The Accreditation Commission of ABET, the global accreditor of college and university
programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering
technology, has granted accreditation to 12 South Dakota Mines science and
engineering programs.
ABET accreditation ensures that programs meet standards to produce
graduates ready to enter critical technical fields that are leading the way in
innovation and emerging technologies and anticipating the welfare and safety
needs of the public. All of South Dakota Mines’ baccalaureate programs in
engineering fields are now ABET accredited, and Mines has the most ABET-accredited
programs of any South Dakota university.
“This accreditation is an important part of our
effort to graduate world-class leaders in science and engineering. We undertake
the rigorous process of ABET accreditation on our programs to ensure our
graduates are prepared to address global challenges in the most innovative
ways,” says Mines President Jim Rankin, Ph.D., P.E.
The current round of ABET accreditation began at
Mines in January 2022. The 18-month process for approval included a comprehensive
self-study by each program as well as a three-day visit and inspection of each
program on campus completed by 16 professional ABET evaluators who are experts
in their fields of study. A final review and approval of each program by the
ABET Commission took place in July 2023.
Sought worldwide, ABET’s voluntary peer review
process is highly respected because it adds critical value to academic programs
in the technical disciplines, where quality, precision and safety are of the
utmost importance.
Developed by technical professionals from ABET’s
member societies, ABET criteria focus on what students experience and learn.
ABET accreditation reviews look at program curricula, faculty, facilities and
institutional support and are conducted by teams of highly skilled
professionals from industry, academia and government with expertise in the ABET
disciplines.
Mines’ ABET accreditation is also important to
industry partners. Graduating from an ABET-accredited institution is required
for anyone seeking a professional engineering (PE) license. “ABET accreditation
is part of why our graduates are so successful with 98% job placement in their
field of study and an average starting salary of more than $70,000,” says
Rankin.
Three longstanding Mines baccalaureate programs have
been ABET accredited since 1936: civil engineering, electrical engineering and metallurgical
engineering.
Mines’ computer science baccalaureate program was
first accredited in 1991 and is the oldest ABET accredited computer science program
in the state. Additionally, two Mines programs received ABET accreditation for
the first time: biomedical engineering and geology. This approval is
retroactive and applies to all graduates who completed degrees after Oct. 1,
2020.
Other ABET-accredited baccalaureate programs at
Mines include computer engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering,
geological engineering, mining engineering and industrial engineering and engineering
management.
The computer engineering program is accredited under
the Computer Accreditation Commission. The geology program is accredited under
the Applied and Natural Science Accreditation Commission. All other programs are accredited under the Engineering
Accreditation Commission.
“Geology at South
Dakota Mines is just the second such program in the United States, and the
fifth in the world, to become ABET accredited,” says Interim Vice President of
Research Laurie Anderson, Ph.D. “When faced with the option to seek ABET
accreditation, the choice was self-evident; rather than simply complying with a
mandate, our programs receive an internationally respected accreditation and
associated public recognition.”
ABET is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization
with ISO 9001:2015 certification. It currently accredits 4,564 programs at 895
colleges and universities in 40 countries and areas.
More information about ABET, its member societies
and the accreditation criteria used to evaluate programs can be found at www.abet.org.