UAEU Faculty of Engineering Programs Attain ABET Accreditation

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UAEU is pleased to announce that its Faculty of Engineering programs have now obtained accreditation by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET, the accreditation body responsible for accrediting all Engineering, Computer, Technology, and Applied Science programs in the USA. The accreditation is a culmination of 18 month review process. The accreditation applies to the UAE UniversityUAE University's B.Sc programs in Architectural, Civil, Chemical, Electrical, Communication, Mechanical, and Petroleum Engineering, and extends retroactively from October 2008.

International accreditation of the Faculty of Engineering's programs is part of the UAEU's drive for excellence under the direction of HE Sheikh Nahayan Mubarak Al-Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chancellor of the UAE UniversityUAE University. HE Sheikh Nahayan has directed all professional programs within the UAE higher education system to seek international accreditation of their programs to assure student, parents, and employers of the quality of the UAE higher education system.

Prof. Reyadh Almehaideb, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, congratulated students, parents, faculty members, and the UAE engineering community on this accomplishment. He stated, "I hope it provides our engineering graduates with the confidence to pursue their chosen careers. As many of our graduates now work for national companies with significant interactions with international partners, suppliers, and contractors, it is important for them to know that they are competing having achieved a globally recognised qualification."

ABET accreditation will provide UAEU Engineering graduates with several advantages; chief amongst these are the recognition of employers in particular of the quality of UAEU's engineering programs and the reassurance that these have met the quality standards and accreditation criteria required of engineering programs elsewhere in the world. It will also make it easier for graduates to qualify for professional registration, which is required in several countries and will be also required in the UAE in the near future. A third benefit is that graduates will also more easily be able to obtain admission in Masters and PhD programs worldwide having graduated from an ABET accredited program.

UAE UniversityUAE University

Prof. Wyatt R. Hume, Provost of the UAE University, noted that this is another step in the university's efforts to demonstrate the quality of its programs and their competitiveness with their international peers.

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ABET

• ABET carried out an 18 month review of the Faculty of Engineering which included a visit by a 7-member review team in the 2009/2010 academic year, was preceded by "Substantial Equivalency" recognition by the engineering programs which started in 1998.
• ABET is a federation of 30 professional engineering societies in the USA. It is an independent non-profit organization, responsible for the specialized accreditation of educational programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology.

• Currently, ABET accredits some 2,900 programs at more than 600 colleges and universities in the USA. Each year, over 1,500 volunteers from its now 30 member societies actively contribute to ABET's goals of leadership and quality assurance in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology education, serving as program evaluators, committee and council members, commissioners, and Board representatives.

• In 1997, following nearly a decade of development, ABET adopted Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC2000), considered at the time a revolutionary approach to accreditation criteria. The revolution of EC2000 was its focus on what is learned rather than what is taught. At its core was the call for a continuous improvement process informed by the specific mission and goals of individual institutions and programs. Lacking the inflexibility of earlier accreditation criteria, EC2000 meant that ABET could enable program innovation rather than stifling it, as well as encourage new assessment processes and subsequent program improvement.

• ABET accreditation is assurance that a college or university program meets the quality standards established by the profession for which it prepares its students. For example, an accredited engineering program must meet the quality standards set by the engineering profession. An accredited computer science program must meet the quality standards set by the computing profession.

United Arab Emirates University (UAEU)

• 21^st Century research-based university, providing research solutions to support the UAE and, through its global partners, the wider world

• Founded in 1976 by HH Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan; the UAE's first national university

• Chancellor: His Highness Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research

• Nine faculties:

  • Business & Economics

  • Education

  • Engineering

  • Food & Agriculture

  • Humanities & Social Sciences

  • Information Technology

  • Law

  • Medicine & Health Science

  • Science

• 12,222 students enrolled in 2009

• First PhD program in UAE national institution commenced in 2009

• Strong focus on providing specific research solutions and benefits to society − the new model of a 21^st Century university, furthering research as part of the global network of discovery and innovation

www.uaeu.ac.ae

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© Press Release 2010