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Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach Computer Engineering Program Receives ABET Accreditation


Daytona Beach, Fla., Aug. 29, 2003 -- The Computer Engineering program in Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's College of Engineering has received accreditation from the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET).

The announcement of the new accreditation was made by Dr. Ray Mankbadi, dean of the College of Engineering at Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus.

"We welcome this accreditation as recognizing the quality of the college's computer engineering students, the appropriateness of the program's curriculum, the commitment of the faculty members who teach it, and the support of the campus and university administration toward the program's success," Dr. Mankbadi said.

The College of Engineering at the Daytona Beach campus enrolls more than 1,500 students in degree programs in Aerospace Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Software Engineering. The college faculty consists of 50 full-time members in three academic departments. The college was organized in early 2003 with Dr. Mankbadi appointed as its inaugural dean.

The Computer Engineering program, offered by the college's Department of Computer and Software Engineering, graduated its first class in Spring 2001. The department offers undergraduate degree programs in Computer Engineering and Software Engineering, as well as a Master of Software Engineering graduate degree. The department's faculty consists of 12 members with backgrounds in software engineering, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, and mathematics.

"Accreditation definitely improves our ability to attract students to this excellent program," said Dr. Janet Hartman, chair of the department.

Included in the Computer Engineering program's curriculum are courses in digital hardware design, software engineering, electronic circuits, and control systems. The program features a two-semester capstone design course in which students design and build special-purpose computer hardware and software using the latest engineering tools and technologies.

The Computer Engineering program joins Aerospace Engineering and Civil Engineering as ABET-accredited programs offered by the College of Engineering. The college's Aerospace Engineering program has ranked number one four years in a row among non-Ph.D. granting institutes in the recent higher-education rankings of U.S. News and World Report. In the same rankings, the College of Engineering at Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus ranked number nine nationwide for best undergraduate engineering programs among non-Ph.D. universities.

"This accreditation is another piece of evidence regarding the strength of all the college's engineering degrees," Dr. Mankbadi said. "We appreciate being able to offer engineering programs that help incoming students satisfy their career goals by graduating well prepared for work in the most demanding engineering jobs."

Embry-Riddle, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, meets the needs of students and industry through its educational, training, research, and consulting activities. Embry-riddle educates more than 25,000 students annually through the master' level at residential campuses in Daytona Beach Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., at more than 130 teaching centers in the United States and Europe, and through distance learning.