PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE CRITERIA 

The following section presents proposed changes to these criteria.  These proposals were approved by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) and were brought before the ABET Board of Directors on November 1, 2003 for preliminary approval. Before being approved for final implementation in the accreditation process, these proposals are published here for circulation among the institutions with accredited programs and other interested parties for review and comment. 

Comments will be considered until June 15, 2004.  The ABET Board of Directors will determine, based on the comments received and on the advice of the EAC, the content of the adopted criteria.  The adopted criteria will then become effective following the ABET Annual Meeting in the fall of 2004 and will first be applied by the EAC for accreditation actions during the 2005-2006 academic year and the following years. 

Comments relative to the proposed general and program criteria changes should be addressed to: Accreditation Director, ABET, Inc., 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD  21202-4012. 

PROPOSED REVISIONS TO EAC GENERAL CRITERIA 

Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs 

These criteria are intended to assure quality and to foster the systematic pursuit of improvement in the quality of engineering education that satisfies the needs of constituencies in a dynamic and competitive environment.  It is the responsibility of the institution seeking accreditation of an engineering program to demonstrate clearly that the program meets the following criteria.   

I. 	GENERAL CRITERIA FOR BASIC LEVEL PROGRAMS 

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 student performance, advise
students regarding curricular and career matters, and monitor students
progress to foster their success in achieving program outcomes,
thereby enabling them as graduates to determine its success in
meetingattain 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 

Although institutions may use different terminology, for purposes of
Criterion 2, program educational objectives are intended to be
statements that describe the expected accomplishments of graduates
during the first several years following graduation from the program.

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) 	

an educational program, including a curriculum, and processes that
prepares students to attain program outcomes and that fosters
accomplishments of graduates for the achievement ofthat are consistent
with these objectives



(d)

a system process of ongoing evaluation that demonstrates achievement
of the extent to which these objectives are attained, and uses the
results of which shall be used to develop and improve the
effectiveness of the program outcomes so that graduates are better
prepared to attain the objectives.





Criterion 3. Program Outcomes and Assessment 

Although institutions may use different terminology, for purposes of
Criterion 3, program outcomes are intended to be statements that
describe what students are expected to know or be able to do by the
time of graduation from the program.

Each program must formulate program outcomes that foster attainment of
the program objectives articulated in satisfaction of Criterion 2 of
these criteria.  There must be processes to produce these outcomes and
an assessment process, with documented results, that demonstrates that
these program outcomes are being measured and indicates the degree to
which the outcomes are achieved.  There must be evidence that the
results of this assessment process are applied to the further
development of the program.

Engineering programs must demonstrate that their graduates
havestudents attain:

(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 within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental,
social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and
sustainability



(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, economic, environmental, 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.






In addition, an engineering program must demonstrate that its students
attain any additional outcomes articulated by the program to foster
achievement of its educational objectives. 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 of the program, including those listed above, are
being measured.

Criterion 4. Professional Component 

The professional component requirements specify subject areas
appropriate to engineering but do not prescribe specific courses. The
engineering faculty must assureensure that the program curriculum
devotes adequate attention and time to each component, consistent with
the outcomes and 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.  The engineering sciences have their roots
in mathematics and basic sciences but carry knowledge further toward
creative application. These studies provide a bridge between
mathematics and basic sciences on the one hand and engineering
practice on the other.  Engineering design is the process of devising
a system, component, or process to meet desired needs.  It is a
decision-making process (often iterative), in which the basic
sciences, mathematics, and the engineering sciences are applied to
convert resources optimally to meet these stated needs.



(c) 

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





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
appropriate engineering standards and multiple realistic constraints.

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 program faculty must have appropriate qualifications and must have
and exercise sufficient authority to ensure the proper guidance of the
program and to develop and implement processes for the evaluation,
assessment, and continuing improvement of the program, its educational
objectives and outcomes. 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 licensure 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 program and 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.

II. GENERAL CRITERIA FOR ADVANCED LEVEL PROGRAMS 

Criteria for advanced level programs are completion of a program of
study satisfying the general criteria for basic level engineering
programs, one academic year of study beyond the basic level, and an
engineering project or research activity resulting in a report that
demonstrates both mastery of the subject matter and a high level of
communication skills.