“we excel to promote IT education”
What is Accreditation?
In Higher Education (HE), accreditation plays a major role in maintaining the quality assurance of institutions, programs, and their educational effectiveness. Accreditation is defined as: "A process for verifying or approving a higher education program, or provider, by an authorized external organization.
The accreditation external body uses a set of agreed standards to evaluate the institutions' quality and/or their programs' effectiveness. Once they meet the required standards, accreditation is provided. Accreditation has two main types: (a) institutional level, and (b) program level. The institutional level evaluates the entire institution, whereas the program level is a more discipline-based evaluation.
Why Accreditation?
Accreditation matters for the following (ABET, 2024):
Accreditation Adds Value
ABET accreditation assures confidence that a collegiate program has met the standards essential to prepare graduates to enter critical STEM fields in the global workforce. Graduates from an ABET-accredited program have a solid educational foundation and are capable of leading the way in innovation, emerging technologies, and in anticipating the welfare and safety needs of the public.
- Verifies that your educational experience meets the global standard for technical education in your profession.
- Enhances your employment opportunities—multinational corporations require graduation from an accredited program.
- Supports your entry to a technical profession through licensure, registration and certification—all of which often require graduation from an ABET-accredited program as a minimum qualification.
- Establishes your eligibility for many federal student loans, grants, and/or scholarships.
- Paves the way for you to work globally, because ABET accreditation is recognized worldwide through international agreements, and many other countries’ national accrediting systems are based on the ABET model.
ABET accreditation tells your prospective students, peers, and the professions you serve that your program:
- Has received international recognition for its quality.
- Promotes “best practices” in education.
- Directly involves faculty and staff in self-assessment and continuous quality improvement processes.
- Is based on “learning outcomes,” rather than “teaching inputs.”
- Can more easily determine the acceptability of transfer credits.
- Global:
ABET accreditation:
- Ensures that graduates have met the educational requirements necessary to enter the profession.
- Provides opportunities for the industry to guide the educational process to reflect current and future needs.
- Enhances the mobility of professionals.
The College of CIT applied for accreditation of its programs as follows: