Six bachelor degree programs in the School of Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville have been reaccredited recently by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET), Inc.
The EAC’s reaccreditation covered degree programs in civil, electrical, computer, industrial, manufacturing and mechanical engineering. ABET is the recognized accreditor of college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology. ABET accreditation demonstrates a program’s commitment to providing its students with a quality education.
Engineering Dean Hasan Sevim says he’s proud to be among the engineering schools and colleges approved by ABET. “Accreditation is a strong testimony to the excellence of our programs in the SIUE School of Engineering,” Sevim said.
The School’s computer science program already has been reaccredited by ABET’s Computing Accreditation Commission, while the construction management program is reaccredited by the American Council for Construction Education.
Accreditation is a voluntary, peer-review process that requires programs to undergo comprehensive periodic evaluations. The evaluations—conducted by teams of volunteer professionals working in industry, government, academe, and private practice within the ABET disciplines—focus on program curricula, faculty, facilities, institutional support as well as other important areas.
One of the key elements of ABET accreditation is the requirement that programs continuously improve the quality of education provided. As part of this continuous improvement requirement, programs set specific, measurable goals for their students and graduates; assess success at reaching those goals; and improve programs based on assessment results.
In addition to providing colleges and universities a structured mechanism to assess, evaluate, and improve programs, accreditation also helps students and their parents choose quality college programs, enables employers and graduate schools to recruit graduates who are well-prepared, and is used by registration, licensure and certification boards to screen applicants.
