The bachelor’s degree program in agricultural engineering at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls has been accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology.
ABET accreditation assures that programs meet standards to produce graduates ready to enter critical technical fields that are leading the way in innovation and emerging technologies and anticipating the welfare and safety needs of the public.
“Attaining ABET accreditation was not an end-goal for our program but represents an important milestone as we continue to build our engineering programming.,” said Agricultural Engineering Technology Department Chair Joel Peterson. “ABET accreditation also represents confirmation of the hard work our faculty do on a daily basis in order to provide an outstanding engineering education and the commitment by UWRF administration to engineering on this campus.”
Sought worldwide, ABET’s voluntary peer-review process is highly respected because it adds critical value to academic programs in the technical disciplines, where quality, precision and safety are of the utmost importance.
Developed by technical professionals from ABET’s member societies, ABET criteria focus on what students experience and learn. ABET accreditation reviews look at program curricula, faculty, facilities, and institutional support and are conducted by teams of highly skilled professionals from industry, academia and government, with expertise in the ABET disciplines.
ABET is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization with ISO 9001:2015 certification. It currently accredits 4,361 programs at 850 colleges and universities in 41 countries and areas.
More information about ABET, its member societies and the accreditation criteria used to evaluate programs can be found at www.abet.org.
“I appreciate the hard work of Dr. Peterson and his colleagues in developing the agricultural engineering program and completing the process of ABET accreditation, said Dale Gallenberg, Dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. “Launching the first engineering program at UWRF further demonstrates our firm commitment to providing excellent opportunities for students and responding to the needs of employers and industry.”
The agricultural engineering program at UW-River Falls has six faculty and offers options in machinery systems, natural resources and environmental systems, and food and process systems. Graduates have started successful engineering careers in companies like Polaris Inc., The Toro Company, WSB Consulting Engineers, Symbiont and many more.
“Graduating from an ABET-accredited program will better position our students to get an excellent job to jump-start their career,” said UWRF Chancellor Maria Gallo. “Our students will be sought after globally.”
For more information about UW-River Falls and their bachelor’s degree program in agricultural engineering, visit https://www.uwrf.edu/programs/agricultural-engineering.
Written by UW-River Falls
Link to original story: https://www.uwrf.edu/News/Agricultural-engineering-program-receives-ABET-accreditation.cfm