economics.
Performance Based Research Fund
UC has retained its position as a leading research university according to the latest Tertiary Education Commission Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF) assessment. UC ranks top in New Zealand for our Marketing and Tourism research, and third in New Zealand for Economics, Management, and Human Resources.
Association of Asia-Pacific Business Schools
AAPBS is an international network of leading business schools from across the Asia-Pacific region. UC Business School has been a member of the association since its inception in 2004. The association provides leadership and representation in order to advance the quality of business and management education throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
CFA Institute
UC is a member of the CFAI's University Affiliation Program. The CFA Institute is the global association of investment professionals that sets the standard for professional excellence and administers the industry gold standard CFA charter. The organisation is a champion for ethical behaviour in investment markets and a respected source of knowledge in the global financial community. CFA Insitute has more than 100,000 members in 139 countries and territories, including 100,000 CFA charter holders.
PRME (Principles for Responsible Management Education)
The UC Business School has been a signatory to the UN’s PRME since 2017 and is committed to upholding PRME's guiding Six Principles. The mission of the Principles for Responsible Management Education is to transform business and management education, research and thought leadership globally while promoting awareness about the Sustainable Development Goals, and developing the responsible business leaders of tomorrow.
New Zealand Commerce and Economics Teachers Association UC Business School is delighted to support the work and initiatives of the New Zealand Commerce and Economics Teachers Association. NZCETA provides a range of services designed to create discussion and thought as well as gathering and exchanging views and ideas about the teaching and learning in commerce and economics. The New Zealand-wide membership includes people from primary and post-primary schools, independent and integrated schools and tertiary institutions.
