ABET is a cornerstone of engineering accreditation.

ABET is the acronym for the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. This body accredits college degree programs in engineering, computing, technology, and applied science. Made up of 31 professional and technical societies, ABET includes many of the societies within IEEE. Currently, ABET accredits 2500 programs nationwide. As early as 1981, ABET sought input from the IEEE Professional Communication Society on its emerging “communication skills” outcome for student learning.

ABET includes communication skills as part of being an engineer.

Those who teach in engineering or other technical programs accredited by ABET must participate in regular accreditation reviews. Since about 2000, ABET has included a broad range of professional skills” including several related to professional communication. Here are the accreditation criteria from the Engineering Accreditation Committee (EAC).

Engineering programs must demonstrate that their undergraduates have

  1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
  2. an ability to 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. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
  4. an ability to 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. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
  6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
  7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

* http://www.abet.org—emphasis added on areas that ProComm often serves with education, outreach, and conference research presentations.

PCS/ProComm offers expertise in this area.

IEEE Professional Communication Society is directly contributing to ABET’s goals for educating young professionals in engineering and technology. Because we focus on communication skills within a wide range of professional contexts, we provide information relevant to all the criteria marked in bold above.

IEEE PCS is the only professional society to engage seriously in a discussion about accrediting technical communication programs. The abstract below summarizes a study conducted by an Ad Hoc committee on accreditation, 1997-98:

“Seeking ABET Accreditation for Technical Communication Programs,” Haselkorn, M. Davis, M.T. Goodman, M.B. Nolen, B.E. IPCC 98. Proceedings. 1998 IEEE International Conference.

Abstract

Following up on an initial presentation at IPCC 97, the paper discusses the progress made on the issues of accrediting academic degree programs under ABET. IEEE is one of the sponsoring agencies of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), which accredits engineering degree programs. The Professional Communication Society plays a pivotal role in describing standards for ABET accreditation under the RAC commission (engineering-related programs). Discussion centers on the accreditation standards, showing how the criteria have been described and how sample programs could meet the criteria. The paper presents the advantages of accreditation for academic programs, for graduates of these programs, and for the industries that hire technical communicators. Additionally, discussion shows how accreditation has the potential to affect the development of the profession

Page updated Sept 8, 2026