LAS VEGAS, NM – The Accreditation Council for Business Schools & Programs announced the continued accreditation of New Mexico Highlands Department of Business Administration.
The university’s graduate and undergraduate programs have been accredited by ACBSP for 20 years and have remained in good standing since their initial accreditation.
“We’ve always been confident in our business programs, and this is confirmation of their quality,” said Bill Taylor, dean of the university’s School of Business, Media and Technology. “The council was impressed with our students and their enthusiasm for the program.”
The department’s accredited undergraduate programs are accounting, finance, management, marketing, media marketing, and general business. The accredited graduate programs are accounting, finance, international business, human resources management, management, and marketing. The accreditation is in place until 2027, when the department will undergo the standard 10-year review.
“(The council) looked at student learning and the quality of the faculty,” Taylor said. “It looks at the access students have to faculty and administration along with a focus on with a focus on employment after graduation.”
“The end game isn’t just finishing college,” Taylor said. “It’s preparing students for a future.”
Taylor said many of the department’s students find employment before they finish school and report their jobs match what they studied.
Taylor said the ACBSP praised the Department of Business Administration for its focus on student learning outcomes, a measure indicating students are learning what they need to be learning. One way the department determines whether student learning outcomes are appropriate is by working with an advisory board of business leaders to ensure the department’s coursework aligns with what employers want to see from a business school graduate.
The review team also noted the department evaluates faculty in a manner that helps guarantee a high-quality learning environment for students and responds to the needs of veteran and international students through face-to-face and online instruction.
“I am extremely proud of the Department of Business Administration’s hard work in ensuring our students receive a top-notch education,” said Highlands President Sam Minner. “The department’s faculty and staff continually put our students first as evidenced by our successful reaccreditation.”
ACBSP is a specialty accrediting agency separate from the university’s main accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission. ACBSP accreditation process “focuses on recognizing teaching excellence, determining student learning outcomes, and a continuous improvement model. ACBSP’s student-centered teaching and learning approach, which is measured and analyzed for quality, ensures that students gain the right skills from their educational investment,” according to ASBSP’s website. ACBSP standards are committed to continuous improvement ensuring accredited business programs will give students the skills employers want.