The Australian Financial Review has named Edith Cowan University School of Business and Law (SBL) the best in Western Australia and the second best in the nation for its teaching and research quality.
The Australian Financial Review has named Edith Cowan University School of Business and Law (SBL) the best in Western Australia and the second best in the nation for its teaching and research quality.
The annual AFR BOSS Best Business Schools ranks universities on various criteria, including reputation, career impact and salary prospects for graduates, and performance in the national evaluation, Excellence in Research for Australia, which effectively scores research against world-class benchmarks.
The quality ranking is a mix of accreditation and performance factors, with particular recognition given to organisations which have chosen to undertake the rigorous process for accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), which SBL received in 2022.
In ranking SBL so highly, AFR highlighted the school’s flexibility offered to its cohort, given many older students also juggle family and work responsibilities.
SBL Executive Dean Professor Maryam Omari said quality and care for students is in SBL's DNA at an institutional and school level, and there is an ethos to provide support to students from diverse backgrounds where needed.
Professor Omari said this dedication to quality extended to all facets of SBL, including hiring practices, staff performance and course structure.
"We ensure staff hires have the right fit for our collegial and collaborative culture, and they are very student-centred in what they’re doing," she said.
"We actually dig down and pull the layers back to see how a unit can improve in terms of student feedback: units, courses and curricula are all comprehensively monitored to ensure staff are provided with support they might need.
"We also conduct mid-year reviews of performance and other formal performance management processes, including end of semester unit evaluations.
"We keep a finger on the pulse for every unit in every semester to move the dial where needed."
The school also benefits from regular consultation with industry to ensure graduates are learning what they need to thrive in today's workforce.
"Each business course is informed by a course consultative committee, with members from industry and accrediting bodies, as well as alumni members," she said.
"The committees meet regularly to ensure the school is offering the contemporary products that industry needs."
The school's Advisory Board, chaired by Dr Denise McComish, has provided strong support and guidance from senior business leaders over the years.
Dr McComish commended SBL's staff on their achievements.
"These rankings are a testament to the school's laser sharp focus on maintaining quality and an excellent student experience," she said.
"SBL richly deserves its preeminent position as the number one business school in Western Australia for quality for two years running and its continued success nationally, which includes this year’s result and being named the best in the country for quality in last year’s rankings."
The AFR recognition comes after SBL was also named WA's top business education provider in the 2024 Good Universities Guide.
