Accreditation of Engineering programs is a rigorous and periodic process which provides assurance that the degree programs meet the quality standards of the profession for which that program prepares graduates.
In other words, accreditation signifies to current and prospective students as well as to all the stakeholders that the programs produce graduates who are prepared to meet the expectation of employers, the public, or pursue further study in engineering or other fields.
The Cullen College of Engineering offers eleven undergraduate engineering degree programs. Of these, the following eight are our long-established programs and are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org:
(1) Biomedical, (2) Chemical, (3) Civil, (4) Computer, (5) Electrical, (6) Industrial, (7) Mechanical, and (8) Petroleum Engineering.
The following three are our newest degree programs, and these will seek ABET accreditation after the first set of degrees are awarded to the inaugural graduating class, which is expected in 2025:
(9) Computer Engineering and Analytics (10) Construction Engineering, and (11) Systems Engineering.
One component of the accreditation criteria requires each program pursuing accreditation to formulate Program Educational Objectives in consultation with their program-defined constituents. ABET defines Program Educational Objectives as “broad statements that describe what graduates are expected to attain within a few years after graduation.”
Another component of ABET accreditation requires that programs specify Student Outcomes, which “describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation. These relate to skills, knowledge, and behaviors that students acquire as they progress through the program.”
ABET is committed to Continuous Improvement and all programs must assess and evaluate the extent to which their Student Outcomes are being attained and use the results of these evaluations for the continuous improvement of the program.
ABET requires that each program make available to the public certain information, namely their Program Educational Objectives, their Student Outcomes, their accreditation status and data on their student enrollments and degrees granted. This information for the accredited programs offered by the Cullen College of Engineering is published at the following locations:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Industrial Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Petroleum Engineering
Additional information, facts, and figures about the Cullen College are available here.