Spotlight: Science Editor Says to Scrap ABET

Times Higher Education (THE) recently ran an article, “Science editor: scrap top US accreditor to widen student outlook,” suggesting that accreditation guidelines developed by the US accrediting body, ABET, hinder well-rounded strategies to fight major social burdens. The article, penned by Science Editor-in-Chief, Holden Thorp, calls for the “abolition of the top US accreditor of science and engineering programs, accusing it of harming the world by steering curricula away from essential humanities content.” Thorp basically suggested that ABET should just be abolished.

ABET is the primary accrediting body in the United States focusing on college and university programs in the disciplines of applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology at the associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree levels. ABET responded by defending their curriculum guidelines, indicating that they include areas of emphasis including “ethics, the ability to work in a collaborative and inclusive environment, communication skills, and considerations related to public health, safety, and welfare.”

Thorp believes that ABET accreditation has so many field-specific course requirements that it is difficult for universities to graduate innovators who can best handle essential human-related aspects of work.

The full article may be read here, and is available to subscribers and those who register for free.