Engineering and engineering technology programs sit side by side at many colleges, often in the same building, and both can carry ABET accreditation. They are reviewed by different commissions under different criteria. The Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) reviews engineering programs, and the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission (ETAC) reviews engineering technology programs. Reading the two sets of 2026-27 criteria together shows where the degrees differ on paper: the kind of problem a graduate is expected to handle, how much mathematics is required, and how the curriculum is counted.

Three kinds of problem

The clearest difference is in the student outcomes, Criterion 3 in each document. The EAC criteria list seven outcomes, and the first asks graduates to identify, formulate and solve complex engineering problems using principles of engineering, science and mathematics.

ETAC uses a different scale. Its baccalaureate outcomes are built around broadly defined engineering problems, and its associate outcomes around well-defined ones. Each degree level has five outcomes:

  • applying mathematics, science, engineering and technology knowledge and tools to solve problems at that level;
  • designing solutions, with baccalaureate graduates designing systems, components or processes that meet specified needs, and associate graduates designing solutions for well-defined technical problems and assisting with engineering design;
  • communicating in written, oral and graphical form in technical and non-technical settings, and using technical literature;
  • conducting standard tests, measurements and experiments and analyzing the results, with the baccalaureate outcome adding the use of results to improve processes;
  • working on technical teams, with the baccalaureate outcome adding leadership.

The progression from well-defined to broadly defined to complex is the closest thing ABET's criteria offer to a single statement of how the three credentials differ.

How much mathematics

EAC's Criterion 5 requires at least 30 semester credit hours, or the equivalent, of college-level mathematics and basic sciences, with experimental experience suited to the discipline. ETAC sets the mathematics by level rather than by hours. Associate programs must develop the ability to apply algebra and trigonometry. Baccalaureate programs must reach integral and differential calculus or mathematics above that level. ETAC also requires natural science that includes laboratory experiences.

How the curriculum is counted

The EAC criteria count hours. Beyond the mathematics and science, an engineering program needs at least 45 semester credit hours of engineering topics, meaning engineering and computer sciences and engineering design, using modern engineering tools. It also needs a broad education component that complements the technical work.

The ETAC criteria count proportion. Discipline-specific content must make up at least one third and no more than two thirds of a program's total credit hours. The criteria state that they do not prescribe courses. They do require a technical core that prepares students for later specialization, and attention to design considerations such as standards and codes, public safety and health, and local and global impact. Professional and ethical responsibilities, quality and continuous improvement are also required topics.

The final project and the advisory board

Both sets of criteria require a culminating experience, framed differently. An EAC program needs a culminating major design experience that uses appropriate engineering standards and multiple constraints and builds on earlier coursework. An ETAC baccalaureate program needs a capstone or integrating experience that applies technical and non-technical skills to solve problems.

ETAC adds two requirements of its own in Criterion 5. A program must have an industry advisory committee that includes representatives of the organizations its graduates go on to work for, and that committee must periodically review the program's objectives and curriculum. Where a cooperative education or internship experience counts for degree credit, it needs an academic component that program faculty evaluate.

What the criteria leave to others

Accreditation criteria describe what a program has to deliver. They do not decide how a degree is treated after graduation. Professional engineering licensure is set by each state's board, and states do not all treat an engineering technology degree the same way as an engineering degree on the path to a PE license. Employers and graduate programs set their own rules as well.

A student comparing two programs can read the exact title of each in ABET's accredited program search, which shows the commission that accredited it. The commission named there tells you which set of criteria the program was reviewed against. A student who expects to seek a PE license should read their state board's education requirements before choosing between the two.

Licensure and renewal rules differ by state and change over time. Check the current requirements with your state licensing board before you act on them.

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