School of Engineering

ABET Accredited

ABET at WIU

The purpose of this page is to give you a brief overview of what ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) is all about at the Western Illinois University School of Engineering. You will see links in this document that will lead you to additional information from the source.

Is WIU ABET Accredited?

Yes. On the 23rd of August 2012 the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) granted accreditation to Western Illinois University’s Engineering program. It retroactively covers all our graduates.

Why ABET?

From the ABET Website: “Accreditation is an assurance that the professionals that serve us have a solid educational foundation and are capable of leading the way in innovation, emerging technologies, and in anticipating the welfare and safety needs of the public. When a program becomes ABET-accredited, it means that it has received international recognition of its quality, promotes "best practices" in education, and directly involves faculty and staff in self-assessment and continuous quality improvement processes”. (http://www.abet.org/the_basics.shtml)

What are the ABET requirements for a General Engineering Program?

The curriculum requirements for any ABET accredited program are, in general: 1) satisfy the General Education requirements of the institution (WIU); 2) complete one year of Math and Science appropriate to the engineering degree; 3) complete a year and a half of Engineering Courses; and 4) complete the requirements for a bachelor degree.