Selecting an Engineering Course in the United States

The strength of the educational system in the United States is due largely to the diversity of its educational institutions. Students can choose to study at private or public schools, small colleges or large research universities, urban or rural institutions. Students may take courses full-time, part-time, on-campus, or on-line. With all these choices, how can a prospective student decide? How do they know that an institution or program will deliver its promises? Accreditation is one way to help narrow the selection process.

The United States does not have a ministry of education to approve curricula or courses of study. The US Department of Education primarily provides oversight at the post-secondary level for the distribution of federal funds in the form of student loans and grants. In the United States, quality assurance in higher education rests with accreditation organizations, and in the case of public institutions, state boards for higher education which license or 'charter' schools within the state borders.

What is Accreditation?

In the United States, accreditation is used to assure quality in educational institutions and programs. Accreditation is a voluntary, non-governmental process of peer review. It requires an educational institution or program to meet certain defined standards or criteria. Accreditation is sometimes confused with certification - generally, institutions and programs are accredited, and individuals are certified.

There are two types of accreditation - institutional and specialized. Institutional accreditors, such as those referred to as 'regional' accreditors, examine the college or university as a whole educational institution. Specialized accreditors evaluate specific educational programs; professional accreditors, such as those for medicine, law, architecture and engineering, fall into this category. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) is a professional accrediting organization that accredits programs, not institutions. More information on ABET and accreditation can be found on the ABET website at www.abet.org.

Why is Accreditation Important?

Accreditation serves to notify:·

• Parents and prospective students that a program has met minimum standards;
• Faculty, deans and administrators of a program's strengths and weaknesses, and of ways to improve the program;
• Employers that graduates are prepared to begin professional practice;
• Taxpayers that their funds are spent well;
• The public that graduates are aware of public health and safety considerations.

State licensing boards and certification programs may require graduation from an ABET-accredited program as the first step in the registration or certification process for professional practice. In some instances, ABET accreditation may permit students to receive federal funds in the form of scholarships, loans and grants.

What is ABET?

Established in 1932, ABET is a federation of 28 professional engineering and technical societies representing over 1.8 million engineers, technologists, and technicians. With input from these professional societies, ABET develops the criteria used to evaluate educational programs. ABET accredits over 2300 engineering, engineering technology and engineering-related programs at some 500 colleges and universities in the United States. Recently, ABET signed an agreement with the Computing Sciences Accreditation Board, and in 2001, ABET will begin accreditation of computer science programs.

How do I know if an accrediting organization is legitimate?

Most legitimate accrediting organizations in the United States are recognized by either the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) (www.chea.org) or the US Department of Education (www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/Students/Accred.html). ABET is recognized by both.

How do I find out which engineering programs are accredited?

A list of ABET-accredited programs may be found on ABET's website (www.abet.org/accredit.htm). This list is also published annually in the ABET Accreditation Yearbook. ABET does not rank programs, so it cannot advise you as to which program is best for you. However, the ABET website does have hyperlinks to web pages of schools with ABET-accredited programs.

Does ABET accredit programs outside the United States?

In general, ABET does not accredit programs outside the United States. However, ABET does receive many requests from institutions outside the US to evaluate their programs, to determine if they are 'substantially equivalent' to ABET-accredited programs, and in order to make recommendations for program improvement. 'Substantial equivalency' means the program is comparable in educational outcomes, but may differ in format or method of delivery. Substantial equivalency is not accreditation.

In addition, ABET has signed a number of mutual recognition agreements with accrediting organizations in other countries. These agreements recognize the substantial equivalency of accreditation systems, with respect to the preparation of graduates, to begin professional practice at the entry level. Signatories agree to recommend that graduates from recognized programs be afforded the same rights and privileges as those graduates in the home country. These agreements are not binding on colleges, universities, employers or licensing agencies. Programs recognized by agreement or through substantial equivalency evaluations are also listed on the ABET web site.

Can ABET assess the educational quality of an engineering or computer science degree earned outside the United States?

Engineering Credentials Evaluation International (ECEI), a division of ABET, evaluates the academic credentials of individuals who have completed an engineering or computer science degree outside the United States. ECEI evaluates credentials using the ABET criteria in effect at the time the applicant graduated. This is not intended as an evaluation of the program, but only of the educational credentials presented by a graduate. An ECEI evaluation may be useful to employers, graduate schools and licensing or registration bodies; however, the evaluations are advisory in nature, and ABET cannot guarantee acceptance by any of these entities. Additional information about this service may be found on the ECEI website (www.ecei.org).

Will I receive credit for educational courses or programs taken outside the United States?

You must discuss this with the school in which you plan to enroll. School administrators will advise you on prospective programs and courses, and if the course work that you have completed will transfer to your new school, counting towards the credits that you need for graduation. Your school may have 'articulation' agreements with other schools to permit transfer credit, but each school sets its own transfer policy. However, schools with ABET-accredited engineering programs are not required to accept transfer credit from international programs deemed 'substantially equivalent' by ABET, or from programs recognized by accreditors in other countries.

If I am a parent or prospective student, what should I consider when selecting a college or university?

Accreditation status is an important consideration, as well as cost, location and degree options. Class size, faculty interaction, and the availability of support systems for international students may also be considerations. Maturity and the ability to work independently should also have a bearing on your selection. Establishing methods to maintain links with friends and family may be crucial to a successful educational experience.

It is important to examine the mission of the institution and the objectives of the program to see if they match your individual goals and objectives. If the program is designed to prepare students for graduate school and research, and your desire is to begin engineering practice immediately after graduation, this may not be the right program for you! Accreditation requires 'truth in advertising' by colleges and universities to aid you in your decision-making, but parents and prospective students should not hesitate to ask questions of the institution or program.

Author
Kathryn B. Aberle, CAE
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc., Baltimore, MD, USA.