Undergraduate Program Receives ABET Accreditation

The Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering (BSBME) degree program in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University has been accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc., the recognized accreditor of college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology. ABET accreditation demonstrates a program’s commitment to providing its students with a quality education.

According to Andrew Brightman, Assistant Head of the Weldon School, “This accreditation affirms that the educational and assessment processes of the BSBME program in the Weldon School are in place to ensure delivery of a continuously improving BSBME program”.  Please follow this link to the ABET website to get a quick understanding of what accreditation is and why you should choose an accredited program.

Accreditation is a voluntary, peer-review process that requires programs to undergo comprehensive, periodic evaluations.  The evaluations, conducted by teams of volunteer professionals working in industry, government, academe, and private practice within the ABET disciplines, focus on program curricula, faculty, facilities, institutional support, and other important areas. Evaluation criteria specific to the BSBME program of the Weldon School can be found here.

One of the key elements of ABET accreditation is the requirement that programs continuously improve the quality of education provided.  As part of this continuous improvement requirement, programs set specific, measurable goals for their students and graduates, assess their success at reaching those goals, and improve their programs based on the results of their assessment.   

In addition to providing colleges and universities a structured mechanism to assess, evaluate, and improve their programs, accreditation also helps students and their parents choose quality college programs, enables employers and graduate schools to recruit graduates they know are well-prepared, and is used by registration, licensure, and certification boards to screen applicants.

ABET is a not-for-profit organization, owned and operated by its more than 25 professional and technical member societies.  An internationally respected organization with some 1,500 volunteers, ABET has set the higher-educational standards in its fields for nearly 75 years.  More information about ABET, its member societies, and the evaluation criteria used to accredit programs can be found at www.abet.org.