Accreditations and rankings

The USB is the only business school of a South African university with two international accreditations: EQUIS and AMBA.

EQUIS accreditation

The USB was the first business school in Africa to receive EQUIS accreditation, awarded by the Foundation for Management Development (EFMD). EQUIS assesses business schools as a whole, including their programmes, internationalisation activities, research, executive education provision, corporate connections and community outreach.

  • Year of EQUIS accreditation: 2000. Most recent reaccreditation: 2007.

AMBA accreditation

The USB was the first South African business school to achieve the international AMBA accreditation from the UK-based Association of MBAs. AMBA's accreditation criteria focus on every aspect of MBA provision, including the institution, faculty, curriculum and assessments.

  • Year of AMBA accreditation: 2002. Most recent reaccreditation: 2008.

EDAMBA membership

The USB is the only school outside Europe with membership of EDAMBA, the European Doctoral Programmes Association in Management and Business Administration. EDAMBA has stringent criteria for membership, based on the quality of the PhD education at the member school.

International acknowledgement

The USB is one of only three African business schools with an A-rating (5 Palmes, or highest ranking) for "universal business schools with major international influence" in the French Eduniversal Official Selection for 2008, 2009 and 2010.

The Aspen Institute in the USA has ranked the USB on its Beyond Grey Pinstripes Top Global 100 Schools list for promoting social and environmental sustainability in its curricula and research.

International and local memberships

The USB is a member of leading bodies in the international and African business school community: the USA-based Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Belgian-based European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD), the South African Business Schools Association (SABSA), the Association of African Business Schools (AABS), Global Business School Network (GBSN), and the Central and East European Management Development Association (CEEMAN).

The USB is also a member EFMD's Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative (GRLI), which focuses on reframing the purpose of management education among others, and of the Global Business School Network (GBSN), which promotes management education as a crtitical component in successful international development strategies.

South African accreditation

The USB is fully accredited by the Council on Higher Education in South Africa.

South African rankings

The USB achieved first place in the 2010 PMR.africa rankings – a survey conducted among employers of MBA graduates in South Africa.

The USB also had the highest reputation of all business schools in South Africa according to the Financial Mail 2010 survey.