The bachelor’s degree program offered by the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has been accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology.  

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ABET accreditation assures that programs meet standards to produce graduates ready to enter critical technical fields that are leading the way in innovation and emerging technologies and anticipating the welfare and safety needs of the public. 

“My sincere congratulations to our exceptional BME faculty, staff, and students,” said Sanjay Raman, dean of the College of Engineering. “This initial ABET review found no shortcomings, highlighting our commitment to delivering a top-notch engineering education, fostering creativity and shaping innovative leaders who can tackle tomorrow’s challenges. I would like to particularly acknowledge the leadership of Professor Thai Thayumanavan, BME Department Head; Professor Yu Chen, the BME ABET coordinator; and Sam Wojda, the BME Undergraduate Program Director, in accomplishing this important milestone for our BME program.” 

Sought worldwide, ABET’s voluntary peer-review process is highly respected because it adds critical value to academic programs in the technical disciplines, where quality, precision and safety are of the utmost importance.  

Programs requesting review must have graduates prior to the academic year of the scheduled accreditation visit. The first accreditation process usually takes 18 months. UMass Amherst’s first cohort of students earned BS degrees in biomedical engineering in 2021. The start date of ABET accreditation for this program is Oct. 1, 2020—retroactively covering all graduates. 

Developed by technical professionals from ABET’s member societies, ABET criteria focus on what students experience and learn. ABET accreditation reviews look at program curricula, faculty, facilities and institutional support and are conducted by teams of highly skilled professionals from industry, academia and government, with expertise in the ABET disciplines. 

The next review for this program will be in the 2025-26 accreditation cycle when all seven UMass Amherst engineering BS programs are due for their full comprehensive review for continued accreditation.

More information about ABET, its member societies and the accreditation criteria used to evaluate programs can be found at www.abet.org.