RESTON, VA--(Marketwired - Dec 15, 2016) - The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), a nonprofit organization of leading graduate business schools actively committed to advancing the art and science of admissions, today announced the admittance of four new graduate business schools to the Council's membership, bringing its total membership to 220. Spanning three continents, the schools joining include: American University of Beirut, Suliman S. Olayan School of Business (Lebanon); Bond University, Bond Business School (Australia); Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad (India); and Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos Business School (Nigeria).
GMAC membership is offered by invitation only and at the discretion of the Council's Board of Directors. Members of the Council form a network of schools that are committed to maintaining and enhancing the quality of management education and are open to the exchange of ideas and best practices to serve the collective interests of management education worldwide. Invited schools are required to complete a rigorous application process that addresses the school's sustained commitments to supporting the Council's mission: providing quality graduate management education, fair and ethical treatment of candidates and students, and serving the graduate management education community.
"With globalization having a pronounced impact on the candidate's choice of school selection, it is important for the Council to have representation from graduate management institutions throughout the world who can share their insights and expertise to help us forward our mission of improving decision making about the discovery and evaluation of talent," said Sangeet Chowfla, president and CEO of GMAC. "We are pleased to welcome these schools into our membership and look forward to exchanging ideas and best practices to help ensure that talent never goes undiscovered."
In addition to meeting membership criteria, the schools have made specific pledges to assist with the work of the Council:
American University of Beirut, Suliman S. Olayan School of Business
Committed to developing business leaders in, for or from the Middle East region and beyond, this institution seeks to help the Council promote the development of quality management education globally by shedding light on the contemporary challenges facing business in the Middle East and beyond.
Bond University, Bond Business School
Dedicated to developing well-trained and motivated graduates through their assurance learning processes, this institution has a history of engagement with the Council and is enthusiastic about sharing insights and feedback on session topics for conferences and endorsing GMAC products to other schools.
Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad
Ranked among the top Indian business schools, this institution is passionate about sharing class profile and graduation data to assist in the Council's effort to identify the size and changing demands of graduate management education.
Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos Business School
Having a deep understanding of the cultural nuances and economic disposition of African communities, this school is looking forward to building closer engagement with GMAC in order to grow the pipeline of domestic management talent to achieve sustainable socioeconomic growth in Nigeria and across Africa.
Earlier this year, the Council announced the addition of three new member schools, including Frankfurt School of Finance and Management in Germany, Imperial College Business School in the United Kingdom, and Johns Hopkins University, Carey Business School in the United States. These institutions made the following pledges to help the Council:
Frankfurt School of Finance and Management
As part of its continued strategy for growth and development, Frankfurt School will benefit from membership through GMAC's research, admissions expertise and professional networks. Similarly, the Council will gain local market insights through having its third member institution in Germany, a growing market for the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) and other school services.
Imperial College Business School
Being in the unique position as the business school of one of the world's best STEM research institutions and known for conducting world class research, this institution is passionate about contributing to the Council by presenting innovative ideas about learning technology and providing insights to improve society through the fusion of business and technology.
Johns Hopkins University, Carey Business School
With campuses in Baltimore, Md. and Washington, D.C., the Carey Business School has a history of engagement with the Council and is deeply committed to quality research and teaching. This school is looking forward to collaborating further with the Council with regard to knowledge generation and sharing data and best practices.
The Graduate Management Admission Council was created in 1953 to address the issue of admissions standardization. Nine leading business schools joined together for purposes of creating an admissions assessment, known today as the GMAT exam. Over the years and with collaboration from its expanding membership base, the Council has established itself as a provider of world-class industry research, insights and a respected global professional event organizer for the graduate management education community.
Membership in the Council is school-based and is open to institutions that maintain a selective admissions process and offer a master's program in business administration, management subjects or equivalent. In order to support the mission of the Council, member schools are expected to use, and ideally prefer, the GMAT exam or other GMAC assessments as part of their admissions and enrollment processes. As a member of GMAC, these schools will participate in Council governance including voting on Board elections and other matters that may come before the Council.
About GMAC: The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is a nonprofit organization of 220 leading graduate business schools from around the world actively committed to advancing the art and science of admissions. The Council provides the solutions necessary for business schools and candidates to discover and evaluate one another to ensure that talent never goes undiscovered. GMAC owns and administers the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), used by more than 6,100 graduate programs worldwide, as well as the NMAT by GMAC™ exam, used for entrance into graduate management programs in India. The Council is based in Reston, Va., with offices in London, New Delhi and Hong Kong. Additional information about the GMAT exam is posted on mba.com. For more information about GMAC, visit gmac.com.