AACSB credit transfer rules...?

[freddy]

Hi everyone,

I'm attending a brick and mortar college that is AACSB accredited. I decided to do a National Student Exchange since my girlfriend is moving to another state for work. This will allow me to take courses at another school(also AACSB accredited) in the state she is moving and have them transfer back to my home school.

The degree I am working on is a Bachelors in Business Administration. I was talking to my adviser this past week about course equivalencies and she said some things that kind of surprised me to learn.

She said that a maximum of two major courses could be transferred back and used towards my degree even though all of my courses are being taken at another AACSB-accredited institution. She also said the Strategic Management capstone course had to be taken at my home institution, and it wasn't a course that I could take at another institution and transfer in(even if it was an AACSB-accredited school).

Are these AACSB specific policies that the AACSB forces the schools to enforce? Or does the AACSB just make broad guidelines and then leave it up to the schools to make the specific rules to enforce to make sure that they remain AACSB accredited?

I find it frustrating that I have to play by a set of rules that I wasn't even aware of. It seems that there are an internal set of guidelines that are being followed, but I don't know if they are the AACSB guidelines or are just the guidelines of my home college.

Any insights you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

[cannoda]

Hi everyone,

She said that a maximum of two major courses could be transferred back and used towards my degree even though all of my courses are being taken at another AACSB-accredited institution. She also said the Strategic Management capstone course had to be taken at my home institution, and it wasn't a course that I could take at another institution and transfer in(even if it was an AACSB-accredited school).

Are these AACSB specific policies that the AACSB forces the schools to enforce? Or does the AACSB just make broad guidelines and then leave it up to the schools to make the specific rules to enforce to make sure that they remain AACSB accredited?

There is no specific AACSB policy that limits transfer credit to just two courses. However, there are AACSB policies on assessment and assurance of learning that lead to strict restrictions on transfer credit. AACSB requires that programs assess the learning of its students. There is both a problem with taking responsibility for courses from other schools, and with where assessment takes place. A program may assess certain competencies in the specific course you are transferring in. Obviously, you can't be assessed on such skills if you took the course elsewhere. This is likely the primary reason for not allowing the transfer in of the Strategic Management. Most AACSB programs do a lot of the required assessment in this course.

Another factor driving limitations on transfers is the program's reputation with employers. If a school has designed its' program to deliver interpersonal and academic skills demanded in its local employment market, transfer courses can be problematic. It is not unusual to develop non-academic competencies or emphasize a particular perspective in coursework to establish and nurture the school's (or program's) brand. Examples of this would include things such as CPA exam pass rates and, a reputation for developing critical thinking skills or quantitative prowess.