Computer Science at non-ABET accredited school?

[ucbalumnus]

@Corbett

To qualify as a patent professional, you have to pass a difficult USPTO exam. To qualify for the exam, you need to demonstrate a certain level of technical proficiency. The easiest way to do this is to have an approved undergraduate degree. This can include a CS degree, but it has to be ABET. The rationale is probably to exclude less rigorous programs, such as the non-ABET CS or IT programs typically found at unselective for-profit schools.

There are alternative ways to qualify for the patent exam if your CS degree is non-ABET.

https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/OED_GRB.pdf section III describes the patent exam degree prerequisites. There are ways to satisfy the prerequisite with a non-ABET-accredited CS degree, but it involves more requirements (e.g. course work that may not necessarily be specified by the non-ABET-accredited CS major) and paperwork. It is likely that the intent is to screen out “CS” majors that are mostly business-based IT majors and similar less technical programs.