What Is ABET?
ABET Accreditation is the premier accreditor for college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology. Founded in 1932 as the Engineers' Council for Professional Development, ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) today accredits over 4,500 programs at more than 850 institutions across 41 countries. If you are studying engineering, computer science, or a closely related technical field in North America, ABET accreditation is the gold standard to look for.
ABET operates through four commissions: the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC), the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC), the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission (ETAC), and the Applied and Natural Science Accreditation Commission (ANSAC). Each commission has its own set of program criteria tailored to the discipline, though all share common general criteria covering program educational objectives, student outcomes, continuous improvement, curriculum, faculty, facilities, and institutional support.
For STEM students and international students studying in the US, ABET accreditation has direct bearing on professional licensure eligibility, graduate school admission, and whether employers recognize the degree as meeting minimum engineering educational standards.
Accreditation Criteria
ABET Accreditation criteria combine general criteria applied to all programs with discipline-specific program criteria. The general criteria, published in ABET's Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs, cover eight areas:
Student outcomes define the competencies graduates must demonstrate upon completion — these include the ability to identify and formulate engineering problems, apply mathematics and science, design systems within realistic constraints, work on multidisciplinary teams, communicate effectively, understand professional and ethical responsibility, and engage in lifelong learning.
Curriculum requirements specify minimum credit hours in mathematics, basic sciences, engineering topics, and general education. Engineering programs must include at least one year of mathematics and basic sciences, at least one and a half years of engineering topics, and a major design experience that incorporates appropriate engineering standards and realistic constraints.
Program-specific criteria add additional requirements. For example, electrical engineering programs must address circuits, electronics, electromagnetics, and signal processing. Computer science programs accredited under CAC must cover algorithms, data structures, computer architecture, operating systems, and software engineering fundamentals.
International Equivalents
Outside the United States, engineering accreditation is handled by national bodies that vary in their structure and recognition. The UK's Engineering Council oversees accreditation through professional engineering institutions (IET, IMechE, ICE, etc.). Engineers Australia operates the accreditation system in Australia. Engineers Canada administers the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB). In Japan, JABEE (Japan Accreditation Board for Engineering Education) performs the function.
While these bodies are separate from ABET Accreditation, they share common standards and mutual recognition agreements, most importantly the Washington Accord — a multilateral agreement among accreditation bodies that recognizes graduates of accredited programs from member countries as having met the academic requirements for professional engineering practice in any member jurisdiction.
The Institute of Technology model prominent in the US and globally (MIT, Caltech, Georgia Tech, IIT, ETH Zurich) typically ensures ABET accreditation or its national equivalent for all engineering programs, and these schools' graduates benefit from the widest professional recognition.
Washington Accord
The Washington Accord, established in 1989, is one of the most important international agreements in engineering education. Member signatories — currently including the US (ABET), UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Hong Kong, South Africa, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Russia, China, India, Sri Lanka, and Turkey — agree to recognize accredited engineering degrees from fellow member countries as meeting the academic requirements for engineering practice.
In practical terms, this means a graduate of an ABET-accredited program who moves to Canada can have their educational credentials recognized by Engineers Canada without requiring a full credential evaluation. Similarly, a graduate of a CEAB-accredited Canadian program moving to the US meets ABET's educational requirements for professional licensure examination eligibility.
The Washington Accord has significantly reduced barriers to international engineering mobility, though it covers only the educational component — professional experience requirements, examination requirements, and immigration rules vary by jurisdiction and are not covered by the Accord.
Professional Licensure
In the United States, becoming a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) requires graduating from an ABET-accredited (or equivalent) engineering program, passing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination, completing four years of progressive engineering experience, and passing the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) examination. The ABET-accredited program requirement is set by state engineering licensing boards, with virtually all 50 states and US territories requiring it.
The Professional Engineer license is legally required to sign and seal engineering drawings for projects that affect public safety in most US states. Industries such as civil infrastructure, structural engineering, chemical plants, and mechanical systems frequently require or strongly prefer PE-licensed engineers for senior roles.
For STEM graduates in computing and software, professional licensure is less universally required, though some jurisdictions (notably Canada and parts of Europe) are moving toward software engineering regulation. ABET-accredited computer science and software engineering programs still carry significant weight in employers' assessment of graduate preparation.
Finding ABET Programs
ABET Accreditation maintains a searchable online database at abet.org/accreditation/find-programs/ that allows prospective students to search by program name, institution name, institution location, and commission type. The database is updated annually and reflects current accreditation status as of the most recent review cycle.
Students should use the database to verify the accreditation status of a specific program — not just the institution. ABET accredits programs, not entire institutions, and a university may have some accredited engineering programs and others that are not accredited. Confirming the exact program name matches the ABET database listing is important, as similar-sounding programs can have different accreditation statuses.
International students considering graduate study in the US should note that most US graduate engineering programs do not themselves require ABET accreditation at the graduate level — ABET accredits primarily undergraduate programs. However, many employer and licensing pathways assume or require ABET-accredited undergraduate preparation, so international students with non-ABET undergraduate degrees may need a credential evaluation to confirm equivalency.