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ABET evaluators to visit UNM campus in October

September 7, 2023 - by Kim Delker

A team of ABET evaluators will visit The University of New Mexico campus Oct. 22-24 on an accreditation visit for the undergraduate programs in the School of Engineering.

The process includes preparing a self-study for each program and a site visit from the team of experts from academia, industry and government.

Charles Fleddermann, associate dean for academic affairs and community engagement in the School of Engineering, said that during the visit, the 13 evaluators and team chairs will visit labs in the School and will meet with a variety of UNM and School of Engineering representatives, including the UNM president and provost and other senior leadership, as well as faculty and staff from around the university. The team will also interview select UNM Engineering faculty, students, alumni and industry partners.

The eight criteria that bachelor’s degree programs are evaluated on are students, program educational objectives, student outcomes, continuous improvement, curriculum, faculty, facilities and institutional support.

In an effort to create uniform accreditation standards and cycles in recent years, this is the first time that all nine undergraduate programs in the School have been evaluated simultaneously, Fleddermann said. The nine undergraduate programs are chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, computer science, construction engineering, construction management, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and nuclear engineering.

Each of UNM’s engineering and computer science undergraduate programs are ABET accredited. The oldest programs in the School — electrical, mechanical and civil engineering — have been accredited since 1936.

The results of the accreditation visit will be announced in summer 2024.

ABET is a nonprofit, non-governmental agency that accredits programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology. ABET accredits more than 4,500 college and university programs. Accreditation is voluntary, but ABET accreditation provides assurance that a college or university program meets the quality standards of the profession for which that program prepares graduates, ABET’s website (https://www.abet.org) states.

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