CNSE Earns ABET Accreditation in Environmental, Nanoscale Engineering
ALBANY, N.Y. (Jan. 22, 2024) — The University at Albany’s College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering (CNSE) has earned ABET accreditation for its bachelor of science (BS) in environmental and sustainable engineering. In addition, following the reunification with the Department of Nanoscale Engineering in 2023, the college has confirmed ABET accreditation for its bachelor’s degree in nanoscale engineering.
After previously earning ABET accreditation for electrical and computer engineering and computer science in 2022, this additional recognition provides accreditation across all four departments within CNSE. This is the first accreditation for environmental and sustainable engineering, a new program established in 2019. The accreditation is for six years, which will carry all four bachelor’s degree programs through the 2027-28 assessment cycle.
As an elective, elite designation, ABET accreditation ensures that a collegiate academic program has met the essential standards for preparing graduates to enter critical STEM fields within the global workforce.
“The continuous improvement process that is part of receiving and maintaining ABET accreditation ensures that our programs continue to meet the needs of the state, the region, and — most importantly — our students and alumni,” said CNSE Dean Michele J. Grimm. “Since the college was founded in 2015 – and reimagined this past summer with the return of the Nano programs to UAlbany – the faculty have worked tirelessly to develop and maintain cutting edge programs that prepare students for professional opportunities in our rapidly changing technology ecosystem.”
With the fourth accreditation in environmental and sustainable engineering, CNSE has now received ABET accreditation from the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) for its BS in electrical and computer engineering, BS in nanoscale engineering, and BS in environmental and sustainable engineering. The Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) has accredited CNSE’s BS in computer science.
"ABET accreditation for the ESE bachelor’s degree program is a critically important step in the evolution of the Department of Environmental and Sustainable Engineering at UAlbany,” said ESE Professor and Chair Yanna Liang. “It ensures that our graduates have met the elite ABET educational requirements outlined for the environmental engineering profession, and that they possess the high level of technical skills necessary to compete for employment on a global level.”
“ABET accreditation enhances the credibility and recognition of DNSE by ensuring that our programs meet rigorous standards and drives continuous improvement providing graduates with a competitive edge in the nanotechnology and semiconductor industry,” said Department of Nanoscale Science & Engineering Chair J. Andres Melendez.
CNSE’s academic programs align strongly with recent major investments by the state and federal governments in technological and workforce development.
The reunification of the nanotechnology programs with UAlbany last year came as the University was rapidly expanding its already formidable academic and research portfolio in artificial intelligence through its innovative AI Plus initiative. In October, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a new $20 million collaboration between UAlbany and IBM, the Center for Emerging Artificial Intelligence Systems. SUNY is also a core member of Hochul’s recently launched Empire AI Consortium, which will leverage the state’s public and private research assets to ensure New York remains at the leading edge of the development and adoption of the transformational technology.
The state is also investing strategically in semiconductor research and development to keep pace with major federal investments in the sector under the CHIPS and Science Act. In September, UAlbany and CNSE were named among the core members of the Northeast Region Defense Technology Hub, which received $40 million from the Department of Defense through the CHIPS Act-funded Microelectronics Commons.
In December, Hochul announced a landmark $1 billion investment in public-private semiconductor research at the Albany NanoTech Complex, which is home to CNSE’s Department of Nanoscale Science and Engineering.