Members // Quality partner

    Quality Partner

    ABET is a nonprofit, ISO 9001 certified organization that accredits
    college and university programs in applied and natural science,
    computing, engineering and engineering technology.

    ABET is proud to partner with GEDC as it leads the effort to connect the world’s engineering education societies and leverage its members’ collective strengths to improve engineering education worldwide.

    At ABET, our approach, the standards we set and the quality we guarantee, inspires confidence in those who aim to build a better world — one that is safer, more efficient, more comfortable and more sustainable.

    As the global accreditor of college and university programs in the disciplines of applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology, we ensure confidence that programs meet the quality standards that produce graduates prepared to enter a global workforce.

    We are aligned with GEDC in this common goal, as both our organizations work to establish effective engineering education processes around the world to assure a global supply of well-prepared engineering graduates.

    ABET has a rich history of ensuring quality. Founded in 1932, we served as the educational standard against which professional engineers in the United States were held for licensure. Today, after more than 80 years, our standards continue to play this fundamental role and have become the basis of quality for STEM disciplines all over the world.

    Developed by technical professionals from ABET’s member societies, our criteria focus on what students experience and learn. Our 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.

    Our more than 2,200 experts come from industry, academia and government. They give their time and effort supporting quality assurance activities around the world by serving as Program Evaluators, commissioners, board members and advisors.

    As a Quality Partner to GEDC, we look forward to continuing to promote excellence in STEM education as we ensure graduates are capable of leading the way in innovation and emerging technologies, and in anticipating the welfare and safety needs of the public.

    Michael Milligan 1

    Representative

    Michael Milligan

    Chief Executive Officer

    United States of America

    Michael K. J. Milligan is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of ABET, the global accreditor of over 4,000 college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology.

    Prior to joining ABET in 2009, Milligan was a systems director at the Aerospace Corporation, leading a team at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center developing the next generation environmental satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Milligan served over 24 years as a career U.S. Air Force officer working in operations, education, international research & development, and technology acquisition. During his USAF career, he served as an associate professor and deputy department head in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. 

    Milligan earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, his M.S.E. from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and his B.S. from Michigan State University — all in electrical engineering. He also earned an M.B.A. in Business Administration from Western New England College, is a registered Professional Engineer (PE) in Colorado and Maryland, and a Certified Association Executive (CAE).

    Milligan is also a member of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, IEEE Eta Kappa Nu Electrical and Computer Engineering Honor Society, and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).