For more information, visit the ABET website Why Accreditation Matters

The School of Engineering’s baccalaureate programs in Computer, Electrical, Interdisciplinary, Mechanical, and Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.  See the program objectives, student outcomes and enrollment history indicated below.  The Biomedical Engineering program will seek an initial accreditation review in 2022.  In January 2016, the Computer, Electrical, Interdisciplinary, Mechanical, and Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering baccalaureate programs submitted a request for review (RFE), followed by the submission of the engineering self-study reports in July 2016.   All five B.S.E degree programs noted above were reviewed by ABET in November 2016, which concluded in a positive exit meeting with the ABET team.  In August 2017, the final statement from the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) indicated an approval for the reaccreditation of Computer, Electrical, Interdisciplinary, Mechanical, and Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering programs.

For programs to maintain their accreditation, an ABET team, composed of university and industry volunteers, conducts an onsite campus re-evaluation visit of the programs every six years.  The evaluation is a comprehensive process, which includes an exhaustive review of the program’s curriculum, processes (admission, assessment, continuous improvement, and graduation audit), faculty credentials/professional development, facilities, and samples of student work. Programs must demonstrate achievement of their stated student outcomes. During the visit, the team conducts interviews with administration, faculty, students, support units, and the university-level administration, including the provost and president.  The School of Engineering’s baccalaureate programs completed this process in November 2016.

The accreditation process requires a huge effort on the part of the university and the programs being evaluated, as well as the visiting team.  ABET accreditation provides evidence that the School of Engineering programs have met standards essential to produce graduates that are ready to enter into the engineering profession, and that graduates from the program have a solid educational foundation, allowing them to become leaders in engineering innovation, emerging technologies, and public safety/welfare needs.

• For students, accreditation matters because it instills confidence in the education received—ABET accreditation is the trusted standard for employers worldwide.
• For Grand Valley State University and the School of Engineering programs, ABET accreditation demonstrates a commitment to delivering quality education.
• For industry, governmental units, and the world, ABET accreditation matters because employers can trust that graduates of ABET-accredited programs are properly prepared to enter the workforce.

 More information on ABET and the accreditation process.

For information regarding the assessment and (or) accreditation process within the School of Engineering, please contact:

Diane LaFreniere

James R. Sebastian Chair

Engineering Education, Assessment/Accreditation, and Cooperative Education

136B Kennedy Hall of Engineering

(616) 331-6001

[email protected]

Biomedical Engineering

Computer Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Interdisciplinary Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Product Design & Manufacturing Engineering

Pre-admit:  Total full and part-time enrollment of students in foundation level engineering courses, prior to admittance into the School of Engineering through the secondary admit process.

Secondary admit:  Total full and part-time enrollment of students in upper level engineering courses, after admittance into the School of Engineering through the secondary admit process.

Graduates:  Total number of senior students, who have fulfilled the program requirements for one of the six engineering BSE programs, during the specified year.  Note, the data includes academic (not fiscal year) reporting, with an August graduation date.