Board # 25 : The Journey to Initial Accreditation of a Civil Engineering Program

Starting a new engineering program that fulfills ABET EAC 2000 requirements is a major undertaking. With a new program, there is great responsibility to develop the curricula and assessment tools to meet university, community, and stakeholder requirements while meeting ABET EAC outcomes. In this paper, the authors will discuss the process of implementing a new civil engineering program at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas (in the Amarillo, Texas metropolitan area). This discussion includes the planning, launch, and implementation of curricula that lead to a successful initial ABET EAC accreditation, as these events occurred over a five-year period (2010 – 2015). The authors will describe the curriculum, development of courses and laboratories, the senior design capstone, and preparation of the selfstudy report necessary for accreditation. All curricula and assessment tools are linked to a modified Bloom’s Taxonomy and ABET Outcome 3 Criteria a through k. A description of the university, its service area, and student population is also provided. In 2015 West Texas A&M University achieved a major milestone through designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI, 25% or more of student population) [1] and is seeking to improve participation of women and underserved populations in STEM fields, such as civil engineering. Lessons learned and future improvements for the civil engineering program at West Texas A&M University are provided, which include curricular revisions, implementation of a unique approach to the senior design capstone, a continual assessment and improvement process, self-study preparation, and other insights and reflections.