Six undergraduate degree programs in the College of Engineering have been reaccredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), which accredits 2,400 programs at more than 500 institutions.

The reaccredited programs are Biological Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Accreditation is voluntary, and some other undergraduate programs in the college have not sought accreditation.

Accreditation demands considerable ongoing effort on the part of the college. Preparation for the review took place over a period of about two years, but it is important and valuable, according to Deborah Cox, assistant dean for strategic planning, assessment and new initiatives in the College of Engineering. Cox, in partnership with David Gries, professor of computer science and associate dean for undergraduate programs, guided the process through its many steps. Many states require graduation from an accredited program for licensure as a professional engineer, and in other states, it makes licensure easier. Accreditation is also something prospective students and parents look for in choosing a school. Finally, Cox said, the process encourages continued improvement of the college's programs.

Cornell's engineering programs were last reaccredited in 1998. This time around, ABET, a joint agency representing a large group of professional engineering societies, is using a new standard that places more emphasis on outcomes and objectives -- how well graduates achieve program goals and then perform out in the world -- rather than on general goal statements and details like numbers of students, faculty and classrooms. "In the past it was more bean counting," Cox explained.

Curriculum and qualifications of the faculty are just as important under the new process as the old, she added. ABET requires certain core components in the curriculum and evaluates facilities, institutional support and financial resources.

The new evaluation focuses on how well graduating seniors have mastered the skills and knowledge established as expected outcomes by each program and on the achievements of graduates two or three years out of school. The latter is measured through such things as GRE exams, licensure exams and surveys of graduates and employers. Contacting graduates to gather this information was a major challenge, Cox noted, complicated by the fact that a majority of Cornell engineering graduates do not pursue professional engineering careers; many go into law or business in areas where an engineering background can be valuable.

Success in accreditation is a source of great satisfaction for the college, Cox said. "The faculty commitment to quality programs and excellence in teaching have gotten our programs through successfully," she said.

Preparation for the accreditation process began in early 2003, with the degree programs revising their outcomes and objectives and developing ways to assess how well they are achieved. Beginning in January 2004, six months of self-study led to an extensive report submitted to ABET. In November 2004, a seven-person ABET team visited campus to validate the report, examine facilities, visit classes and interview students, faculty and administrators. The ABET team gave its report to Cornell in January 2005. An ABET report may contain, in increasing order of importance, "concerns," "weaknesses" or "deficiencies." The college can respond to the report to clarify or submit additional data.

According to Cox, the ABET report listed a few concerns, which are constructive criticisms but do not affect accreditation. There were no weaknesses or deficiencies, which would have required corrective action, a revised report and possibly another site visit before reaccreditation could be completed.

The reaccreditation was finally approved by the ABET Engineering Accreditation Committee during its annual meeting in July 2005. Accreditation of the six Cornell programs became effective in September.

The college's new degree program in environmental engineering, which graduated its first students in 2005, is just now beginning its first accreditation process. Several programs in the Johnson Graduate School of Management, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the School of Hotel Administration are currently pursuing reaccreditation with their respective accreditation bodies, each with a slightly different process but all using the new outcomes-based approach.

Meanwhile, Cox said, the College of Engineering continues to collect the data and run the processes that will support the next reaccreditation.