The following accreditation criteria and policy changes were approved by the ABET Board of Directors at their October 26, 2013, meeting. This alert does not identify all revisions to the 2014-15 Accreditation Policy and Procedure Manual (APPM) or the 2014-15 accreditation criteria, but it highlights revisions that may noticeably affect programs. Each program should review the entire 2014-15 applicable criteria and APPM documents to insure compliance.
This page is a summary of approved changes. Please refer to the complete documents on the accreditation documents page.
Accreditation Policy and Procedures
ALERT: Changes to the Accreditation Policy and Procedure Manual (APPM) Section II.A.6. Public Release of Accreditation Information by the Institution/Program for immediate implementation.
On October 26, 2013 the ABET Board of Directors approved on second reading the following modification to the 2014-15 Accreditation Policy and Procedure Manual Section II.6. Public Release of Accreditation Information by the Institution/Program.
II.A.6.a. Each ABET-accredited program must publicly state the program’s educational objectives and student outcomes.
II.A.6.b. Each ABET-accredited program must publicly post annual student enrollment and graduation data per program.
This modification requires IMMEDIATE IMPLEMENTATION BY ALL PROGRAMS ACCREDITED BY ABET.
Programs accredited by ABET are expected to comply with this requirement immediately, not wait for the next scheduled review. ABET will examine institutional websites beginning with the next academic semester to ensure compliance. Additionally, at the time of the next general or interim review, the Self Study or Interim Report must reflect how the program(s) have complied with this policy.
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ALERT: Changes to the Accreditation Policy and Procedure Manual (APPM) Section II.A.7. Public Release of Accreditation Information by the Institution/Program for immediate implementation.
On October 26, 2013 the ABET Board of Directors approved on second reading the following modifications to the 2014-15 Accreditation Policy and Procedure Manual Section II.7. Public Release of Accreditation Information by the Institution/Program.
II.A.7. When a program submits a request for evaluation to ABET, it agrees to disclose publicly its accreditation status to assist external stakeholders, such as students, parents, and the general public, in making appropriate education decisions.
II.A.7.a. ABET publicly identifies programs whose accreditation has been denied or withdrawn by ABET.
II.A.7.b. If ABET denies or withdraws its accreditation, then the institution/program must provide, upon request from the public, a statement summarizing ABET’s reasons for denial or withdrawal of accreditation; that statement can be accompanied by a response from the affected program addressing the ABET decision. This statement must be available within 60 days of the final decision by ABET. ABET will post on its public website a notice regarding the availability of this statement from the institution/program.
II.A.7.c. In the event that the program files an official request for appeal, reconsideration, or immediate re-visit in accordance with APPM II.L., the 60-day period for public notification will begin when the APPM.II.L. processes have provided a final accreditation action.
ABET will begin posting the information required in II.A.7.a. on its website commencing with the decisions made at the July 2015 accreditation commission meetings on reviews conducted in the 2014-2015 accreditation cycle.
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ABET Seeks Your Comments on Proposed Changes Below
For all proposed criteria changes detailed below, ABET is seeking your input by June 15, 2014.
Applied Science Criteria
Revisions to the following Program Criteria are offered on first reading for review and comment. See the Proposed Changes Section of the ASAC Criteria.
- Environmental Health and Safety
Computing Criteria
Revisions to the following General Criteria will be in effect for the 2014-15 review cycle.
- Criterion 3(a). Student Outcomes: An ability to apply knowledge of computing and mathematics appropriate to the program’s student outcomes and to the discipline.
Revisions to the following Program Criteria are offered on first reading for review and comment. See the Proposed Changes Section of the CAC Criteria.
- Information Systems
- Information Technology
Engineering Criteria
Revisions to the following General Criteria will be in effect for the 2014-15 review cycle.
- Criterion 6. Faculty: The program must demonstrate that the faculty members
must beare of sufficient number and theymusthave the competencies to cover all of the curricular areas of the program.
Revisions to the following Program Criteria will be in effect for the 2014-15 review cycle.
- Optical, Photonic Engineering
- Electrical, Computer, Communications Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
Revisions to the following Program Criteria are offered on first reading for review and comment. See the Proposed Changes Section of the EAC Criteria.
- Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering
- Electrical, Computer, Communications Engineering
- Materials (1), Metallurgical (2), Ceramics (3) Engineering
Engineering Technology Criteria
Revisions to the following Program Criteria will be in effect for the 2014-15 review cycle:
- Chemical, Process Plant Engineering Technology
- Environmental Engineering Technology
- Manufacturing Engineering Technology
Revisions to the following Program Criteria are offered on first reading for review and comment. See the Proposed Changes Section of the ETAC Criteria.
- Fire Protection Engineering Technology
- Information Engineering Technology