I. GENERAL CRITERIA FOR BASIC LEVEL PROGRAMS

It is the responsibility of the institution seeking accreditation of
an engineering program to demonstrate clearly that the program meets
the following criteria.

Criterion 1. Students

The quality and performance of the students and graduates are
important considerations in the evaluation of an engineering
program. The institution must evaluate, advise, and monitor students
to determine its success in meeting program objectives.

The institution must have and enforce policies for the acceptance of
transfer students and for the validation of courses taken for credit
elsewhere. The institution must also have and enforce procedures to
assure that all students meet all program requirements.

Criterion 2. Program Educational Objectives

Each engineering program for which an institution seeks accreditation
or reaccreditation must have in place:

(a) detailed published educational objectives that are consistent with
the mission of the institution and these criteria

(b) a process based on the needs of the program's various
constituencies in which the objectives are determined and
periodically evaluated

(c) a curriculum and processes that ensure the achievement of these
objectives

(d) a system of ongoing evaluation that demonstrates achievement of
these objectives and uses the results to improve the effectiveness of
the program.

Criterion 3. Program Outcomes and Assessment

Engineering programs must demonstrate that their graduates have:

(a) an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and
engineering

(b) an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze
and interpret data

(c) an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet
desired needs

(d) an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams

(e) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems

(f) an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility

(g) an ability to communicate effectively

(h) the broad education necessary to understand the impact of
engineering solutions in a global and societal context

(i) a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long
learning

(j) a knowledge of contemporary issues

(k) an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering
tools necessary for engineering practice.

Each program must have an assessment process with documented
results. Evidence must be given that the results are applied to the
further development and improvement of the program. The assessment
process must demonstrate that the outcomes important to the mission of
the institution and the objectives of the program, including those
listed above, are being measured. Evidence that may be used includes,
but is not limited to the following: student portfolios, including
design projects; nationally-normed subject content examinations;
alumni surveys that document professional accomplishments and career
development activities; employer surveys; and placement data of
graduates.

Criterion 4. Professional Component

The professional component requirements specify subject areas
appropriate to engineering but do not prescribe specific courses. The
engineering faculty must assure that the program curriculum devotes
adequate attention and time to each component, consistent with the
objectives of the program and institution. Students must be prepared
for engineering practice through the curriculum culminating in a major
design experience based on the knowledge and skills acquired in
earlier course work and incorporating engineering standards and
realistic constraints that include most of the following
considerations: economic; environmental; sustainability;
manufacturability; ethical; health and safety; social; and
political. The professional component must include

(a) one year of a combination of college level mathematics and basic
sciences (some with experimental experience) appropriate to the
discipline

(b) one and one-half years of engineering topics, consisting of
engineering sciences and engineering design appropriate to the
student's field of study

(c) a general education component that complements the technical
content of the curriculum and is consistent with the program and
institution objectives.

Criterion 5. Faculty

The faculty is the heart of any educational program. The faculty must
be of sufficient number; and must have the competencies to cover all
of the curricular areas of the program. There must be sufficient
faculty to accommodate adequate levels of student-faculty interaction,
student advising and counseling, university service activities,
professional development, and interactions with industrial and
professional practitioners, as well as employers of students.

 
The faculty must have sufficient qualifications and must ensure the
proper guidance of the program and its evaluation and development. The
overall competence of the faculty may be judged by such factors as
education, diversity of backgrounds, engineering experience, teaching
experience, ability to communicate, enthusiasm for developing more
effective programs, level of scholarship, participation in
professional societies, and registration as Professional Engineers.

Criterion 6. Facilities

Classrooms, laboratories, and associated equipment must be adequate to
accomplish the program objectives and provide an atmosphere conducive
to learning. Appropriate facilities must be available to foster
faculty-student interaction and to create a climate that encourages
professional development and professional activities. Programs must
provide opportunities for students to learn the use of modern
engineering tools. Computing and information infrastructures must be
in place to support the scholarly activities of the students and
faculty and the educational objectives of the institution.

Criterion 7. Institutional Support and Financial Resources

Institutional support, financial resources, and constructive
leadership must be adequate to assure the quality and continuity of
the engineering program. Resources must be sufficient to attract,
retain, and provide for the continued professional development of a
well-qualified faculty. Resources also must be sufficient to acquire,
maintain, and operate facilities and equipment appropriate for the
engineering program. In addition, support personnel and institutional
services must be adequate to meet program needs.

Criterion 8. Program Criteria

Each program must satisfy applicable Program Criteria (if
any). Program Criteria provide the specificity needed for
interpretation of the basic level criteria as applicable to a given
discipline. Requirements stipulated in the Program Criteria are
limited to the areas of curricular topics and faculty qualifications.
If a program, by virtue of its title, becomes subject to two or more
sets of Program Criteria, then that program must satisfy each set of
Program Criteria; however, overlapping requirements need to be
satisfied only once.



PROGRAM CRITERIA FOR ELECTRICAL, COMPUTER, AND SIMILARLY NAMED
ENGINEERING PROGRAMS

These program criteria apply to engineering programs which include
electrical, electronic, computer, or similar modifiers in their
titles.

1. Curriculum

The structure of the curriculum must provide both breath and depth
across the range of engineering topics implied by the title of the
program.

The program must demonstrate that graduates have: knowledge of
probability and statistics, including applications appropriate to the
program name and objectives; knowledge of mathematics through
differential and integral calculus, basic sciences, and engineering
sciences necessary to analyze and design complex electrical and
electronic devices, software, and systems containing hardware and
software components, as appropriate to program objectives.

Programs containing the modifier "electrical" in the title must also
demonstrate that graduates have a knowledge of advanced mathematics,
typically including differential equations, linear algebra, complex
variables, and discrete mathematics.

Programs containing the modifier "computer" in the title must have a
knowledge of discrete mathematics.