At the July 2026 ABET commission meetings, the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) approved three proposed…
At the July 2026 ABET commission meetings, the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) approved for implementation a pair of important changes to the IS Program Criteria. The final step in approval will be on 6 November 2026 when the Computing Area Delegation (CAD) is expected to also approve it. Once that occurs, the effective implementation date for these two changes to the IS program criteria will be Fall 2027.
These changes include new language regarding the Information Systems (IS) Environment (Criterion 5b: Curriculum), and change to the requirement for faculty (Criterion 6: faculty). The new IS Environment wording is that an Information Systems Environment requires “At least 15 additional semester credit hours (or equivalent) of a cohesive set of topics distinct from computing topics, that constitute a single domain of activity in which information systems are applied to support and enable the goals of that activity. Examples of domains of activity include (but are not limited to) business, healthcare, government, not-for-profit organizations, and scientific disciplines.” The new requirement for IS faculty is “in addition to the General Criteria faculty requirements, some full-time faculty members must hold a terminal degree with a program of study in information systems.”
The full text of both of these proposed changes can be found here (see pages 2-3).
If you are interested in seeking ABET accreditation for your degree program, visit https://www.abet.org/accreditation/what-is-accreditation/eligibility-requirements/ for eligibility requirements and links to relevant documents, contacts, and additional information.
