All Engineering Programs at Penn State Behrend Accredited
Software Engineering now one of 10 accredited degrees
With the recent accreditation of the software engineering baccalaureate degree, the School of Engineering at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, now boasts 10 degrees that are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
Software engineering, which is the most recently accredited degree, at Penn State Behrend is the only one of its kind offered in the Penn State system and is one of only a handful of programs nationwide.
“ABET accreditation means that Penn State Behrend students have access to the curriculum and resources that are constantly being aligned with industry’s latest trends,” said Chris Coulston, associate professor and program chair for electrical, computer and software engineering.
ABET is the recognized accreditor of college programs in applied science, computing, engineering and technology. One of the key elements of ABET accreditation is that programs are required to continuously improve the quality of education provided. As a result, programs set specific, measurable goals for their students and graduates, assess their success at reaching those goals, and improve programs accordingly.
“Because software engineering is such a novel program nationwide, accreditation is even more important,” Coulston said. “It ensures that the program is on par with, or ahead of, its competition.” Software engineers develop software to meet a user’s needs. Applications can range from programs for a personal computer to those that monitor and adjust a vehicle’s performance.
The School of Engineering offers three associate and seven baccalaureate degree programs that students can begin and complete at the Penn State Behrend campus. Each is accredited by either the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) or the Technology Accreditation Commission (TAC) of ABET.
“In short, this means that current and prospective students know they will receive a quality engineering education regardless of their chosen discipline,” Coulston added.
Accreditation is a voluntary, peer-review process that requires programs to undergo comprehensive, periodic evaluations. The evaluations are conducted by teams of volunteer professionals who work in industry, government, academe, and private practice within the ABET disciplines and focus on the program’s curriculum, faculty, facilities, institutional support, and other areas.
The School of Engineering and the Sam and Irene Black School of Business are co-located in the college’s $30 million, 160,000-square-foot Research and Economic Development Center, making Penn State Behrend one of the first institutions of higher education in the country to house its engineering and business schools together in the same facility. For more information, visit www.pserie.psu.edu.