During the first week of the 2024-2025 academic year, West Chester University received news that its Biomedical Engineering Degree Program has been accredited by the prestigious Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology.

Sought worldwide, 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. ABET is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization that currently accredits 4,564 programs at 895 colleges and universities in 40 countries and areas.

“West Chester University is deeply proud of the exceptional Biomedical Engineering department for successfully securing accreditation of the University’s first engineering program,” said Dr. Jeffery L. Osgood, Executive Vice President and Provost. “As this University cultivates the next generation of biomedical scientists, our faculty is dedicated to delivering a hands-on education that brings together engineering, biology, and medicine in a compelling way that is helping our students develop innovative technical solutions for medical disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. We are especially grateful to Dr. Zhongping Huang who has inspired this academic program and leads it with our great admiration.”

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.

Launched in 2019, WCU’s Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering offers tracks in biosystems, bioinstrumentation, and imaging; biomolecular and biochemical; biomechanics; and biomaterials and tissues. All required core classes are offered through the Department of Biomedical Engineering in West Chester University’s College of Sciences & Mathematics. The University’s first class of 15 biomedical engineers graduated in 2023. The program has a permanent home in the Sciences & Engineering Center and The Commons (SECC), the most advanced and largest building project in the University’s history.

Learn more at West Chester University (WCU), the largest member of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, which is comprised of 10 state-owned universities within the Commonwealth of PA. Founded in 1871, West Chester University is a comprehensive public institution offering a diverse range of more than 180 academic opportunities in 40 fields of study across undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels.