Coastal Carolina University's E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration has received re-accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the international accrediting association for undergraduate, master's and doctoral degree programs in business schools.

The designation puts Coastal in the top 10 percent of business schools in the world, according to AACSB.

In its letter to Coastal, AACSB's board issued four commendations to the Wall College:

* Strong student national test results that reflect high quality business programs

* Integrative curriculum providing a strong understanding of business knowledge

* Small class sizes, accessible and dedicated faculty who foster faculty-student interaction

* Assurance of learning process that is well designed, comprehensive and rigorous

"Job creation is important for our students and the community we serve, especially during hard economic times," said CCU President David DeCenzo. "Our college of business regularly fine tunes its curriculum to keep students and local employers poised for success. Our AACSB accreditation is important in achieving those goals."

While there are approximately 10,000 business schools and programs around the world, only 554 business schools in 70 countries have achieved AACSB international accreditation. "It takes a great deal of commitment and determination to earn AACSB accreditation," said Jerry Trapnell, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer.

"This was the Wall College's first review since its initial AACSB accreditation in 1998," said Henry Lowenstein, dean of the college. "This level of scrutiny assures all our stakeholders that the Wall College faculty and programs offered are of the highest quality to prepare our students for the challenges of the global business environment. "

Approximately 2,095 students are enrolled in the undergraduate program that offers the following majors: accounting, economics, finance, management, marketing and resort tourism management. There is also a specialization program in Professional Golf Management (PGM), which is one of 19 accredited by the PGA of America. More than 60 students are enrolled in the new MBA program.