By GREGORY ZELLER //
The prevailing authority over international engineering and technology collegiate education has green-stamped two Hofstra University computer-degree programs.
The university’s Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science has been notified by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology that the school’s Computer Science and Computer Engineering bachelor’s degree programs have been accredited, respectively, by ABET’s Computing Accreditation Commission and Engineering Accreditation Commission.
The Baltimore-based non-governmental organization – which accredits post-secondary education programs around the world in applied and natural sciences, computing, engineering and engineering technology – found the DeMatteis School’s computing programs met “the quality standards of the profession for which [they] prepare graduates,” Hofstra said in a statement.
Accreditation follows a three-year process that included a “comprehensive self-study report” prepared by Hofstra and reviewed by ABET staffers based on eight criteria: student performance, educational objectives, student outcomes, established student-evaluation processes, curriculum quality, faculty expertise, laboratory/facilities standards and institutional support.
Most of the assessment data was gathered over a two-year period, according to the university.
The accreditation represents another innovative win for the DeMatteis School, which this Fall 2019 semester introduced a new Master’s of Science in Engineering Management degree program.
The school also welcomed new faculty with the fall semester, while staffers have worked to expand the DeMatteis Co-Op Program, which provides an integrated educational and professional experience by placing pre-graduation students in paid positions at companies related to their fields.
Krishnan Pillaipakkamnatt, chairman of Hofstra’s Department of Computer Science, said the ABET accreditation fits nicely with these educational advances – and should make university students and alumni “justifiably proud of their academic credentials.”
“We have always believed in the strength of our curriculum,” Pillaipakkamnatt said Wednesday. “Obtaining ABET’s stamp of accreditation further validates the quality of our programs.”
