What Accreditation Systems Does EFMD Global Provide?

EFMD Global runs several distinct quality assessment and certification systems, each aimed at a different object: the whole business school, an individual programme, an online course, a corporate learning function, or the impact of learning. If you are trying to work out which one applies to you, the deciding question is what is being accredited — an institution, a programme, a course, a corporate learning function, or a learning impact claim. The sections below map each system to its target and purpose, based on EFMD Global's own descriptions.

The accreditation systems at a glance

The first five are the systems most often grouped together as EFMD's accreditation and certification portfolio. The last three are adjacent services — impact assessment, mentoring, and innovation certification — rather than classic accreditation.

Institutional accreditation: EQUIS

EQUIS is EFMD's Institutional Accreditation System. It assesses and accredits the business school as a whole, rather than a single degree. This is the system to look at if the unit being reviewed is the school itself — its strategy, governance, faculty, programmes, students, and corporate connections taken together.

Programme accreditation: EFMD Accredited

The Programme Accreditation System, branded EFMD Accredited, is the leading international system of quality assessment, improvement and accreditation of business programmes. Choose this route when the object of review is a specific programme rather than the institution offering it.

Online course certification: EOCCS

EOCCS, the Online Course Certification System, is described as the first international quality benchmark for online courses. It applies to online courses specifically, which makes it the relevant system when the deliverable is a digital course rather than a full programme or an institution.

Corporate learning: CLIP and LIFT

Two systems address the corporate side rather than the academic side:

• CLIP (Corporate Learning Improvement Process) — the leading international system of quality assessment, improvement and certification of corporate learning functions. Use this when the unit under review is a company's learning and development function.
• LIFT (Impact Certification for Learning Functions) — EFMD's assessment of learning impact for today and tomorrow. This focuses on whether learning is making a measurable difference, rather than on the function's structure and process.

A corporate learning function could therefore be assessed through CLIP for its overall quality and through LIFT for its impact — they answer different questions.

Related assessment and certification services

Three further services sit alongside the accreditation systems:

• BSIS (Business School Impact System) — described as the first comprehensive impact assessment tool for business schools. It measures impact rather than granting accreditation.
• EDAF (EFMD GN Deans Across Frontiers) — an assessment and mentoring system for business schools, aimed at development rather than accreditation status.
• RDHY (Management Innovation Certification) — an international certification system for organisational transformation.

How to choose

Match the system to the object of review:

• Reviewing the whole school → EQUIS
• Reviewing a degree or programme → EFMD Accredited
• Reviewing an online course → EOCCS
• Reviewing a company's learning function → CLIP
• Assessing the impact of learning → LIFT
• Assessing a school's impact → BSIS
• Seeking mentoring and development for a school → EDAF
• Certifying organisational transformation → RDHY

Where to go next

EFMD Global lists these systems under "Our Services" on its site, each with a "Find out more" link for the specific criteria and process. The organisation also publishes a list of its members — 980 institutional members across 95 countries, representing 30,000 management development professionals — which is useful for checking whether a given school or company already participates. EFMD also offers newsletters you can subscribe to for updates on these systems.