By: Chloe Smith and Julie Herter
In August, the School of Engineering and Physics received accreditation from ABET, marking a
significant milestone for the department that has grown from an associate degree into a
full bachelor’s program in only a few years.
According to a press release from Southern Adventist University, ABET is an internationally
recognized establishment that accredits university programs in applied and natural sciences,
computing, engineering and engineering technology.
The accreditation comes nearly three years after Southern welcomed the first engineering
bachelor’s students in 2023.
“This is a program that prospective students have been asking for,” said Ryan Herman, director
of Enrollment Technology, when the program was first announced.
The Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) degree was announced in August 2022 and was
built off a long-standing associate degree that Southern had offered for many years. The program
was developed to allow students to complete their engineering bachelor’s degrees while
remaining part of the Southern community, according to the 2022 press release.
Tyson Hall, dean of the School of Engineering and Physics, said earning accreditation required a
rigorous, two-year review process.
“Through this process, we had to demonstrate that the BSE Engineering program’s curriculum,
faculty, facilities, assessment processes, and continuous improvement efforts met ABET’s
established criteria,” Hall stated.
Although Southern’s bachelor’s degree program in engineering has been offered for just three
years, two classes have already graduated from the program. Students were able to enter the
program from Southern’s previous two-year pre-engineering program when
the bachelor program launched. According to Hall, ABET included those
graduates in its accreditation action.
“Because students were already on campus in the two-year pre-engineering program when the
BSE Engineering program launched, two student cohorts have already graduated from the
program,” stated Tyson. “ABET has informed us that all of these graduates are included in this
accreditation action, and they can now tell current and future employers that they graduated from
an ABET accredited program.”
In an interview with The Southern Accent, Taylor Naus, a senior mechanical engineering major,
shared what this milestone meant for him.
“To me, it means that I have the ability to now go out in the engineering workforce and actually
get a professional seat in a company without having to worry about potentially getting let off due
to the fact that our program was not accredited,” Naus said.
According to Tyson, students will see more opportunities with a degree backed by ABET.
“It provides employers confidence that graduates have received an education that meets
recognized standards for the engineering profession,” Hall stated. “It is also an important
step toward professional engineering licensure.”
When asked how it felt for a newer program to have obtained accreditation, Hall credited it all to
God.
“We continue to praise God for His goodness towards us throughout the development of
Southern’s BSE program,” Hall stated. “Achieving ABET accreditation is just one more example
of His blessing and provision for our faculty and students.”
For more information about the engineering program, visit southern.edu/engineering.
