NVAO’s assessment panel members visited the school for three days earlier this year and recently announced their findings, but the whole process took about a year and a half. This school-wide effort started with the team that runs each of the programmes under assessment. They compiled a self-assessment report and a dossier of information with contributions from the academic and professional services teams at RSM – such as the teams that deal with career advice for students, digitalisation and information services, and the alumni team. The NVAO assessment panel members reviewed the dossiers prepared by RSM and interviewed RSM’s senior leadership team, professional services staff, and students, teachers, and academic directors, as well as alumni and their employers.
Assessment of graduates and their employers
The assessors looked at not only what RSM is doing now, but also gathered information from its graduates – and the companies those graduates are working for – to gain an overall impression of RSM’s effectiveness in educating future managers and its impact that carries through into society and the world of work, management, business and international organisations. The NVAO panel noted clear progress in aligning RSM’s intended learning outcomes with RSM’s mission and design principles for education.
Recognition for graduates and for RSM
Anna de Waard-Leung, RSM’s Executive Director Quality, said: “The NVAO assessment recognises institutional capacity and focuses on substantive quality, rather than bureaucratic compliance. For graduates, the NVAO accreditation means their degrees are recognised internationally by employers and licensing or certificated professions, and for academic and professional mobility. For students, it means they can qualify for government finance and other funding opportunities.”
The latest NVAO assessment covered the majority of RSM’s educational portfolio: two bachelor programmes, 15 full-time master programmes, three MBA programmes and the part-time MSc in Corporate Communication for communication professionals.
RSM’s newest master programme, the Online Master Sustainability Management was accredited by the NVAO earlier this year, just before the programme’s launch in March 2025.
NVAO assesses four standards in every programme:
- the programme's educational objectives
- the quality of the learning environment, curriculum design, teaching methods, and teaching staff
- how students are tested and examined, and measurement of their progress and achievement
- and whether students actually achieved the intended learning outcomes, plus an evaluation of graduates’ competencies – in other words, the programme’s effectiveness.
RSM has made significant investments in developing its programmes, beginning 15 years ago when it began its mission to be a force for positive change in the world. RSM’s school-wide focus is on its long-term strategy and an emphasis on developing change agents with the competences to challenge the status quo and add value to workplaces and society.
