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EAC-ABET Accreditation: What Does it Take to Succeed? Abstract

This paper focuses on the lessons learned during the initial Industrial Engineering accreditation process undertaken at Texas A&M University – Commerce. While the department’s Industrial Technology program has long been NAIT accredited, the engineering accreditation from the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (EAC-ABET) is being sought by the newly established Industrial Engineering program. The paper introduces three elements that are critical to the EAC-ABET Accreditation process, including: 1) department background, 2) the demands of the engineering discipline, and 3) ABET assessment team requirements. An alignment model is used to show the relationships between internal and external stakeholders as well as the expectations of the assessment team for continuous process improvement in the academic program. Engineering programs must constantly improve in order to remain competitive and responsive to the needs of the discipline. This paper discusses some of the characteristics of successful engineering programs.

Background on the Industrial Engineering Program at Texas A&M University-Commerce

The creation of an Industrial Engineering (IE) program at Texas A&M University-Commerce (TAMUC) was approved by the Texas Legislature in 2002. TAMUC is over 115 years old and has gone through many name changes before being incorporated into the Texas A&M System. As a state-supported university, adoption of new programs must follow rules set by the legislature. Initial program planning projected that 30 IE students would begin their studies at TAMUC during the first year it was offered. To our surprise and amazement, seventy (70) students joined the program during the Fall 2002 Semester. To date, the program has graduated eight undergraduate IE students. All eight are now employed in the IE discipline with very competitive salaries, representing such reputable companies as Raytheon, MCI, and United Parcel Service.

In preparation for the EAC-ABET accreditation visit, the initial request for an accreditation assessment is made to ABET by January 31st, in the calendar year when the assessment site-visit is planned. It should be noted that the entire schedule of events is provided on the ABET Web Site at: http://www.abet.org/deadline.shtml.1 Once this request had been submitted to ABET, the Industrial Engineering faculty at TAMUC developed the required ABET Self Study Report during the Spring 2005 semester. The Self Study Report is an extensive document that covers all aspects of the academic program under review. For example, our 2005 Self Study Report was 308 pages long. It includes university policies, budgetary reports, facilities available to the program, information on students and alumni, faculty qualifications, course syllabi, and a host of other elements that paint a picture of the academic program for use by the reviewing team and throughout the ABET Due Process activities. The due process begins as soon as the visiting team leaves the campus and continues until the ABET meets for their annual Board Meeting in July of the year following the site visit. When completed, the Self Study Report is submitted to ABET Headquarters by July 1st, leading to the site-visit which will be scheduled for the upcoming Fall semester. The Self Study Report is used by the Team Chair and by each Program Evaluator to prepare for their three to four day campus visit.

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Jackson, A., & Johnson, M., & Horton, E. D. (2006, June), Eac Abet Accreditation: What Does It Take To Succeed? Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--1383