EQUIS

EQUIS - An international label of quality

EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System) is a leading international system of quality assessment, improvement, and accreditation of higher education institutions in management and business administration.

Some 140 schools across some 40 countries worldwide have been awarded the EQUIS-accreditation. The assessment is carried out by EFMD (The European Foundation for Management Development).

Hanken is EQUIS accredited since 2000. The accreditation proves that Hanken meets the highest requirements of quality in teaching, research, internationalisation and co-operation with the business community. Moreover, it indicates that Hanken creates and disseminates knowledge of the highest standard and that Hanken actively collaborates with its surrounding society.

It is important for Hanken to show our present and future students, researchers, teachers and partners that Hanken stands for quality assured knowledge on a high level. Furthermore the EQUIS accreditation process sets guidelines for the continuous improvement of all functions at Hanken.

EQUIS' objectives

The fundamental objective of EQUIS, linked to the mission of EFMD, is to raise the standard of management education worldwide.

• EQUIS assesses institutions as a whole. It assesses not just degree programmes but all the activities and sub-units of the institution, including research, e-learning units, executive education provision and community outreach. Institutions must be primarily devoted to management education.

• EQUIS is not primarily focused on the MBA or any other specific programme. Its scope covers all programmes offered by an institution from the first degree up to the Ph.D.

• EQUIS looks for a balance between high academic quality and the professional relevance provided by close interaction with the corporate world. A strong interface with the world of business is, therefore, as much a requirement as a strong research potential. EQUIS attaches particular importance to the creation of an effective learning environment that favours the development of students' managerial and entrepreneurial skills, and fosters their sense of global responsibility. It also looks for innovation in all respects, including programme design and pedagogy.

• Institutions that are accredited by EQUIS must demonstrate not only high general quality in all dimensions of their activities, but also a high degree of internationalisation. With companies recruiting worldwide, with students choosing to get their education outside their home countries, and with schools building alliances across borders and continents, there is a rapidly growing need for them to be able to identify those institutions in other countries that deliver high quality education in international management.

EQUIS accredited universities

For a fully up-dated list on EQUIS accredited business schools worldwide, please visit the EQUIS section on EFMD website.