ABET : Capella University vs DSU, Nova, & Colorado Tech?

I just found that Capella University's Information Technology program is accredited by ABET. Does it mean the quality program at Capella University weights better than Nova Southeastern's Information Systems, Colorado Technical University's Computer Science, Dakota State University's Information Systems.

Also, ABET only accredited undergraduate degree...and rarely accredit Masters and Doctorates. Does it matter with Doctorate program whether ABET accredited or not?

 

Would that be the same as saying NCU is AACSB so they weight(ed) better then Capella (who just got AACSB), Walden, TUI, and CTU? I would assume one compenent is not the end-all of the mark of quality.

 

Capella's BS in Information Technology is the only listed program on ABET's website. The PhD program is not included. Where did you get that information?

 

Short answer: No, because ABET's computing accreditation is generally considered optional.

Long answer: ABET offers several different kinds of accreditation, including ABET/EAC for engineering programs and ABET/CAC for computing programs. In engineering, ABET/EAC accreditation is considered quite important (particularly in civil engineering, where it is vital). But ABET/CAC accreditation has never assumed the same importance in computing. ABET/CAC accreditation is generally regarded as optional for computing programs, and many top programs don't have it.

For example, Stanford doesn't have ABET/CAC accreditation for its computing programs. Does that mean that Capella's ABET-accredited degrees are more respected than Stanford's non-ABET degrees? No.

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Short answer: No, because there is no such thing as an ABET-accredited doctoral program.

Long answer: ABET does not accredit doctoral programs. They do accredit master's programs in engineering (ABET/EAC) and applied science (ABET/ASAC), although ABET-accredited master's degrees are relatively uncommon. However, ABET does not currently accredit master's programs in computing (ABET/CAC) or technology (ABET/TAC). In computing, ABET only accredits bachelor's degrees.

 

AACSB, ACBSP, National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration and all the others are optional also. Why is so much weight put on them?

 

Because managerial and administrative professionals are far more concerned with status and prestige than computer science professionals are.

MBA graduates from top schools like Stanford, Harvard, or Northwestern expect to be in the exclusive AACSB club.
But computer science graduates from Stanford, Harvard, or Northwestern don't worry about belonging to the ABET club.

 

Are you sure?

 

Where did you read I said that Capella University's Ph.D in Information Technology is accredited by ABET? Anyway, ABET does not accredited any Doctorate program; however, only Masters at the Air Force Institute of Technology.

BTW, Thanks for replying because I am not sure about the reputation of ABET. Was that in the past ABET was not recognized by CHEA and DoE along with IACBE?

 

I just checked the AACSB website, and neither NCU or Capella are listed as being accredited;

https://www.aacsb.net/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Site=AACSB&WebKey=ED088FF2-979E-48C6-B104-33768F1DE01D

 

I'm sure that Stanford, Harvard, and Northwestern don't have ABET/CAC accreditation for their computer-related programs (this is easily checked at abet.org).

Now, these schools do have ABET/EAC accreditation for their engineering programs (where it matters).
But they don't bother with ABET/CAC accreditation for their computer science programs (where it doesn't).

I'm also sure that Stanford, Harvard, and Northwestern would qualify for ABET/CAC accreditation if they wanted it.

So why don't they have it? Because they don't care. It's not like engineering, where you might need a state PE license someday.

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By the way, I picked Stanford, Harvard, and Northwestern at random, but there are plenty of other top schools that don't have ABET accreditation for their computer programs either. Some other examples of schools that lack ABET accreditation in computer science include Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, the University of Chicago, and 7 of the 8 schools in the Ivy League.

 

ABET is very influential in the US engineering community (like ABA for US lawyers or AMA for US doctors), and has been since 1932. US state law normally prefers or requires ABET-accredited degrees for professional engineering licensure. ABET also has international agreements for recognition of their engineering degrees in many other countries. Most US engineering employers also prefer or require ABET-accredited degrees. In traditional engineering fields (civil, mechanical, electrical, etc.), there are very few bachelor's programs that lack ABET accreditation.

However, ABET is much less influential in the US computer science community. Computer science, unlike engineering, is not subject to state regulation, and so ABET and non-ABET degrees have the same legal status. In fact, some very influential figures in the industry (like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates) have no college degrees at all.

ABET is fully recognized by CHEA. It was formerly recognized by USDoE; however, USDoE now recognizes only institutional accreditation agencies. They stopped recognizing programmatic accreditors (like ABET, AACSB, or ACBSP), because virtually all of the schools with such programmatic accreditation also hold institutional accreditation from RA or NA agencies.

 

ABET does not accredit any master's programs in computer science, and they don't accredit any doctoral programs in any field.

ABET does accredit master's programs in engineering. Some ABET-accredited engineering master's programs are close to computer science, including the master's program in Systems Engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology. But technically, ABET classifies these as "Engineering" programs; they have ABET/EAC accreditation (for engineering), not ABET/CAC accreditation (for computer science).

 

Capella is currently listed as a member of AACSB. But that's not the same as being accredited by AACSB. Capella does not appear to have accreditation from AACSB, or from other programmatic business accreditors like ACBSP or IACBE.

NCU is not currently listed as a member or accredited insitution by AACSB. However, several of their business degree programs are accredited by ACBSP.

 

I don't think you can say much weight is put on NASPAA. Of the top 25 public affairs schools ranked by US News, Princeton, UC-Berkeley, Michigan, Duke, UChicago, Columbia, UCLA, and Wisconsin all lack NASPAA accreditation. In contrast, I would venture to guess that all of the top 100 rated business schools are AACSB-accredited.

 

In the US, the most widely recognized business school rankings are those conducted by US News & World Report. And USN&WR only includes AACSB-accredited schools in those rankings.

So as far as the USN&WR rankings are concerned, your guess is quite correct -- in fact, it's totally guaranteed that all top-rated business programs will be AACSB-accredited. Business programs that aren't AACSB-accredited don't even qualify for consideration.

 

I meant ACBSP - to many stupid letters

 

Understandable....the acronymns in the Army drove me insane; TRADOC, FORSCOM, CENTCOM, etc.

Isn't ACBSP the "second best" (maybe second most prestigious) business school accreditor? That's great news that 2 online/DL schools have attained their accreditation. I wonder if they will go for the brass ring with AACSB?

 

Yes, they are.