Several General and Program Criteria Changes Approved for a Year of Review / Feedback

At the July 2026 ABET commission meetings, the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) approved three proposed changes to the General Criteria applicable to all accredited computing programs, several proposed changes to the Computer Science Program Criteria, several proposed changes to the Associate Level Information Technology Program Criteria, and one proposed change to the Data Science Program Criteria.  All of these proposed changes will be available for a year of review and comment (I.e. these are each in “first reading”) before any final action is taken at the Fall 2027 ABET governance meeting.

The three proposed revisions to the General Criteria include new language regarding the requirement for computing topics in the curriculum that include the responsible use of artificial intelligence (Criterion 5: Curriculum), new language regarding the qualifications and expectations of faculty responsible for curriculum oversight (Criterion 6: Faculty), and for a new definition of the phrase “professional responsibilities”.  The full text of the General Criterion changes can be found here (see pages 4-6). Please note that these changes are only being proposed at this time; final action will be taken at the Fall 2027 ABET governance meeting.

Also approved for a year of review and comment were a set of proposed revisions to the Computer Science Program Criteria.  All proposed changes pertain to Criterion 5 (Curriculum) and they include new language to replace the use of the terms “substantial coverage” and “exposure to”, language to clarify the requirements of the comprehensive project, and revised language that clarifies the mathematics requirements.  The full text of these proposed changes also can be found here (see pages 7-8).  As with the General Criteria changes, please note that these changes are only being proposed at this time; final action will be taken at the Fall 2027 ABET governance meeting.

Regarding the Associate degree level Information Technology Program Criteria, approved for a year of review and comment is a proposal that replaces the use of the terms “substantial coverage” and “exposure to” with language that is intended to provide programs additional flexibility (Criterion 5: Curriulum).  The full text of these proposed changes also can be found here (see page 9).  This also is only a proposal at this time; final action will be taken at the Fall 2027 ABET governance meeting.

Finally, approved for a year of review and comment is a proposed change to the Data Science Program Criteria involving new language pertaining to the requirements of the comprehensive project (Criterion 5: Curriculum).  The full text of this revision to the program criteria also can be found here (see page 10).  This is only a proposal at this time; final action will be taken at the Fall 2027 ABET governance meeting.

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.