UNIMINUTO Business Faculty in Antioquia Earns ACBSP International Accreditation

Ten-year seal aligns UNIMINUTO business degrees with global standards

The Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences at Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios (UNIMINUTO) Antioquia-Chocó has earned international accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), one of the world’s principal accreditors of business and management education.

Founded in the United States in 1988, ACBSP accredits business programs in more than 60 countries and counts over 1,200 affiliated institutions worldwide. The accreditation that UNIMINUTO received is valid for 10 years and covers the faculty’s Business Administration and International Marketing Technology programs at UNIMINUTO’s campus in Bello, Antioquia. 

“This accreditation reflects the commitment and transformative presence of this great educational project in the country’s regions. Today we celebrate and recognize the diligent, determined, and committed work of our entire educational community — an effort that allows the academic quality of UNIMINUTO to now have international recognition,” said John Anderson Virviescas, dean of the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences.

During the evaluation, ACBSP highlighted the faculty’s social impact — particularly its work with students from lower-middle socioeconomic strata and the improvement of students’ and graduates’ family and professional environments. The accreditor also cited the faculty’s community-service and volunteer practices, the participation of professors, students, graduates, and employers in its institutional development plan, its university-wellbeing policy, ongoing curriculum updates, student support through the MAIE program, and its faculty-development plans.

Benefits for students, graduates, and faculty

According to the faculty, the accreditation gives students access to internationally validated training aligned with global quality standards and measurable learning outcomes, along with opportunities to take part in international academic experiences such as business-simulation tournaments, internationalization projects, mirror classes, and Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). For graduates, it strengthens their professional profile and competitiveness in domestic and international labor markets. For faculty, it opens access to professional-development plans, academic mobility, and international research networks.

The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs shows the community-focused education of the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences at Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios. Photo provided by UNIMINUTO Press Office.

A five-year process

The path to accreditation began in 2020 with eligibility, self-assessment, and continuous-improvement stages. In October 2021, the faculty received official approval to move into the self-study phase, an integral review of its academic, administrative, and strategic processes. Following site visits and technical reviews by international peers, the institution consolidated its strengths and reduced the improvement opportunities identified during the evaluation.

“This accreditation reflects the commitment and transformative presence of this great educational project in the country’s regions.” — John Anderson Virviescas, dean of UNIMINUTO’s Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences

Faculty profile

The faculty has trained 9,206 students through a program model built around social, business, and global challenges. Its Business Administration and International Marketing Technology programs currently enroll 4,546 active students and count 4,660 graduates.

The faculty employs 44 professors, six of whom hold doctorates in related fields, and 70% hold C1 English certification. Its internationalization efforts include 19 visiting international professors and academic mobility for eight professors at higher-education institutions abroad. In 2025, professor Natalia Marulanda was named “Breakthrough Professor” (Docente Revelación) by the Colombian Association of Business Administration Faculties (ASCOLFA).

UNIMINUTO’s newly-accredited faculty has two research groups recognized by Colombia’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MinCiencias): the Research Group in Economic and Administrative Sciences, ranked in category A, and the Research Group in Innovation and Social Management, in category B.

They are joined by four research seedbeds with more than 70 students and a team of three senior researchers, six associates, and two junior researchers. Students can also take electives in fields such as data science, artificial intelligence, big data, business intelligence, data mining, and Power BI, along with classroom-based consulting methodologies that connect coursework directly with the productive sector.

The ACBSP accreditation adds to UNIMINUTO’s presence across Colombia’s regions and positions its two Bello-based programs within a global network of accredited business education.

Headline Image provided by UNIMINUTO Press Office.