Press release
12 May 2009
Strong co-operation with business has brought international EPAS (European Programme Accreditation System) accreditation to the eMBA (The Executive Master of Business Administration) programme. EPAS quality assessment is targeted at business and management programmes directed at internationalisation. Accreditation remains valid for three years. TSE exe, a department specialising in the development of executives, supervisors and experts, is in charge of TSE’s eMBA programme.
- International accreditation constitutes significant recognition of the work done by TSE exe and its predecessor organisations in more than two decades of executive education. We have worked in close co-operation with companies, and have developed the programme both for the needs of these companies and based on research work done at the School. Our eMBA programme was previously nationally accredited, but this raises its value one step higher, says Kirsi Kostia, Director of TSE exe.
The eMBA Turku programme is an essential part of the operations of the Turku School of Economics.
- EPAS accreditation encourages us to develop both the Turku School of Economics and the internationalisation of our eMBA programme. The entire accreditation process and the peer review report have given us valuable information on such matters as how we can concretise the strategy of our school, says Tapio Reponen, Rector of TSE.
Praise for diverse co-operation with business
The international peer review team reserved particular praise for TSE exe’s committed eMBA team and its close co-operation with companies.
- In our programme, we have lecturers not only from TSE but also from many different companies, and we also make a large number of visits to companies. The experienced professionals working in these enterprises also act as mentors to the students in the programme, says Kirsi Kostia.
The peer review team considered the collection and use of student feedback to be particularly positive, as well as the monitoring of teaching quality. The School’s library and IT services and the expertise of those responsible for them were also seen as strengths.
As far as recommendations for development were concerned, the peer review team highlighted the clearer setting of Intended Learning Outcomes and an increase in academic and analytical content in the programme. An increase in the internationality of staff, students and teaching content was also emphasised.
EFMD network of co-operation
Behind EPAS accreditation is the world’s largest network for executive education, EFMD (the European Foundation for Management Development). The network contains more than 700 member organisations, which represent academic education and research, the business community, public services and consultancies.
One of the forms of operations of EFMD is accreditation. In addition to EPAS accreditation directed at education programmes, EFMD offers quality evaluation for higher education institutions in management and business administration (EQUIS), technology-enhanced learning (CEL) and companies (CLIP). Accreditation is international recognition for high quality and constant quality monitoring.
Additional information:
Eeva-Liisa Grönroos, Marketing Manager, Turku School of Economics, TSE exe, tel. +358 (0)2 481 4540, GSM +358 (0)50 336 7986
TSE exe
European Foundation for Management Development