NEW ORLEANS, LA - The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) announced after its August 2005 meeting that the undergraduate B.S. Computer Science program at the University of New Orleans (UNO) College of Sciences has again passed its standards of accreditation. The UNO B.S. in Computer Science program has been continuously accredited by the Computer Science Accreditation Board (CSAB) since 1987 -- the second year it offered accreditation, but this is the first time it has been accredited under ABET, which merged with CSAB in 2001.

The resulting new accreditation guidelines place a major emphasis on assessing student preparedness, as well as curriculum details. "The renewal of our accreditation by ABET not only reaffirms the quality of our undergraduate computer science education, but also underlines the high level of skills that our students possess at completion of their study to prepare them for careers in computer science," said Adlai DePano, UNO associate professor and undergraduate coordinator in the Department of Computer Science. "The accreditation process was a long and thorough team effort, requiring the contributions of all faculty and staff members. This is good news all around for the Department, the College, and the University." Among the most respected accreditation organizations in the U.S, ABET has provided leadership and quality assurance in higher education for over 70 years. It is a recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology. ABET accreditation tells parents and prospective students that a program has met minimum standards. Accreditation also assures employers that graduates are prepared to begin professional practice.