ECSU Business, Accounting and Sport Management Programs Receive International Accreditation

ECSU dean of the School of Education and Business, Dr. Joy Smith, says the sport management program had its accreditation reaffirmed, making it the only accredited HBCU sport management program in North Carolina.

Elizabeth City State University’s Department of Business, Accounting and Sport Management has had its accreditation reaffirmed by AACSB International. 

The addition of the Sport Management program to the existing accreditation for the Business Administration and Accounting degrees makes ECSU the only Historically Black College and University to hold AACSB accreditation for its sport management program, according to the dean of the School of Education and Business, Dr. Joy Smith.

“This a very proud moment for ECSU and the department of Business, Accounting, and Sport Management,” said Dr. Smith. “Everyone here has worked hard to earn this accreditation.”

ECSU’s business administration degree program is currently the most popular major with more than 200 students enrolled in the program. Sport management is also fast becoming a popular major, preparing students for careers as athletic directors, sports agents and more. 

Dr. Smith says that AACSB International is the gold standard for business school accreditation. ECSU shares the accreditation with high profile institutions such as Harvard, Yale, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke, and Howard Universities, she said.

“Our program is preparing ECSU students for careers with a solid foundation in business administration and sport management, offering them a knowledge base to compete in a highly competitive world,” said Dr. Smith. 

As ECSU continues to grow, accreditation from organizations such as AACSB International becomes an important component in providing a quality education at an affordable price, according to ECSU’s Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Dr. Farrah J. Ward. 

“This is an important and major step towards the continued efforts to strengthen ECSU’s foundation in higher education and provide our students with the highest quality education possible,” said Dr. Ward. “As one of three North Carolina Promise schools, we are also able to provide students with an affordable tuition, giving them the opportunity to change the course of their lives through our accredited degree programs such as business administration and sport management.”

AACSB International has pursued the highest standards of accreditation since 1916, and provides quality assurance, business education intelligence, and learning and development services to over 1,700-member organizations and more than 840 accredited business schools worldwide, representing the top 5 percent of business schools.

According to AACSB International, the purpose of accreditation is to encourage business schools to hold themselves accountable in an effort to improve industry practices. 

 “The vision of AACSB International is to transform business education for global prosperity,” states the organization’s website.