Accreditation

In the United States, accreditation is a non-governmental, peer-review process that assures the quality of the postsecondary education students receive. Educational institutions or programs volunteer to undergo this review periodically to determine if certain criteria are being met.

Degrees Offered and General Program Information

Accreditation

The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) provides institutional accreditation for Oregon State University.

Oregon State University MIME Undergraduate Abet Accreditation
The Bachelor of Science and Honors Bachelor of Science in all four MIME undergraduate degree programs — Mechanical Engineering (ME)Industrial Engineering (IE), and Energy Systems Engineering (ESE) — are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.

ABET is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization that accredits college and university programs in the disciplines of applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology. ABET accreditation, which is voluntary and achieved through a peer review process, provides assurance that a college or university program meets the quality standards established by the profession for which the program prepares its students.

Enrollment and Graduation Summary for Mechanical, Industrial, and Energy Systems Engineering
School and college-level information is available at Enrollment Summary and Degrees Granted.

Undergraduate Programs

Oregon State MIME Undergraduate Program Educational Objectives (PEOs)

ABET requires that each accredited undergraduate program establish program educational objectives (PEOs).  PEOs are defined as "broad statements that describe the career and professional accomplishments that the program is preparing graduates to achieve."

Three PEOs have been identified for the Mechanical, Industrial, and Energy Systems Engineering programs and are listed below.

  • Mechanical Engineering
    Within three to five years of graduation, our graduates in mechanical engineering will have:
    • PEO 1.)  Created value to organizations through the analysis, evaluation, and improvement of engineered systems and processes using appropriate mechanical engineering methods and tools.
    • PEO 2.)  Communicated effectively across disciplines and cultures to manage and/or lead activities in support of organizational goals and objectives.
    • PEO 3.)  Innovated systems and processes, in response to organizational challenges, though the application of structured and unstructured mechanical engineering methodologies, including engineering design and problem-solving.
  • Industrial Engineering
    Within three to five years of graduation, our graduates in industrial engineering will have:
    • PEO 1.)  Created value to organizations through the analysis, evaluation, and improvement of engineered systems and processes using appropriate industrial engineering methods and tools.
    • PEO 2.)  Communicated effectively across disciplines and cultures to manage and/or lead activities in support of organizational goals and objectives.
    • PEO 3.)  Innovated systems and processes, in response to organizational challenges, though the application of structured and unstructured industrial engineering methodologies, including engineering design and problem-solving. 
  • Energy Systems Engineering
    Within three to five years of graduation, our graduates in energy systems engineering will have:
    • PEO 1.)  Created value to organizations through the analysis, evaluation, and improvement of engineered systems and processes using appropriate systems engineering methods and tools.
    • PEO 2.)  Communicated effectively across disciplines and cultures to manage and/or lead activities in support of organizational goals and objectives.
    • PEO 3.)  Innovated systems and processes, in response to organizational challenges, though the application of structured and unstructured systems engineering methodologies, including engineering design and problem-solving.

Undergraduate Programs Student Outcomes

ABET requires accredited programs to articulate student outcomes that describe the knowledge, skills, and behaviors characteristic of all new program graduates and that position these individuals for attaining the specified PEOs.

Student outcomes are outcomes 1 through 7 plus any additional outcomes that may be articulated by the program.

  1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
  2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
  3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
  4. An ability to 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. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
  6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
  7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies. 

Undergraduate Program Requirements

Graduate Program

Outcomes Assessment of Graduate Programs
In addition to these detailed external reviews, each graduate program assesses its students' progress and gathers additional information that allows it to improve its policies and procedures. These assessments are designed to determine whether students are achieving graduate program learning objectives and whether strategies used to assist students in reaching their learning outcomes should be modified.

Overarching Graduate Learning Outcomes for doctoral and masters programs were proposed by the Graduate Council and approved by the Faculty Senate on Jan 13, 2011 (doctoral) and April 14, 2011 (masters). The graduate outcomes, as approved by Faculty Senate, are:

Learning outcomes for Ph.D. Degree programs state that the student shall:

  1. Produce and defend an original significant contribution to knowledge; 
  2. Demonstrate mastery of subject material; and 
  3. Be able to conduct scholarly activities in an ethical manner.  

These outcomes are to be assessed at the program level. Outcome (a) is already part of the assessment performed at the final oral exam and the GCR is specifically required to raise this metric. Outcome (b) is part of every unit's requirements for students and is assessed by course work grades and preliminary examinations. Outcome (c) is new and will require the units to be sure the students are informed/trained as to what is required to conduct scholarly activities in an ethical manner. There is an array of methods the units could choose to use, such as the Graduate School course on Responsible Conduct of Research, along with other courses, instruction in research groups, etc.

Additional outcomes, the assessment of all outcomes and the specification of learning objectives related to these outcomes are to be carried out at the program level and reviewed periodically.

Learning outcomes for Master's Degree programs state that the student shall:

  1. Conduct research or produce some other form of creative work, and 
  2. Demonstrate mastery of subject material, and
  3. Be able to conduct scholarly or professional activities in an ethical manner.

The assessment of these outcomes and the specification of learning objectives related to these outcomes are to be carried out at the program level.

The assessment of program-level learning outcomes is to be formative, providing guidance for students as they work toward achieving required outcomes, and summative, determining satisfactory progress toward degree completion. Students are to be informed of the additional outcomes and the strategies used to assess progress toward achieving the outcomes. The current Graduate assessment plans, submitted to the Director of Assessment, were implemented beginning in January 2012.

Graduate Program Requirements

Industrial Engineering (MENG, MS, Ph.D., MAIS) | Minor

Materials Science (MENG, MS, Ph.D.) | Minor

Mechanical Engineering (MENG, MS, Ph.D.) | Minor

Robotics (MENG, MS, Ph.D.) | Minor