SAN ANGELO, Texas — Angelo State University's Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering degree program received accreditation by the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission, retroactive to October 2020.
According to the ABET website, "ABET accreditation assures confidence that a collegiate program has met standards essential to prepare graduates to enter critical STEM fields in the global workforce. Graduates from an ABET-accredited program 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."
With ABET accreditation in place, ASU engineering graduates will be eligible to achieve the professional engineer credentials necessary for employment in an engineering firm. Because the accreditation is retroactive to October 2020, all of ASU's B.S.M.E. graduates to date now also have accredited degrees.
"This is great day for ASU and the culmination of seven years of hard work to create the David L. Hirschfeld Department of Engineering," department chair Dr. William Kitch said in a press release from the university. "We now have fully accredited programs in both mechanical and civil engineering. I'm fiercely proud of our engineering staff, faculty and students who worked tirelessly to make this happen. I also want to thank the ASU leadership and the industry leaders in the Concho Valley for all the support we have received over the past seven years."
Additional benefits for students in an ABET-accredited program include:
- Verification that their educational experience meets the global standard for technical education
- Enhancement of employment opportunities - ABET accreditation is recognized worldwide.
- Support for future licensure, registration and certification
- Establishing eligibility for federal student loans, grants and/or scholarships
The B.S.M.E. degree program was approved in October 2018, and initially funded by a $2.75 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions program. The first mechanical engineering students enrolled in Fall 2019, and the first class graduated in Spring 2021.
ABET identified two specific strengths of Angelo State's B.S.M.E. program:
- The diversity of the student body in preparing students for success in a diverse workplace
- The small student-to-faculty ratio and quality of faculty interaction with students
"This accreditation marks the end of the creation story for ASU engineering," Kitch said. "We're off to bigger and better things. Our next goals are to double the enrollment of engineers at ASU and to make ASU the school of choice for Texans looking for the highest-quality undergraduate engineering education. RAMgineers lead the way!"
ASU also offers a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (B.S.C.E.) degree that is accredited by ABET, and all ASU engineering students utilize the state-of-the-art facilities and equipment housed in the Hunter Strain Engineering Labs.
More details on ASU's engineering programs are available at angelo.edu/engineering.
