Mississippi College electrical engineering program gains ABET reaccreditation

MC’s Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering program has been accredited since 2017.

The electrical engineering program at Mississippi College has received reaccreditation by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology under the commission’s general criteria and program criteria for electrical, computer, communications, telecommunication(s), and similarly named engineering programs.

ABET accreditation assures that a college or university program meets the quality standards of the profession. MC’s Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) program has been accredited since 2017.

Chris Maggio, MC associate professor of engineering and physics and chair of the MC Department of Engineering, Computer Science, and Physics, said ABET accreditation is important for many reasons.

“It demonstrates that our BSEE program is providing students with the knowledge, skills and behaviors that engineering students should possess at the time of graduation,” Maggio said. “It also demonstrates that the program is receiving sufficient institutional support, that our faculty are able to support the needs of our students, and that the program is meeting the needs of our various constituent groups.”

ABET accreditation assures confidence that a collegiate program has met 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.

“Many engineering companies are specifically searching for graduates of ABET-accredited engineering programs,” Maggio said. “Graduating from an ABET-accredited program also allows our students to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam, which is the first step in becoming a licensed professional engineer.”

MC’s electrical engineering program submitted a Request for Evaluation in January 2024, a program Self-Study Report in June 2024, and hosted an on-site visit from a review team in November 2024.

“Many faculty and staff from all across campus are instrumental in helping us to maintain an ABET-accredited program,” he said. “We're always working towards ensuring that we are addressing all of the ABET criteria.”

More than 2,000 professionals from academia, industry and government carry out every aspect of ABET accreditation. ABET accreditation tells prospective students, peers and the professions that the program has received international recognition of 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,” and can more easily determine the acceptability of transfer credits.

The next comprehensive review for the BSEE program will take place in the 2030-31 cycle.