How the U.S. coast guard academy’s business program got AACSB accredited without a department of marketing

Abstract

Most business schools have a Department of Marketing and other individual business departments, operating as academic silos. When the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) offered a business major among a plethora of STEM majors, the administration at the Academy could not afford to set up different business departments for its business leadership program. Instead, it ordered certain business instructors to infuse their lessons with marketing topics, supplemented by one basic marketing course, to imbue the business majors with a solid marketing education while training them as future business leaders. When the USCGA sought accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), questions surfaced on whether it could get accredited without a Department of Marketing. This remains a burning question among critics of integrated business education as the USCGA seeks to justify its unconventional marketing coverage by reference to its mission, its Educational Testing Service field test in marketing, and AACSB’s statements.