So did the Mechanical Engineering program then decide to give the rest of Cal Tech the middle finger?
The fact that they kept up that certification is just weird.
ABET accreditation for general engineering can mean various things:
- A generalized engineering major that is more interdisciplinary in nature.
- An engineering major with an option to focus on one of the usual kinds of engineering (civil, mechanical, electrical, etc., though small colleges may not have that many options here).
- An engineering physics or engineering science major, which may be found at colleges with the usual kinds of ABET accredited engineering majors.
- Some other type of engineering not covered in the usual kinds of ABET accredited engineering majors. Example: engineering and public policy at CMU.
At small colleges, #1 and #2 are more likely, but the student interested in studying engineering should check carefully if the school’s program is a match for the student’s interest.
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A small number of schools with top-end reputations in specific engineering areas have decided not to bother with doing to work of renewing ABET accreditation. In some cases, they may also want to be able not to require as many credits in areas required for ABET accreditation (note that this is already why many good-quality computer science majors are not ABET accredited).
However, such schools never drop ABET accreditation in civil engineering (if they offer that major), and usually not in mechanical engineering. Having an ABET accredited degree is necessary or very helpful when seeking a PE (Professional Engineer) license to sign off on designs used by the general public when not working for an employer who can warrant the quality of the design or who uses the design only internally. Civil engineers (including their sub-specialties like structural, environmental, etc.) typically seek PE licensing. Mechanical engineers are probably more likely to seek PE licensing than most non-civil engineers.
Other than the schools with top-end reputations in engineering, ABET accreditation is typically favored to indicate sufficient quality of the engineering program. However, some engineering major programs forego ABET accreditation if they are aimed at those who want some engineering knowledge but with a primary goal of working in other areas like finance (e.g. the AB programs at Dartmouth and Brown, or WLU).
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In my (S24) humble opinion, I would strongly advise against choosing a general engineering path if your son is set on going into Civil Engineering. Civil Engineering, like any other engineering field, will have concepts that are integral to the field that may or may not be covered in a school’s curriculum. Harvey Mutt may have some courses for civil engineering, but it is also possible that certain job may want a Civil Engineering specific certification. From my point of view a general engineering degree would be like a general surgeon doing neurosurgery.
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To me Harvey Mudd is also an outlier. I would check with the school first to make sure they will take your child where they want to go to but pro tip :Kids change their minds and paths in engineering and in life. Does going to these schools or others on your list give them the escape path they might need?Many, many accomplished student (and non accomplished students) change their majors even though they thought they were going to be an engineer /CS student. For us it came down to #1-fit /#2-finances /#3-option to change if needed. Many schools don’t offer an easy #3.
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Harvey Mudd College has had a general engineering degree since its founding in 1955, in keeping with the school’s mission and liberal arts approach to STEM education. Mudd considers their engineering program to provide students excellent breadth with sufficient depth that they can compete for the same jobs as students with the specific degrees.
About 15 years ago, a CC poster (an engineering student at a highly regarded University, and no longer active AFAIK) said : “Mudd’s an outlier of epic proportions in this regard. I was the biggest skeptic in the world when my [acquaintance] first started their “general engineering” program, but I had to seriously eat my words.” “Harvey Mudd… it’s less that you’re majoring in engineering in general, and more that you’re majoring in all of engineering. It’s pretty intense.”
A prospective student needs to understand the overall mission and approach that Mudd takes on STEM education and understand how the general engineering major works. There is a discussion of the major by current students in a video on the HMC website (admission and financial aid/connect/web-events/previous web events/What"s the deal with general engineering?)
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You should conclude that they are indeed ABET accredited, but not in any specific discipline, just General Engineering. That can mean very different things depending on the school.
The easiest thing to do is to avoid them.
If you want to include them, then you need to dig into the specifics of the curriculum and facilities.
I agree that HMC is probably an outlier, for the good. I’m deeply skeptical though of the notion that they get deep knowledge in every single discipline. No matter the intensity, there just isn’t enough time. They choose to concentrate, and more of them than average choose to go on to graduate school. I say that as a fan. My son roomed with a Mudder for multiple years.
Dartmouth also has a solid curriculum and decent facilities, but it takes five years to get the ABET degree.
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