Regina Samson is the accreditation program manager for IEEE Educational Activities.
For IEEE, the accreditation of engineering programs is important. Accreditation is vital to the future of the profession, ensuring that the graduates are prepared to practice and establishing a link to a sustainable future with a talented pool of engineering and technology professionals.
IEEE’s involvement in the accreditation process ensures that students who graduate from approved programs have demonstrated the skills and abilities established by the criteria.
Technical professional associations such as IEEE are involved because it gives them a voice in the educational process for programs in their fields of interest. Accredited programs demonstrate to both prospective students and employers that the educational institutions meet a quality standard. For graduating students, it verifies that they’ve attended a quality program, and it supports their entry into the profession.
How does program accreditation work?
Accreditation is not a grade, score, or ranking. Programs are evaluated against a set of approved criteria to ensure that certain educational objectives are met.
IEEE plays a significant role in establishing the criteria and evaluating programs. The goal is to ensure the accredited educational programs have attained a level of performance in areas that meet or exceed minimum standards developed by experts in the field.
“My experiences have been very rewarding, and I hope to continue to have a positive impact on the quality of engineering education.” —Sarah Rajala
An accrediting body establishes the criteria. ABET, formerly known as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, is the body deciding the criteria in the United States. It is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that evaluates programs in the applied sciences, engineering, computing, and technology. IEEE is a founding member of the organization.
IEEE provides ABET with expert volunteers who serve as program evaluators, or PEVs. They visit institutions to review their programs using the approved criteria to discern whether the schools meet the standard. IEEE does not directly grant accreditation to an institution; ABET does. There are currently 35 technical professional associations that are member societies, including ASME, ASCE, and ASEE. Representatives from IEEE and other societies helped develop the criteria used to conduct the evaluations.
Recognizing the importance of program accreditation, many countries have established bodies and other processes to develop educational criteria. ABET also serves as the accrediting body for a growing number of programs outside the United States.
Become an evaluator
IEEE currently has more than 300 members serving as program evaluators but more are always needed. Becoming an evaluator provides a professional development opportunity, furthers IEEE’s mission, and supports the profession.
“My experiences have been very rewarding, and I hope to continue to have a positive impact on the quality of engineering education,” says IEEE Member Sarah Rajala, who is the 2024–2025 ABET president. A professor emeritus at Iowa State University, in Ames, Rajala has served as a program evaluator and assignment coordinator for IEEE’s Committee on Engineering Accreditation Activities.
IEEE accepts evaluator applications from its members in engineering and engineering technology. Each area has specific requirements, and applicants must choose one as their field of expertise. To learn more, go to the Program Evaluator Opportunities page on IEEE’s website.
Other bodies involved in engineering accreditation also need evaluators.