ABET Accreditation for Surveying/Geomatics Programs in the US

1. ABET Accreditation for Surveying/Geomatics Programs in the US

2. Dr. Steven Frank, Program Coordinator • Surveying Engineering • New Mexico State University • Las Cruces, NM 88003 • sfrank@nmsu.edu

3. OUTLINE • Introduction • ABET accreditation process • EAC accreditation criteria • ASAC accreditation criteria • TAC accreditation criteria • CAC accreditation criteria • Choosing accreditation • Summary and conclusions

4. 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

5. 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

6. ABET Accreditation Process • Site visit • Normally 3 days (can be 2 days) • Evaluate • Student transcripts • Student projects • Class rooms • Laboratories / equipment • Students / faculty

7. Accreditation process • Four ABET commission • Engineering (EAC) • Applied Science (ASAC) • Technology (TAC) • Computing (CAC)

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. EAC criteria • Facilities • Classrooms • Laboratories • Equipment • Computers

17. EAC criteria • Institutional support • Computer technicians • Library services • Students services • Faculty development

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

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

23. 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

24. 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

25. CAC criteria • No surveying/geomatics programs accredited under CAC to date • Speculation that GIS/LIS programs may become accredited under CAC

26. 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

27. Choosing accreditation • Needs of constituents (employers of graduates, alumni, students, etc.) • Student recruitment / retention • Perceived value of degree

28. Choosing accreditation • Accreditation is good for up to 6 years • Programs may elect to change accreditation status • Programs may have multiple accreditations

29. 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

30. 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