The goal of the school's quality system and assurance of learning is to provide students with the conditions necessary for reaching their program's degree goals. The quality system and assurance of learning is built on the school's vision, mission, and strategy, and supports the school's strategic processes for education, research, and cooperation.
The school's work with quality and assurance of learning comprises of five main themes:
Student centered learning
The organization and management of programs and pedagogics
Faculty and staff qualifications and continuous competence development
Resources and supporting learning environment
Assessment of students' learning and evaluation of program design
The themes are grounded in Umeå University's quality system and international quality standards for business schools.
Through a systematic work on these themes we ensure that the school's programs and courses are relevant, up to date, and useful and meet the expectations of faculty, students, and external stakeholders.
The process to ensure assurance of learning consists of the following parts:
The design of program goals relevant to each program
The development of measurable program goals
Assessment of students' ability to reach the program goals are carried out continuously in courses, where suitable relative the program structure
Systematic analyses that contribute to discussions on need for improvements and then decisions on actions that better supports students' learning
Implementation of measures on course or program level about content and/or pedagogics
USBE is aiming for accreditation from the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). In May 2013 USBE submitted the eligibility application to enter the accreditation process. A self-evaluation followed, resulting in an "initial Self-Evaluation Report" (iSER) including an action plan. The iSER was approved by the AACSB in February 2015 and since then this plan has constituted the foundation for our continued quality work in education and research.
As a business school with a focus on sustainability a certification of the school's environmental management system by ISO 14001 is an important part of our quality system (read more at Sustainability at USBE). Umeå School of Business and Economics has held its ISO 14001 certification since 2015.
