As of October 1, 2021, ABET accredits a total of 4,361 programs at 850 colleges and universities in 41 countries/areas around the world, an increase of 54 programs over 2020. These include the first two associate cybersecurity programs to receive ABET accreditation.
The two associate cybersecurity programs, at Anne Arundel Community College and Lord Fairfax Community College, have been accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of ABET. The CAC is responsible for accreditation activities in all disciplines involved in the development and use of technology related to computers, including cybersecurity.
“The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a job growth rate of 33% in this field from 2020 to 2030, and it’s essential to have graduates with the skills and knowledge to meet this demand,” said ABET Executive Director and CEO Michael K. J. Milligan. “This is an important milestone in assuring confidence in two-year cybersecurity programs. Our criteria guide institutions in defining their programs, and ABET accreditation assures industry that a program meets quality standards that produce graduates equipped to enter the workforce.”
ABET member societies began establishing program criteria for cybersecurity in 2016. A committee was convened by IEEE and joined by INCOSE and CSAB to create ABET program criteria for cybersecurity engineering programs, and CSAB established a committee to create ABET program criteria for cybersecurity computing programs. ABET approved its first program-specific criteria for cybersecurity in 2018.
ABET accreditation means that students, employers and society can be confident that a program is producing graduates ready to enter the global workforce. Sought worldwide, our voluntary peer-review process determines that a program is meeting the needs of industry while continuously improving the education it offers. Developed by technical professionals from ABET member societies, our criteria focus on what students experience and learn.
Visit our online database to search for an ABET-accredited program by institution, program name, discipline, location or other categories.
ABOUT ABET
ABET is a nonprofit organization that accredits college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology. Our approach, the standards we set and the quality we guarantee, inspires confidence in those who aim to build a better world — one that is safer, more efficient, more comfortable and more sustainable.
With ABET accreditation, students, employers and the society we serve can be confident that a program meets the quality standards that produce graduates prepared to enter a global workforce. We currently accredit 4,361 programs at 850 institutions in 41 countries worldwide.