The Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme offered by Mona School of Business and Management (MSBM) of The University of the West Indies, Mona, has been re-accredited by the prestigious Association of MBAs (AMBA) for a period of five years, which is the longest period offered by the AMBA.

This re-accreditation confirms the MSBM’s place among the top two per cent of business schools globally as AMBA’s accreditation is internationally recognised as the global standard for all MBA, MBM (master of business management) and DBA programmes.

Students, higher education institutions, graduates and employers recognise that AMBA accreditation is an assurance of quality. AMBA, is the only MBA-specific accreditation and membership organisation globally which accredits the world’s top business schools with MBA programmes.

This is the second consecutive-cycle in which the programme has been re-accredited for five years. The programme was first accredited in June 2011 for three years, re-accredited in June 2014 for a further three years, and then in 2017 for five years. The achievement of another five-year period of accreditation is therefore a testament to the school’s continuing commitment to quality and excellence.

Following a rigorous process which included surveys of alumni, students, employers and faculty as well as a review of faculty research, facilities, curriculum, student performance, our financials and our systems, the accreditation review team commended the school for its performance and position in multiple arenas. These include:

• the prestige of the school in the local market

• the commitment of the senior staff of the school

• the collaborative relationship with employers

• the effective engagement with practice

• the superior value that students perceive

• the support that the programme coordinators provide to the students.

The review team made special mention of the fact that “the students praise not only the quality of the education they receive but also the strength of the professional network they can build”. They also indicated that a survey among employers of our graduates “evidenced that the relationship with the corporate world is collaborative and long-standing and that the employers are satisfied with the quality of the education that students receive at MSBM”. The team further highlighted and commended the “balance between academia and practice that the school achieves”.

Patrick Hylton, chairman of MSBM, expressed his congratulations to the team for its success in achieving once more the accreditation of the MBA programme by AMBA. He noted that this is a very significant accomplishment which required exceptional effort, collaboration and performance on the part of several members of our team on an ongoing basis.

“Achieving this benchmark independently confirms the high quality of the academic offering at the school and gives the assurance to all stakeholders in particular students, their employers and anyone interested in pursuing studies here, that those who graduate from our programs have been prepared at the highest level. We celebrate this outstanding achievement,” he expressed.

In expressing the delight of the entire UWI Mona community, Professor Dale Webber,principal, stated: “The re-accreditation by the AMBA signifies and solidifies that the MSBM is indeed the thought-leader and a pivotal point of access for achieving academic and practical business and management education for the Caribbean. It re-affirms the MSBM’s position as a world-class institution in business and management education. The Mona Campus celebrates with the MSBM in its continued success and international accreditation.”

In reflecting on this significant accomplishment, Dr David McBean, executive director of MSBM firstly expressed his heartfelt thanks to the entire faculty and staff at the MSBM for their commitment to the arduous task of preparing for the assessment of the MBA programme. He further stated, “The re-accreditation of the MBA programme reinforces the position of the school as a world-class institution and is a testament to the ethos of excellence that we pride ourselves on. The assurance of quality in all our programmes is one of the areas of our strategic focus and we pay keen attention to ensuring that we can withstand the scrutiny of our external assessors. The achievement of another consecutive five-year accreditation for the MBA programme is therefore a signal honour and we remain committed to maintaining our focus on quality in our programmes, processes and people.”