Since its founding in 1937, the School has continuously introduced new technologies in business education and new ideas for the practice of management. It is also the only Canadian business school which is truly national in scope, with three of its MBA programs combining classroom learning and videoconferencing to locations across Canada.

The School has earned international recognition for its innovative and forward-thinking programs. In addition to the highly acclaimed Queen’s full-time MBA, Queen’s School of Business is also home to Canada’s most respected Executive MBA program, as well as Queen’s Accelerated MBA for Business Graduates - the first program of its kind designed specifically for people with an undergraduate degree in business.

In 2005, Queen’s launched a new and innovative partnership with Cornell University, the largest of the U.S. Ivy League schools. The new Cornell - Queen's Executive MBA program provides an international perspective to students from both sides of the border who earn a Queen’s MBA as well as a Cornell MBA while continuing to work in their current jobs.

Queen’s Bachelor of Commerce program has the highest entry standards of any undergraduate program in Canada, while Queen’s PhD and MSc in Management programs are also recognized as being among the country’s finest.  Queen's new Master of Global Management focuses on international business content, international experience and cross-cultural learning.

Queen’s School of Business has also been a pioneer in executive development. Queen’s Executive Development Centre is one of the world’s largest and most respected providers of non-degree executive education, and has been ranked #1 in Canada by the U.K.’s Financial Times.

Queen’s School of Business faculty are distinguished researchers, holding prestigious editorial positions. Teaching excellence is highly prized as well, with recent awards including three prestigious "Leaders in Management Education" awards, the only national honour for business school teaching excellence in Canada, and a "Teaching Excellence Award" from the international Academy of Marketing Science.

Two Centres within the School are aimed at areas of growing importance to practicing managers. The Monieson Centre generates relevant research in the evolving field of knowledge management by mobilizing expert researchers from around the world to focus on a client's project. Queen’s Centre for Business Venturing aims to be the leading source of knowledge and expertise in the creation, leadership and management of new ventures. It serves as the hub for all new venture activities in the School, such as courses, student projects and competitions, and applied research.

All Queen’s School of Business programs are accreditated by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), the world's largest business school accreditation body. Queen’s was the first university in Ontario to be AACSB-approved. Queen's School of Business achieved unconditional EQUIS accreditation in 2006 and is a member of EFMD – the European Foundation for Management Development.  The UK-based Association of MBAs has added a European acknowledgement of the School’s excellence by granting its accreditation.