ABET Accreditation: Why it Matters

ABET – What does this mean?

Have you seen the acronym ABET? I bet so if you are in an engineering program or looking at enrolling in one. Let’s cover what this means and why it’s important to you.

ABET stands for Accreditation Board for Engineering & Technology. ABET is a non-profit organization that provides accreditation for Engineering and Technology programs worldwide.

According to their website, over 3,800 programs in 31 countries have received ABET accreditation.

Engineering programs voluntarily choose to be evaluated for accreditation . There are no mandates for a private school, for instance, to get accredited.

Programs that are ABET accredited have chosen to go through the process to show the world that their program meets certain goals and requirements.  It’s an arduous process with many requirements.

Schools that choose to participate devote significant resources to ensure they meet the standards.

For example, lab facilities must be modern, faculty-to-student ratios must be kept at a good level, student performance and learning is measured every semester.  All of the time devoted to accreditation benefits the student most of all. 

How does this benefit me, you ask….let’s cover that!

You Get Skills

If you enroll in an ABET accredited program, you can be assured that your program meets rigorous standards.

You will have the technical and professional skills needed to succeed in the field of engineering once you graduate.

Employers like ABET programs

Employers recognize the skills obtained from a high-quality engineering program. Because of this, many engineering positions require a degree from an ABET accredited program.

Most employers just aren’t willing to risk the unknowns that come with graduates from non-accredited programs. After all, if a program hasn’t been accredited, why not?

What’s keeping them from getting it? Are they not training students as they should be?

P.E. License Anyone?

A degree from an ABET accredited program is also required to get a Professional Engineering license in most states.

Wouldn’t it suck to graduate, work as an engineer for a few years, only to find out that you can’t get a PE license if you need one?

This is definitely something to consider, especially if you plan on being an engineering consultant or working on public works projects.

Money, Money, Money!

Quite a few federal student loan programs, grants and scholarships require you to attend an ABET accredited program.

So if you need money, ABET helps you get it!

Transferring Schools?

Transfer credits – If you decide to transfer schools after a couple of years, credits from an ABET program are more likely to get transferred and counted towards your degree.

The reason: an ABET accredited program has shown that it meets a certain educational standard.

A school is less likely to transfer engineering coursework in if there is no way of knowing how rigorous the coursework is.

Worldwide Opportunities

Worldwide recognition is another benefit. ABET accredits programs from all over the globe.

So, universities and companies all over the world recognize the value in an accredited degree program.

This makes it easier to do things like study abroad or find work in another country.

Choose Wisely

As you can see, an ABET accredited program has definite benefits for students.

Now, can unaccredited programs be worthwhile? Yes, of course. But, they won’t have the recognition as an accredited program.

Keep this in mind when selecting a degree program.  You always want to pick the one that benefits you the most!