A five-member team from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) visited the four undergraduate programs in the Faculty of Engineering on November 12–14, as part of the process leading up to a final accreditation decision by ABET in 2018. The Computer, Electrical and Electronics, and Industrial Engineering programs were reviewed to maintain their accreditations; the Mechanical Engineering program was evaluated for initial accreditation.
ABET is a US-based nongovernmental organization that accredits higher education programs in engineering, computing, applied science and engineering technology in 30 countries. Every six years, ABET reviews curricula, faculty, facilities, institutional support, student outcomes and continuous improvement for each accredited program. Student outcomes include how well students are able to design under realistic constraints, function on multidisciplinary teams, recognize ethical and professional responsibility, use modern engineering methods and apply the knowledge they have learned. ABET accreditation means that the program meets the quality standards established by the profession, and that its quality is improved on a continual basis.
During its visit to Bilkent last week, the ABET team conducted interviews with university administrators, faculty members, students, alumni, employers, external advisory board members and support units. They also toured laboratories and reviewed course portfolios including student projects and sample exams/assignments.
The team made very positive observations regarding all four engineering programs, and listed the high quality of the faculty members, the high ranking of the students on the university entrance examination and the high employment ratio of graduates as the shared strengths of the programs. The final accreditation decision will be made by the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission in July 2018.
Following the ABET visit, Prof. Ezhan Karaşan, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, stated, “We are very happy to have received a highly favorable evaluation from the ABET team, which demonstrates the high quality of our programs in a global context. We express our gratitude to our faculty members for their dedication, and thank the university administration, students, alumni and employers for their enormous support in the ABET process.”