Accreditation

To accomplish the educational objectives and to fulfill current engineering accreditation criteria, all engineering programs provide the knowledge, experience, and opportunities necessary for students to demonstrate their attainment of the following outcomes.All Grainger College ABET accredited programs have adopted the ABET Student Learning Outcomes from their respective commissions. Links to the most recent criteria and outcomes are available via the ABET website.

Graduates of the program will have an ability to:

1.  Identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
2. Apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
3. Communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
4. Recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
5. Function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
6. Develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
7. Acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Similarly, to accomplish the educational objectives and to fulfill current computing accreditation criteria, the computer science program provides the knowledge, experience, and opportunities necessary for students to demonstrate their attainment of the following outcomes.

Graduates of the program will have an ability to:

1. Analyze a complex computing problem and to apply principles of computing and other relevant disciplines to identify solutions.
2. Design, implement, and evaluate a computing-based solution to meet a given set of computing requirements in the context of the program’s discipline.
3. Communicate effectively in a variety of professional contexts.
4. Recognize professional responsibilities and make informed judgments in computing practice based on legal and ethical principles.
5. Function effectively as a member or leader of a team engaged in activities appropriate to the program’s discipline.

An assessment system for continuous measurement, evaluation, and improvement is in place in each academic department and within each program. In addition, the college collects college-wide data and provides coordination and assistance to the departments for the overall process.

The curriculum requirements specify subject areas appropriate to engineering but don't prescribe specific courses. Each engineering program curriculum must provide adequate content for each area, consistent with the student outcomes and program educational objectives, to ensure that students are prepared to enter the practice of engineering. The curriculum must include:

• a minimum of 30 semester credit hours (or equivalent) of a combination of college-level mathematics and basic sciences with experimental experience appropriate to the program.
• a minimum of 45 semester credit hours (or equivalent) of engineering topics appropriate to the program, consisting of engineering sciences and engineering design, and utilizing modern engineering tools. 
• a broad education component that complements the technical content of the curriculum and is consistent with the program educational objectives.
• a culminating major engineering design experience that 1) incorporates appropriate engineering standards and multiple constraints, and 2) is based on the knowledge and skills acquired in earlier course work.

In the case of computing accreditation, the computer science program must include mathematics appropriate to the discipline and at least 30 hours of up-to-date coverage of fundamental and advanced computing topics that provide both breadth and depth. The computing topics must include:

• Techniques, skills, and tools necessary for computing practice.
• Principles and practices for secure computing.
• Local and global impacts of computing solutions on individuals, organizations, and society.

These requirements can be seen through the programs of study in the Undergraduate Grainger College of Engineering Academic Catalog.

The engineering degree programs offered at Illinois awarding Bachelor of Science degrees are listed in the table below. The programs accredited by an accreditation commission of ABET and the year in which first accredited are indicated. The Computer Science program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC); all others are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC).

Footnotes

1. Accredited program name was Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering until August, 2004.

2. The program in agricultural and biological engineering in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering is administered jointly by the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences and the College of Engineering with the degree granted by the College of Engineering. It succeeds a program named Agricultural Engineering until August 2008 that was first accredited in 1950.

3. The program in chemical engineering is administered by the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with the degree granted by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

4. The Department of Computer Science also sponsors degrees in 4 colleges outside of Grainger Engineering, including LAS, Media, FAA, and ACES. Within those programs, there are currently 12 degrees.Only the B.S. in Computer Science is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET.

5. Accredited name was General Engineering until August 2016.

6. Accredited program name was Nuclear Engineering until August 2008.

7. The Department of Physics also offers a B.S. degree program in Physics and a Physics Major in the Science and Letters Curriculum, both administered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. None of the physics programs are accredited by a commission of ABET.