UNH Today

UNH’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics has had its business accreditation renewed for another five years by the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

For more than a century, AACSB accreditation has been synonymous with the highest standards in business education and has been earned by only 5 percent of the world's schools offering business degrees at the bachelor level or higher. Paul College and Dartmouth College’s Tuck School are the only business schools in New Hampshire that have been awarded this distinction.  

The rigorous AACSB review ensures that the accredited schools demonstrate excellence, currency and impact in teaching, research, curricula development, student learning, and student and faculty engagement with industry and the communities they serve.

“We are proud that the external peer review commended Paul College for our growth in students and faculty, our unique first-year experience that strengthens students’ academic and professional preparation and our innovations in experiential and engaged learning as a distinct area of strength,” said Dean Deborah Merrill-Sands.

The AACSB peer review team noted Paul College’s strengths, including:

• Significant growth in number of student and faculty over the past five years
• Level of engagement of faculty, staff, students and alumni and their shared commitment to the college’s mission and strategy
• Ongoing focus on innovation and improvement
• Development of high-quality experiential and engaged learning as a differentiator in the business school market
• Strengthening of the college research culture and impact

“Our emphasis on providing students with rigorous academic preparation coupled with real-world experience and critical career skills gives our students a competitive advantage in the job market, preparing them not just for their first job, but for their careers,” said Associate Dean Neil Niman.

Paul College has an undergraduate job placement rate of 96 percent six months post-graduation and students are highly sought after by Fortune 500 companies, small to mid-size businesses in the northeast, start-ups and nonprofits.   

Paul College serves nearly 2,700 undergraduate students studying business administration, hospitality and hotel management, and economics as well as 300 graduate students pursuing master’s degrees in business administration (in Durham, Manchester and online), accounting, and economics as well as a Ph.D. in economics. In 2019, the college will continue to expand its graduate offerings with an M.S. in finance and graduate certificates in business analytics and hospitality and hotel management.