ABET Accreditation

The Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainable Bioresource Systems Engineering (SBSE), as a new program, is not currently ABET-accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org. The School of Environment and Forest Sciences (SEFS) plans to apply for accreditation as soon as ABET permits, which is as soon as we graduate our first SBSE students (currently expected to be approximately June 2028).  Accreditation is an approximately year-long process.  As part of this process, we request retroactive accreditation for SBSE back to the quarter of the first SBSE graduate, which is also a normal ABET process.  ABET accreditation is not guaranteed and the outcome will not be official until it concludes.

SBSE Educational Objectives

The SBSE program has three broad educational objectives. These objectives are the long term goals that are set for students. Each objective is supported by a number of program outcomes which are those skills and abilities we expect students to have when they graduate from the program so they can achieve the objectives. By graduating, students will:

• Engage in successful careers demonstrating engineering excellence.
• Be leaders in identifying and creatively resolving, using sound professional judgment, significant bioresource issues.
• Develop the intellectual maturity to serve their profession and community.

SBSE Student Outcomes (ABET Criterion 3)

The following are the Sustainable Bioresource Systems Engineering student outcomes that prepare SBSE graduates to attain the educational objectives listed above. Each graduate will have the ability to:

1. Identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science and mathematics.
2. Apply the engineering design process to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration for public health and safety, and global, cultural, social, environmental, economic and other factors as appropriate to the discipline.
3. Communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
4. Recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental and societal contexts.
5. Function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plans tasks to meet deadlines and meet objectives.
6. Develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
7. Recognize the ongoing need to acquire new knowledge using appropriate learning strategies and to correctly apply this knowledge.

In addition to the above, the SBSE faculty have identified an additional Student Outcome:

• Apply knowledge of fiber and paper science, environmental science, chemistry and engineering as it pertains to the bioresource, paper and allied industries.