ABET — The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology accreditation tips
If your institution offers engineering and technology programs, you train students for vital and sought-after positions. An engineering or technology qualification is valuable, provided it comes from a reputable, high-quality program. Accreditation is formal assurance that your program meets rigorous standards for quality education.
In the engineering and technology industries, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) is globally recognized. Gaining ABET accreditation can be challenging. For the best chance at a successful application, you need the right tools and information — starting with this guide.
Why should our program have ABET accreditation?
ABET accreditation has several benefits for your institution and students:
Enriched program quality: Before you even receive accreditation, pursuing it will benefit your course quality. ABET’s standards promote best practices and systems for continuous improvement.
Improved student outcomes: The accreditation process will ensure your program has clear learning objectives aligned with industry expectations, as well as mechanisms to continuously improve program content. An ABET-accredited program sets your students up for academic and professional success.
Elevated global recognition: ABET-accredited programs enjoy credibility with students, professionals, other institutions, and governments worldwide.
What are ABET’s accreditation criteria?
For your program to earn ABET accreditation, it must meet their criteria:
Well-defined educational objectives
Comprehensive and relevant curriculum
Qualified faculty
Adequate resources and facilities
Commitment to continuous improvement
A degree-granting institution offering it
At least one graduate before the On-Site Visit year
A descriptive name consistent across institutional documents
Submitting and passing a Readiness Review if this will be your institution’s first accreditation from this commission
How does the ABET accreditation process work?
If you want to apply for ABET accreditation, you can do so in five steps.
1. Preparation and Readiness Review
The formal ABET accreditation process takes around 18 months. But before that kicks off, you’ll need about a year of preparation. To prepare for your ABET accreditation process:
Read the current policy and procedure manual and key documents from the accreditation commission you intend to apply to.
Gather samples of student work, syllabi, textbooks, and assignments to use as evidence in your application.
If this will be your first program to receive accreditation from this ABET commission, request a Readiness Review by September 1 and submit it by October 1, the year before your On-Site Visit. Submitting your Readiness Review begins your formal 18-month accreditation process.
2. Request for Evaluation
After completing the preparation stage, you must submit your Request for Evaluation (RFE) by January 31 of the year of your On-Site Visit. ABET will then send an invoice for the On-Site Visit, arrange a visit date, and form a review team to consider your application between April and May.
3. Submitting the Self-Study Report
July 1 is the deadline to submit your Self-Study Report. Once you’ve submitted your report, the review team will consider it. In the meantime, attend your commission’s Institutional Representatives webinars or view the recordings to prepare for your On-Site Visit.
Preparing a visit schedule and confirming it with the review team.
Arranging student and faculty interviews.
Setting up rooms with display materials to present syllabi, samples, and assessments.
The On-Site Visit typically happens between September and December. A review team of at least three members will be on-site for three days. They will:
Verify your Self-Study Report’s contents.
Investigate any issues they identified while reviewing your Self-Study Report.
Interview students and faculty.
Review your display materials.
Visit classrooms and other program facilities.
Check the program’s compliance with all applicable criteria and policies.
Identify the program’s strengths and weaknesses.
Conduct an exit meeting to share their findings.
Provide a formal Program Audit Form (PAF).
5. Due Process and decision
During the eight to 12 months after the On-Site Visit, your application will go through these phases:
One week after visit: You have one week to provide corrections to any factual errors in the review team’s exit meeting presentations.
Two-three months after visit: The review team sends you a draft statement to communicate their findings.
Three-four months after visit: You have a 30-Day Due Process period to respond to program shortcomings noted in the draft statement. ABET may request supplemental information showing how you have addressed the shortcomings.
July: The relevant ABET commission meets to discuss your program’s accreditation and reach an Accreditation Action decision. The commission can award accreditation with various conditions, defer a decision until you take further action, or choose not to accredit your program.
By August 31: You receive a Final Statement to notify you of the accreditation action. If the decision was Not-to-Accredit (NA), you may request a reconsideration or re-visit, or submit an appeal.
4 Tips for ABET accreditation
ABET accreditation is prestigious because of its high standards. Achieving this accreditation for your program takes proper planning, preparation, and resources. Use these four tips to improve your chances of a successful application:
Understand the requirements: Review all eligibility requirements from ABET and the commission you’re applying to. Keep track of which requirements you’ve met and what actions you must take to fulfill the remaining ones.
Create a strong Self-Study Report: Along with the On-Site Visit, this is the commission’s basis for their accreditation decision. Ensure you include enough information to show how your program meets every criterion.
Engage stakeholders: Continuous improvement is one of ABET’s primary criteria for accrediting programs. From the preparation stage, maintain open conversations with stakeholders like students, faculty, and the local community about how your program can better serve them and fulfill its objectives.
Leverage software: Use accreditation software to support stakeholder engagement, streamline data collection and analysis, and generate a Self-Study Report aligned with accreditation requirements in less time.
Choose accreditation software from Watermark
If you plan to start an ABET accreditation application, you can save time and improve your chances of success with the Watermark Educational Impact Suite (EIS). This comprehensive accreditation readiness software solution contains everything you need to:
Collect, analyze, and present program data.
Engage your whole institution in continuous improvement conversations.
Centralize evidence and check it against accreditation requirements.
Generate your Self-Study Report in a fraction of the time.
