The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), UK has published an announcement on its official website on 16th April, 2020: International Business Faculty (IBF) of Beijing Normal University Zhuhai (BNUZ) secures Global Quality Accreditation, and IBF has met all the 10 standards of the internationally respected European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) criteria. The global accreditation, launched in November last year, is awarded to institutions that have passed the QAA’s rigorous International Quality Review (IQR). IBF has become one of the first six higher education institutions in the world and the first one in the mainland of China to receive accreditation from QAA. It is of great significance to improve the quality of talent training and highlight the characteristics of internationalization further.

In 2017, Department of Education of Guangdong Province (DEGP) clearly points out that majors with mature conditions and high international level should firstly apply for the professional accreditation of international leading organizations in the Guidelines of Promoting the Professional Accreditation of General Colleges and Universities. BNUZ actively responds and implements the relevant spirit of DEGP and fully supports IBF to apply for IQR. IBF began to research on IQR at the end of 2017, and formally submitted the application to QAA on July 6, 2018. Two specialists from QAA conducted a Scope Review at IBF from April 8 to 12, 2019. After that, QAA organized a Review Team of four experts carried out the final International Quality Review at IBF from November 12 to 14, 2019. The review team held 7 meetings with BNUZ leaders, IBF senior management team, academic teaching staff and academic support teams, student representatives, employer representatives who employ IBF’s graduates and IBF alumni representatives. IBF was assessed comprehensively according to the 10 standards of the ESG. It took more than a year for IBF to successfully complete all the IQR application stages.

With the strong support of BNUZ leaders and the full cooperation of relevant departments and offices, all the IBF teachers and staff worked together efficiently, and IBF has passed IQR with outstanding achievements based on the factors of strong academic background of Humanities and Social Sciences, Student-Centred teaching concept, and excellent and efficient management methods.