Abstract: Computing programs in higher education often pursue third-party accreditation to assure students, employers, and university administrators that their programs meet quality standards established by external experts in the relevant disciplines. ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) is one such accrediting body that accredits programs in computing disciplines. In this paper, we present a case study examining how the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems in the Sanders College of Business and Technology at the University of North Alabama developed a process over several accreditation cycles to successfully navigate the ABET accreditation process. We provide examples of our process, the challenges we faced and overcame, lessons learned, and recommended best practices.

Keywords: ABET accreditation, Computing education, Program assessment & design, Case study, Best practice

Download This Article: JISE2026v37n2pp323-354.pdf

Recommended Citation: Simpson, J. M., Jenkins, J. T., Banks, M. B., & Zhang, X. (2026). Invited Paper: Navigating ABET Accreditation: A Computing Department Case Study. Journal of Information Systems Education, 37(2), 323-354. https://doi.org/10.62273/LUTQ2411