Cornerstone University announced on September 9, 2025, that its Bachelor of Science in Engineering has been accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET. The university says the program received the most favorable action ABET grants, with a term of six years. For students weighing small engineering programs, and for employers and licensing boards that look for ABET program accreditation on a transcript, the announcement moves Cornerstone's degree into the accredited column. Credentials Wave reports on ABET and its decisions; it is an independent publication and does not speak for ABET or the university.

What was accredited

The accreditation applies to one degree, the Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE). According to the university, students in that degree choose among five concentrations:

  • Mechanical engineering
  • Data science
  • Design and innovation
  • Environmental engineering
  • Engineering management

Program accreditation attaches to a named degree program at a specific institution, not to a school as a whole and not to individual courses. That distinction matters when students compare offerings: a university can hold regional institutional accreditation while only some of its degrees carry ABET program accreditation. Anyone checking a specific degree should confirm that the exact degree title, not just the department, is the one named in an accreditation announcement.

What a six-year term means under ABET's rules

ABET's Accreditation Policy and Procedure Manual describes a set of possible actions after a review. The action called Next General Review (NGR) is granted only when a comprehensive review finds no Deficiencies and no Weaknesses, and it typically runs six years. The other actions are shorter. An Interim Report or Interim Visit, issued when a review finds one or more Weaknesses, typically lasts two years and requires the program to show progress before its term is extended. Show Cause actions, which apply when a currently accredited program has a Deficiency, also typically run two years.

The manual also requires comprehensive reviews at intervals of no more than six years for a program to stay continuously accredited. A six-year term, then, is the longest standard interval in the system, and the program's next full review would fall at the end of it. Cornerstone's release describes the result as the highest possible accreditation action with full recognition for six years, which matches the NGR description in ABET's manual.

What the program had to show

Engineering programs reviewed by the EAC are measured against ABET's General Criteria and, where they apply, discipline-specific Program Criteria. Criterion 3 lists seven student outcomes every graduate is expected to reach, ranging from solving complex engineering problems to communicating with a range of audiences, working on teams, running experiments and learning new material independently. Criterion 4 requires a documented process for assessing those outcomes and using the results to improve the program.

Under ABET's process, an institution submits a Request for Evaluation by January 31 of the review year, files a self-study report by July 1, and hosts a review team between September and December. The commission votes on accreditation actions at its July meeting the following year, and institutions receive a Final Statement by August 31. Cornerstone's announcement does not describe its review visit or give the dates of its own cycle.

Who led the effort

The university's release credits Professor Michael Greene, associate professor of engineering and director of computer science, engineering and mathematics, with helping lead the accreditation work. According to the release, Greene holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Auburn University and a master's degree from the Naval Postgraduate School, and served aboard the USS Nebraska and the USS Wyoming and at U.S. Central Command. The release also names university president Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño and Dr. Nathan Lanning, dean of the School of Health, Science and Technology, and thanks the assessment, advising, facilities, laboratory and registrar teams.

What it changes for students and employers

The university frames the result as a signal to employers about what its graduates know and as a way to widen job placement in industries that look for ABET program accreditation. The release also says the result validates the quality of what students learn in the program.

For readers following program accreditation at small and mid-sized institutions, the Cornerstone case is a reminder that a single multi-concentration engineering degree can be reviewed and accredited as one program, with each concentration operating inside the same set of outcomes and the same continuous improvement process.

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