Students collaborating on engineering project.
Engineering, BS

Accreditation

The USF engineering program is designed to meet the requirements for professional accreditation by ABET, the agency which oversees accreditation of engineering programs.

Below, find a statement of outcomes for the program, required by ABET. This includes program educational objectives, which describe our future graduates three to five years after graduating, and student outcomes, which are skills and mindsets achieved by graduation.

Our Vision

Through its innovative teaching and research, engineering at USF will provide a comprehensive, project-based engineering education within the Jesuit liberal arts tradition that emphasizes ethical responsibility, social justice, and community engagement. Committed to diversity as an asset, it will produce graduates with a local and global perspective who are equipped to find ethical and innovative solutions to the challenges facing society in the 21st century.

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Engineering student working on a project

Our Mission

USF engineering’s mission is to educate the whole person in the Ignatian tradition of transforming the world and ourselves. Through an innovative, inclusive, and applied education focusing on design, creation, and resourcefulness, it provides students the skills and perspective they need to succeed as professionals and the self-confidence, sensitivity, empathy, and cultural competency necessary to be ethical and responsible engineers empowered to effect meaningful change. It is distinguished by its high-quality community-engaged scholarship, teaching, and research, and its interdisciplinary programming relevant to real projects locally, regionally, and internationally.

USF Engineering succeeds in its mission by graduating students who meet our four educational objectives to:

  • Demonstrate fluency with design thinking, systems thinking, creative problem solving, and self-directed scholarship as modes of approaching the engineering process.
  • Implement a holistic approach to engineering which values context, integrates multiple perspectives through collaborative teamwork, questions need, and considers impacts on both individuals and society at large.
  • Lead responsibly through a fusion of engineering judgment, practice, and entrepreneurship, while representing the engineer’s critical role in projects, organizations, the environment, and society.
  • Exhibit a professional and personal identity which upholds values of social justice, environmental sustainability, and respectful service even under unknown and challenging conditions.

Student Outcomes

Our degree program will be meeting the requirements for professional accreditation by ABET, the agency which oversees accreditation of engineering programs. ABET requires a two-part statement of outcomes – in addition to the Program Educational Objectives stated above as part of the Mission, we will meet the following Student Outcomes.

Students will achieve an ability to:

  1. Identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
  2. 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. 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, plan tasks, and meet objectives
  6. Develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
  7. Acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies

How We're Preparing for Accreditation

All new engineering programs are required to conduct their entire four-year curriculum and produce at least one graduate — before applying for accreditation. Therefore, in 2025 (the fifth year of the program), the USF engineering program will undergo a complete review, including a site visit by ABET Program Evaluators. After accreditation, engineering alumni will receive the accreditation of their degrees retroactively.

To prepare, we are attending all relevant ABET workshops, seeking early review and advice by active program evaluators.

Engineering professors conversing in a meeting room