Our business school is world-class: what does this mean in an international context?
Having achieved the international AACSB accreditation, we are now part of an exclusive group of leading business schools. What does it really mean to be world-class and which international agendas will shape the future? Together with Kristin B. Munksgaard, Christian Elmelund-Præstekær and Dannie Kjeldgaard, we take a closer look at the business school’s strengths and opportunities globally.
The fact that our business school stands so strong today - and has recently achieved the coveted global accreditation from AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) - is the result of decades of targeted work to build research environments and programmes at the very highest level.
The business school's strengths
Both Christian Elmelund-Præstekær and Dannie Kjeldgaard point out that several of the business school's research environments are particularly competitive internationally.
- We have many very talented researchers, and in fact, a handful of them are on the list of the 2 percent most cited of the world's more than 200,000 researchers in economics & business, says Co-director of the business school Christian Elmelund-Præstekær, the Department of Business and Sustainability.
The other Co-director Dannie Kjeldgaard, the Department of Business & Management, adds:
- Our research areas in management, entrepreneurship, international business and consumer behavior are based on strong, visible and sustainable academic environments that attract international employees and students. These are environments that have helped shape the development of a field over several years, and where the publications are setting the agenda for research and teaching and are still frequently cited after one or more decades.
Last year, entrepreneurship research took a big leap in the TCU Global University Entrepreneurship Research Productivity Rankings, moving from 100th place in 2022 to 54th place in 2025.
And if you're looking for a PhD in consumer behavior, the environment at SDU is an internationally well-known hub and has been so for 25 years, while we experience a surge of international applicants in the educational programmes Economics and Business Administration in Sønderborg and the specialised Market and Management Anthropology programme in Odense.
The big agendas for business schools
There are several important agendas for business schools, and these are also areas that we are concerned with at SDU, says Director of the business school and Vice-Dean Kristin B. Munksgaard:
- One of the most central agendas is how business schools can create societal change through their students and researchers. The entire SHAPE agenda (Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy) is crucial for understanding society, driving innovation and solving complex challenges.
- Sustainability also remains an important point on the agenda. The business community and many companies realise that the green bottom line is crucial to their business in the future, says Kristin B. Munksgaard and highlights that the elite research centre PACA and several other projects at SDU Climate Cluster contribute to this.
At the same time, the world around us is changing in two areas in particular: In technology and geopolitics. As in all other areas, AI is changing the conditions for companies and organisations – and also the conditions for conducting research and teaching, so the requirements for methods and skills are changing significantly.
The global situation creates a need for both new research areas and strengthened collaboration, says Christian Elmelund-Præstekær:
- Global uncertainty means that new research areas are becoming increasingly important as conflict, customs, natural disasters and cybercrime increasingly affect Danish companies – regardless of size. We also see international cooperation intensifying and calling for common solutions, but also being challenged by, for example, the US approach to free research.
Overall, it shows how the business school navigates in a changing world where international perspectives and collaborations are crucial.
Accreditation opens new international opportunities
Returning to the AACSB accreditation, it further strengthens the business school's international position and provides new opportunities for development, collaboration and high quality, all three leaders point out.
- Only 6 percent of the world's business schools have achieved the AACSB accreditation – so it's a seal of quality that confirms that we meet the highest international standards. This is especially crucial for recruiting talented international students and attracting leading researchers and lecturers, says Kristin B. Munksgaard.
She also emphasises that the business school has gained access to an exclusive network of leading business schools that we can learn from and collaborate with when it comes to education, research and the big societal topics. Dannie Kjeldgaard concludes:
- Accreditation is a strategic tool to strengthen the quality of our programmes and research, while creating opportunities for collaboration and visibility. Our students and researchers gain access to international partnerships and networking opportunities that strengthen our programmes, research and contribution to society and business challenges.
The three leaders state: International collaboration is primarily driven by individual researchers and their personal networks - through participation in conferences, joint authorship and residencies. This is the backbone of the international work and the basis for the business school's strong international position.