Welcome to the Mechanical Engineering Department
Cal Poly ME is an ABET Accredited Program
By Chris Pascual, ME Professor
The Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET):
111 Market Place, Suite 1050
Baltimore, MD 21202-4012
(410) 347-7700
ABET reviews engineering programs and maintains standards in engineering curricula. In short, ABET accreditation means that a program is meeting standards for engineering education that are set by academia and industry. Think of it as a “quality seal of approval” for the ME program.
Why is this important? First, you can be confident that your education meets certain recognized standards. Employers are more likely to value your degree if you graduated from an ABET-accredited institution – for them, it’s quality assurance. But there are more practical impacts as well. Obtaining a license as a Professional Engineer is more difficult if you graduate from a non-ABET-accredited program. Some employers might not even hire you.
For us, ABET is a mechanism to monitor how the educational process works, make improvements and then measure the improvements. This has led to innovations in curriculum throughout the program keeping us up to date with new trends and issues and it helps make the Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering Department a leader in undergraduate education in the world.
You can learn more about ABET accreditation at www.abet.org.