Is accreditation an opportunity for positive change or a mirage?

The accreditation of engineering programs considers several aspects of education. Traditionally, the emphasis has been on its content, with the most important requirement that particular topics are introduced and assessed appropriately. Accreditation is an important step in the life of any professional program, especially for international benchmarking. In the case of engineering programs, accreditation by any signatory of the Washington Accord guarantees international recognition, a feature sought after by many colleges of engineering, especially those in developing countries. Accreditation confirms that graduates have attained a recognized academic standing and that they possess the professional competence to practice engineering. In the US, and in the majority of other developed countries participating in the Washington Accord, substantial resources have been invested to train engineering educators for the preparation and implementation of the new accreditation system.