Accreditations & Rankings

IACBE – Program Accreditations

CBS was the first business school in Germany to receive the internationally renowned accreditation of the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE). In contrast to other accreditation agencies, the IACBE attaches particular importance to an individual evaluation system, which evaluates each institution on the basis of its own specifications and goals. This “mission based” approach of the IACBE and the question of how the “mission” of the business school is implemented was observed and analysed by the IACBE step by step in a “vertical” view. CBS received the accreditation in 2018 for seven years without conditions. Accreditation by the IACBE includes continuous quality monitoring.

Official IACBE Statement

German “Wissenschaftsrat” – Institutional Accreditaion

The Cologne Business School has been accredited institutionally by the Science and Humanities Council, the most significant science policy advisory committee in Germany. It advises the federal and state governments and is also responsible for the institutional accreditation of non-state universities. The universities are checked as to whether their teaching and research comply with the recognized scientific standards. In addition, universities are also assessed in terms of their human and financial resources. wissenschaftsrat.de/en/

FIBAA – Program Accreditations

With the introduction of the Bachelor and Master system it was agreed that, in addition to government supervision, additional accreditations must be carried out for each individual degree program. A new degree program can only be added if it has been individually assessed as to quality and academic feasibility. CBS has FIBAA (Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation) carry out any new degree program accreditation as well as the re-accreditation of already existing study programs. fibaa.org/en /

NRW Ministry of Science – State Recognition

The Cologne Business School is officially recognized by the Ministry of Science North Rhine-Westphalia. For this reason, degrees obtained and examinations completed at CBS are recognized worldwide and in accordance with the ECTS system, thus equated with the academic performance of other state universities. This means that after completing your first academic degree, you also have the opportunity to apply for a postgraduate degree of studies at another university, where you will be credited for achievements already performed. wissenschaft.nrw.de

Ranking WirtschaftsWoche

Every year the renowned business magazine “WirtschaftsWoche” publishes its ranking of the best German universities. Basis for this ranking is a survey conducted in cooperation with the consulting agency Universum. The ranking evaluates the quality of the universities’ graduates. HR managers from different companies and industrial sectors were asked which university equipped students best for their companies’ requirements.

CHE Ranking

The CHE university ranking is one of the most extensive rankings in Germany and constitutes a sound source of information for prospective students. The Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE) assesses universities, taking into consideration various factors such as curriculum, academic feasibility, support provided by professors and the technical college’s international orientation.