Note: This story originally aired on KTVE/KARD on May 15, 2025.
By Sammy Petrocco

Louisiana Tech’s College of Business and school of Accountancy have earned their reaccreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International or the AACSB.

This achievement is considered the gold standard in business education and around 6 percent of schools around the world hold this with even fewer having dual accreditation with the School of Accountancy.

“I think why accreditation is important, it represents our commitment to high quality education research and societal impact. It’s the gold standard, the AACSB gold standard among business schools.” – Dr. Chris Martin | Dean of the College of Business

Louisiana Tech’s College of Business and Accountancy have been accredited by the AACSB since 1955 and has continued to hold that high standard ever since. That reflects on the students, faculty, and the schools commitment to excellence.

“Dual-accreditation for us and the school of accountancy, reflect the hard work from the students, faculty, our alumni, stake holders, the community that we hope that we are serving through the work that we do. And it shows a mark of excellence that not all schools have, and again that speaks very highly to the work that our students are doing. The students drive a lot of our success.” – Dr. John Lauck | Director for the School of Accountancy

However receiving reaccreditation was no easy task. This included a 5 year process of rigorous and in depth assessments and interviews of the curriculum, with the staff and faculty, and the students.

During the process schools have to show how they are maneuvering around all the changes related to the field and the ever-evolving technologies while continuing to grow and improve in development, fundraising, enrollment, and research.

“Well if you think about the changes that are taking place on a daily basis in business, you want to make sure that we are current, cutting edge, and providing our students with the best faculty, latest research, the best practice that we possibly can.” – Dr. Chris Martin | Dean of the College of Business

Over the review cycle, some notable achievements have been noted by the AACSB on the Louisiana Tech’s College of Business:

• Increased undergraduate enrollment by five percent and graduate enrollment by 47 percent since Fall 2019
• Continued climb in U.S. News & World Report rankings at both undergraduate and graduate levels
• Increased elite research journal publication by 30 percent compared to previous five-year cycle
• Maintained strong placement rates: 98 percent (undergraduate), 98 percent (MBA), and 100 percent (MAcc) within six months (2022-23)
• Raised over $7.7 million in private giving to support mission-centric initiatives within the College
• Launched three new certificate programs and two MBA concentrations, in addition to developing a host of innovative courses across the undergraduate and graduate curriculum
• Contributed to regional economic and workforce development by bolstering the Center for Economic Research, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Center for Information Assurance, which received re-designation by NSA as a National Center for Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (research and education)

All these achievements then reflect back on the hard work and dedication from the staff and faculty then onto the students.

Students then believe they receive the best education, eventually leading to their best chances on their next chapter in life.

“And I think that that’s all what the AACSB reaccreditation is, is really making sure what you’re learning in the classroom directly applies to the real world. And so I think I’m leaving here feeling qualified and feeling ready to succeed in the career field.” – Laura Katherine Dupuy | Student at LA Tech’s College of Business 

Louisiana Tech’s College of Business and School of Accountancy hope to continue hold this gold standard of accreditation, believing this leads to the best education for their students.