Non ABET accredited Technology degrees.

Anybody here have a technology degree (electrical/mechanical/general/etc.) that is NOT ABET accredited?

If so, have you been able to land jobs that would require degrees such as BSEE, BSME, ETC.?

I am in the semiconductor industry and it doesnt seem like ANY of the higher level engineering/mangement have PE licences (as a matter of fact alot of the equipment engineers have computer science degrees [which blows my mind considering that I would think you would know NOTHING about hardware in a CS degree]).

At any rate, have any NON ABET degree holders (eg. being BS in Technology; BS in Electronics Engineering Tech, Etc.) been able to land good jobs?

Would it be a waste of time to get a non ABET degree?

Best Regards,

Bill Ready

 

You will not be wasting your time pursuing a Non-ABET accredited Technology degree.

The primary issue for the ABET accredidation is liscensure. States accept Technology degrees for liscensure as Professional Engineers and the ABET accredidation is perferred by the state boards. However the coursework is not the same as the engineering programs. As a result the pass rate on registration exams is lower for Non-ABET program graduates than ABET program graduates. The National Engineers Examiner Council ceased collecting statistics on Non-ABET program graduates a few years ago.

If PE registration is where you want to be, then my reccommendation is go to an RA or ABET accredited engineering program. If technology is where you want to be, chose an RA accredited program or ABET and you should be fine. My engineering degrees are RA and not ABET accredited. I've been in engineering more than 30 years and I have not had trouble with employment. I started out with a 2 year degree and built on it.


Regards,
Dick

 

You will find that most engineers that work on the production side in most industries do not have PE's. the PE only comes into use when working as an outside consultant either individualy or for an engineering firm or where drawings or other documents need to be submitted to a governmental agency.

Even in consulting and engineering companies many of the engineers are not licensed.

Another main reason for getting licensed is personal gratification.

Without an ABET accrediated degree the normal requirement is a few extra years of field experience. Actually in most states (having not searched all regulations) you can become licensed without any degree, with enough experience (amount varies by state).

 

Thanks guys.

Regards,

Bill

 

What about D/L?

This thread raises a question I've long wondered about.
I understand that ABET is less important for technologists than it is for engineers, and less important for manufacturing than for, say, construction.
But do non ABET BSET degrees from D/L schools like Grantham and World College-CIE carry any weight in the industry?
Also, what value does NICET certification have for the technologist?

Nosborne

 

Re: What about D/L?

The main difference being one of who is being certified. ABET certifies or accredites the school and NICET certifies the person. NICET's main use is in obtaining state licensure in appropriate fields (fire alarms, equipment serviceing, scale calibration, and simialr).

I guess the simpllest look would be the ABET level is aimed at deigning and buildin while the NICET is for operating and mainting (GROSS OVERSIMPLIFICATION!!!!).

 

But what about D/L BSET degrees? Are such degrees of any value in the workplace?

Nosborne

 

The only drawback of a DL BSET that I can think of is the lab work? I think thats why there are not too many engineering/tech degrees in DL format.

I feel however, if you are taking a DL program because you are working full-time (odds are in a field similar to what your are studying) that work experience should suffice (to some extent atleast). So you have a BSET through a DL program w/ X amount of years in some technical position. If I were an employer sifting through resumes I would take the resume w/ the degree AND experience rather than the resume w/ a degree (which had some lab work and perhaps an internship).

Best Regards,

Bill