JUNE 22, 2016 – Laurentian University secured international EPAS accreditation for its on-campus Bachelor of Business Administration program, as well as for its Bachelor of Commerce in Sports Administration, Canada’s only business degree in Sports Administration. As of May 2016, 98 business programs in 72 universities in 33 countries had the EPAS accreditation, mostly in Europe.
EPAS is an international program accreditation system operated by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD). It aims to evaluate for accreditation the quality of management programs that have an international perspective and appropriately high quality.
“The international EPAS accreditation of our undergraduate business programs is a significant milestone for the Faculty of Management in light of our commitment to excellence in developing socially responsible leaders for the global business world. It’s a visible assurance of quality for current and future students, alumni and employers. As a bilingual university working in a very competitive higher education environment, it was important for us to be globally recognized for the excellence of our programs,” explained Dr. Stephen Havlovic, Dean of the Faculty of Management.
This decision followed a three-year process which culminated in a Peer Review Team visit in March by world-acclaimed business education leaders from Morocco, the United Kingdom and France. It involved an in-depth review of the two programs through an intensive comparative evaluation of 25 university-level standards and 56 program-level standards.
“We are very proud of the success of Laurentian’s Faculty of Management in securing EPAS accreditation, which really sets it apart from other business schools worldwide. This accreditation process was an exceptional opportunity for self-reflection, benchmarking and continuous improvement. Students are the first beneficiaries of this new international accreditation,” commented alumnus Tom Blake, Chairman of Sprout Wellness Solutions and Chair of the Dean’s External Advisory Council.
The Faculty of Management serves 1,921 students including 213 at the graduate level. Enrolment has increased by 16% in the last three years alone. Laurentian’s Bachelor of Business Administration is offered on campus in English and in French and on-line in English, for full-time and part-time students. Students can choose from a wide-range of program options including accounting, entrepreneurship, finance, human resources management, international management, marketing, and operations management. Co-op and internship opportunities are also available.
“Achieving international accreditation for the Faculty of Management was a desired outcome in the University’s 2012-2017 Strategic Plan. I am very proud of our colleagues who have worked tirelessly over the past three years to achieve this global recognition. With brand new classrooms, a new state-of-the-art Executive Learning Centre, a new departmental structure, new undergraduate and graduate program offerings, new faculty hires and now with this new prestigious international accreditation, the best is yet to come for the Faculty of Management,” concluded President and Vice-Chancellor Dominic Giroux.