When reviewing Eastern Kentucky University’s fire protection and safety engineering technology (FPSET) degree program you may notice it has two separate accreditations. The first is from the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC), in which all three of our fire science degrees are accredited. The Bachelor’s degree in Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology has also been accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission (ETAC) of ABET.
What is ABET?
ABET was previously known as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, and as the full name implies, accredits postsecondary, degree-granting programs in the disciplines of applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology offered by regionally accredited institutions in the United States. 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[1].
In order to become ABET Accredited, the program developed a Self-Study Report for the fire protection and safety engineering technology bachelor’s degree. The Self-Study Report outlines everything about the degree including background and credentials of the faculty and staff, the facilities we have to instruct in, student learning outcomes (SLOs) for each course, and the evaluation methods and dates to ensure we are achieving the SLOs. Our program must regularly submit a request to ABET to have a reaccreditation evaluation of the program conducted. 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.
Plans for Continued Quality
The direction of the FPSET degree program depends a lot on the results of the regular evaluation of our program as well as input from our advisory committee, alumni, and employers. The advisory committee is a group of individuals including faculty, EKU Alumni, and industry professionals. The advisory committee meets at least once annually to discuss changes to the program, as well as provide input on the direction of the profession as a whole.
Interested in earning an ABET-accredited fire protection and safety engineering technology bachelor’s degree?
Earn your online bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university that has been an online education leader for more than 15 years. Our flexible, online format provides students the ability to complete coursework and assignments according to their schedule.
Complete the form to learn more about how EKU Online’s fire protection and safety engineering technology program can help advance your career.
By: Josh Reichert, M.Eng., P.E., Assistant Professor in the department of Fire Protection and Paramedicine Sciences and FPSET online program coordinator. In addition to teaching at EKU, Josh has professional experiencing working with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, URS/AECOM, and Jensen Hughes.
[1] https://www.abet.org/accreditation/what-is-accreditation/why-abet-accreditation-matters/