NEWS

Louisiana Tech recently received notice of final action for re-accreditation from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) following its 2008-09 review of Tech’s bachelor’s in computer science, engineering, and engineering technology programs.

The review is based on a self-study report documenting the assessment and evaluation process used by the University, including assessment of learning outcomes by the students.

An intensive three-day site visit was conducted by a team of external reviewers in the fall of 2008, and the final accreditation action was determined during the summer meeting of the ABET Commissions. Accreditation is based on satisfying minimum educational criteria and assures that an accredited program satisfies the standards established by this national organization and its member professional societies.

Currently, ABET accredits some 2,700 programs at more than 550 colleges and universities nationwide. Each year, over 1,500 volunteers from its 29 member societies actively contribute to ABET’s goals of leadership and quality assurance in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology education, serving as program evaluators, committee and council members, commissioners, and Board representatives

At Louisiana Tech University, all six of the B.S. engineering programs that were reviewed received re-accreditation from including, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.

In addition, the bachelor’s in Computer Science was re-accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, and the bachelor’s degrees in Construction Engineering Technology and Electrical Engineering Technology were re-accredited by the Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET.

Louisiana Tech’s Nanosystems Engineering program (first in the nation) was approved in 2005 and will be reviewed by ABET in the 2010-2011 academic year.

Among the strengths that were cited by the review team were outstanding leadership in developing an excellent process for quality improvement in all programs; an innovative and imaginative undergraduate curriculum (integrated); professional development opportunities for faculty; and the Engineering and Science Foundation which provides strategic advice, program assessment, and development.

Louisiana Tech’s College of Engineering and Science is a nationally recognized leader in educational innovation whose goal is to become “the best college in the world at integrating engineering and science in education and research.” The College is one of twelve universities nation-wide to be affiliated with the Center for Advancement on Scholarship in Engineering Education (CASEE), a unit of the National Academy of Engineering. The College serves approximately 2000 students in undergraduate, masters and doctoral programs.

Written by Catherine Fraser