Development of Accreditation Guidelines
for Software Engineering

Gerald L. Engel
Computer Science and Engineering
University of Connecticut, Stamford
gengel@stamford.stam.uconn.edu

ABSTRACT

For the past several year the IEEE Computer Society and the Association for Computing Machinery have conducted a joint project to define software engineering as a profession. The first phase of the project was to define the body of knowledge that makes up software engineering. The pilot study was completed in March 1997. Because of a number of pressures, a task force charged with translating the body of knowledge, as defined in the pilot study, into academic programs in software engineering was formed. This group took as its initial task the specification of accreditation criteria that would be appropriate for an undergraduate software engineering program. A draft of the guidelines has recently been completed. This talk will focus on the recommended criteria for software engineering, and compare this effort to existing criteria of both the Computing Sciences Accreditation Board (CSAB) and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Consideration will also be given to showing how this effort will lead to the development of a model program in the software engineering area, and to additional academic program that are indicated as needed by the pilot study. Background material regarding the joint project on software engineering as a profession, including the results of the pilot study, is available.

Colloquia Series page.