ABET Accreditation for Surveying/Geomatics Programs

in the US

• Dr. Steven Frank, Program Coordinator

• Surveying Engineering

• New Mexico State University

• Las Cruces, NM 88003

• sfrank@nmsu.edu

OUTLINE

• Introduction

• ABET accreditation process– EAC accreditation criteria– ASAC accreditation criteria– TAC accreditation criteria– CAC accreditation criteria

• Choosing accreditation

• Summary and conclusions

Introduction

• Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)

• Used to accredit individual programs

• Separate from university accreditation

• 28 professional organizations

• 2,700 programs in 550 universities

• Constantly evolving criteria

ABET Accreditation Process

• Programs must have at least one graduate to apply for accreditation

• “Self-study” report written

• Site visit by ABET evaluators (academic and/or industrial)

• Each program accredited individually

• Institution also evaluated

ABET Accreditation Process

• Site visit– Normally 3 days (can be 2 days)– Evaluate

• Student transcripts• Student projects• Class rooms• Laboratories / equipment• Students / faculty

Accreditation process

• Four ABET commission– Engineering (EAC)– Applied Science (ASAC)– Technology (TAC)– Computing (CAC)

EAC Criteria

• Must have “Engineering” in program title• 7 general criteria

– 1) Students– 2) Educational objective– 3) Program outcomes– 4) Professional component– 5) Faculty– 6) Facilities– 7) Institutional support

EAC criteria

• Students– How are they evaluated on performance– How are they advised and monitored– Policies for transfer students– How is student success being tracked

EAC criteria

• Educational objectives– What graduates are expected to achieve 3-5

years after graduation– Measurements to show that objectives are or

are not being met– Improvement actions taken that are based

upon measurements

EAC criteria

• Program outcomes– What students are expected to be able to do

at time of graduation– System to measure, evaluate, update and

continuously improve outcomes– Based on ABET “a-k” criteria

EAC criteria

• ABET “a-k”– a) Ability to apply math, science and

engineering– b) Ability to design/conduct experiments– c) Ability to design– d) Ability to perform on multidisciplinary team– e) Ability to identify and solve problems– f) Understanding of ethics / responsibilities

EAC criteria

• ABET “a-k”– g) Ability to communicate effectively– h) Recognition for life-long learning– i) Knowledge of contemporary issues– j) Ability to use knowledge, skills, and modern

tools necessary for professional practice

EAC criteria

• Professional component– Amount of math / science courses– Amount of general education courses– Amount of engineering/surveying courses– Specific courses required by profession– Major design experience

EAC criteria

• Faculty– Must be sufficient in number to teach courses,

advise students, etc.– Must be qualified by experience or by

licensure– Should be involved in professional societies

EAC criteria

• Facilities– Classrooms– Laboratories– Equipment– Computers

EAC criteria

• Institutional support– Computer technicians– Library services– Students services– Faculty development

EAC criteria

• Programs accredited under EAC– CSU Fresno– Ferris State University– University of Maine– New Mexico State University– Ohio State University– Pennsylvania State University– Purdue University

ASAC criteria

• Essentially the same as EAC criteria

• No design requirements

• Professional component has different criteria for math / science

• Professional criterion for surveying the same as EAC

ASAC criteria

• Programs accredited under ASAC– University of Alaska– East Tennessee State University– University of Florida– Metropolitan State College of Denver– Michigan Tech– Oregon Institute of Technology– Southern Polytechnic State University– St. Cloud University– Texas A&M University

TAC criteria

• Similar to EAC & ASAC

• More emphasis on technical “hands-on” experience

• Program characteristics– Minimum of 124 semester credit hours– High emphasis on applied aspects (at least

1/3 of curriculum)– Faculty criteria are more lenient

TAC criteria

• Programs accredited under TAC (4 year)– University of Akron– Alfred State College– Idaho State University– New Jersey Institute of Technology

TAC criteria

• Program accredited under TAC (2 year)– University of Akron– Alfred State College– Mohawk Valley Community College– Paul Smith’s College– Pennsylvania Tech– Penn State

CAC criteria

• Most unique of ABET criteria

• Emphasizes computer science, learning and skills (40 credits computer science)

• Graduates must finish in a timely manner

• Exposure to multiple computer programming languages

• Access to different computing platforms

CAC criteria

• No surveying/geomatics programs accredited under CAC to date

• Speculation that GIS/LIS programs may become accredited under CAC

Choosing accreditation

• Curriculum content plays a factor– Math/science more heavily emphasized in

EAC, less in TAC

• More theory at EAC level, more practical at TAC level

• Faculty emphasis slightly different

Choosing accreditation

• Needs of constituents (employers of graduates, alumni, students, etc.)

• Student recruitment / retention

• Perceived value of degree

Choosing accreditation

• Accreditation is good for up to 6 years

• Programs may elect to change accreditation status

• Programs may have multiple accreditations

Choosing accreditation

• ABET accreditation is accepted by all state licensing boards, but accreditation status of a particular program may have an impact on which graduates may become licensed

Summary and conclusions

• ABET is accrediting agency for surveying/geomatics programs in the US

• Different ABET commissions have different program criteria

• Programs must decide if and how they wish to be accredited