MVNU engineering department reaches ABET accreditation status

MVNU’s engineering department recently received accreditation from ABET, the Accreditation Bureau of Engineering and Technology, and the process wasn’t easy.

The accreditation process happened over a span of 18 months, starting in fall 2017, during which the engineering department gathered data to determine the quality of the program from a full class of graduates. Such data included student work, library quality and faculty reports. Dr. LeeAnn Couts, dean of MVNU’s School of Natural and Social Sciences, says “It’s a real team project, because you have to have full engagement from all of the faculty. Every course has to be assessed, we have to gather evidence from every class of how well the students did.”

But now that the engineering program is accredited, MVNU’s work is not over. According Dr. Couts, MVNU has to maintain their accreditation. “It’s a continual process, we keep getting better with feedback from ABET. It is a necessity to remain accredited,” she said.

Dr. Couts says that accreditation “speaks to the quality of our program. Employers value degrees from ABET accredited programs.”

Connor Whitaker, a senior engineering student at MVNU said, “The big thing for me is that I am the first class that’s gonna graduate and go into the job market and be able to say, ‘Yes, I do come from an accredited university.’”