University of Economics, Prague Hosted the CAMBAS meeting

Significant changes were approved on 24th January, 2017 at the meeting of the Czech Association of MBA Schools (CAMBAS), which was hosted by the University of Economics, Prague. The Rector of the Škoda Auto University, Pavel Mertlík, and the CEO of the Brno International Business School, Martin Novák, have recently become members of the CAMBAS board, while the new regulations, as well as the accreditation and re-accreditation plans for the MBA programs for 2017; as well as the possibility to broaden the membership base of the association; were also approved by the meeting’s plenary session.

The Czech Association of MBA Schools is a professional organization, which brings together those accredited educational institutions, which provide managerial education to lifelong learners. Its goal is to maintain Czech MBA education standards at the level of foreign MBA programs.

CAMBAS was founded in 1998, and currently it has both public universities and private educational institutions among its members. The public universities are represented by the University of Economics in Prague, Brno University of Technology, and the Technical University of Ostrava. Private institutions with membership of CAMBA are, for instance, the University of Finance and Administration, Škoda Auto University, the Brno International Business School, the Prague International Business School, the Czech Management Institute, and the University of New York in Prague. All of the above-mentioned institutions offer accredited MBA programs.

CAMBAS’s accreditation criteria are based on internationally recognized standards. The accreditation committee evaluates the qualitative level of educational programs, admission tests, lecturers, as well as the learning environment (i. e., classroom equipment, provision of study materials, among other things). Closer attention is also given to the courses’ practical benefits to, and the careers of, the graduates. For those interested in MBA studies, CAMBAS accreditation is a guarantee of quality. The same is true for potential future employers.

Prof. Hana Machková, the Rector of the University of Economics, Prague emphasizes that: “MBA studies are not in any way regulated in the Czech Republic, which results in basically anyone being able to offer the title. Therefore, the only MBA programs I would recommend are the accredited ones. In other words, I recommend exclusively those programs, which have CAMBAS accreditation, awarded by the Czech Association of MBA schools, or those courses which have other internationally recognized accreditation, such as AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA, or FIBAA. If the MBA degree is awarded by a foreign university, I would recommend checking, whether the university is on the list of accredited schools in that particular country.“

CAMBAS was a relatively selective organization, which only accepted for membership those institutions which offer MBA (or DBA) studies and, whose MBA (or DBA) programs were CAMBAS accredited. However, the plenary session at the meeting decided that the strategy of inaccessibility should be changed, and that CAMBAS should be open to all parties concerned with the issue of MBA courses. Not only educational institutions can become members of the CAMBAS, but professional associations or businesses can also apply for membership if they wish to gain CAMBAS accreditation.