Creating an Accreditable Software Engineering Bachelor's Program

Since 1936, the accreditation of undergraduate engineering programs has been a cornerstone of modern engineering practice. Accreditation validates that an engineering program serves its constituents and the public well. In an emerging discipline such as software engineering, accreditation standards also serve as a target - a source of requirements for validating an SE program's design. Accreditation standards also help ensure that a program's graduates will meet or exceed national and international standards expected of the Bachelor of Science graduate. A small university's BSSE program grew out of several requirements sources and accreditation expectations. The planners developed effective design processes and a model curriculum