Washington and Lee Seeks Accreditation for Engineering Program It is anticipated the Class of 2030 will be the first students eligible to earn an accredited engineering degree from W&L.

Washington and Lee University has begun the process of securing accreditation for its engineering program from ABET, a non-governmental accreditation organization for post-secondary programs in engineering, engineering technology, computing, and applied and natural sciences. This accreditation indicates a collegiate program has met the standards set by its technical profession and supports students’ entry into the engineering profession through licensure, registration and certification.

Should the certification process proceed as projected, members of W&L’s Class of 2030, matriculating in the fall of 2026, would be the first to earn an accredited degree from the university’s engineering program. Elements of the revised curriculum will be available beginning Fall Term 2026. Formal acknowledgement of accreditation from ABET would come in August 2031, following an 18-month process during which W&L will complete a readiness review and self-study report, and an accreditation review team will conduct an on-site visit. Accreditation will be retroactively applied to students in the Class of 2030 who completed the accredited coursework from the revised curriculum.

Dean of the College Paul Youngman ’87, P’27 notes that “pursuing ABET accreditation reflects our confidence in the strength of our engineering program.”

“Our faculty are top-notch, and our graduates already distinguish themselves in the profession,” Youngman points out, “but accreditation ensures their preparation is immediately recognized at the highest standard. By grounding this rigorous engineering education within the breadth and depth of the liberal arts, we are preserving what makes W&L distinctive.”

In pursuing accreditation for the engineering program, W&L seeks to enhance the opportunities available to its graduates by formally signaling to future employers that their educational experience has met the global standard for technical education in engineering. There will not be a separate undergraduate admission application process for the program, making the program accessible to all students who enroll at W&L.

“We are excited to share this accreditation pursuit with prospective students, families and high schools, because it epitomizes the best of W&L: offering academic preparation in our expansive liberal arts and pre-professional environment,” said Vice President for Admissions and Financial Aid Sally Stone Richmond.

Why Seek Accreditation?

The engineering program at Washington and Lee has long produced accomplished engineers thanks to a rigorous curriculum and the high standards of a W&L education, and Joel Kuehner, professor of physics and engineering, has witnessed the consistent success of its graduates entering the workforce. But, he believes there is a “perception problem” in not having formal accreditation, which can both deter incoming undergraduate students from enrolling in W&L and future employers from seeing the value in a W&L applicant.

Kuehner explains that most internship and job applications ask whether the applicant has studied at an accredited program, and, because W&L students must check “no,” they are more likely to be filtered out of the applicant pool without their full application being seen and assessed.

“If you look at our career placement history, W&L engineering students are very successful, and there’s no doubt about what they’re able to go on and achieve,” Kuehner said. “However, that road has some potential stumbling blocks. We want to reduce that barrier and remove the incorrect perception that our students have not met the same standards that students at other universities are required to meet.”

Students can reap the professional benefits of an accredited program even before entering the workforce. In an accredited program, students can take one of the professional licensure exams (the fundamentals of engineering exam) during their junior year; without an accredited program, they have to wait a year after they graduate to take this exam. Students will also gain access to a wide range of scholarships for students in ABET-accredited programs. In addition, Kuehner anticipates it will help engineering students secure more and better internships the summer after their junior year because they will no longer be “shut out” of application processes with shorter timelines. This, in turn, can help improve students’ job placement opportunities after graduation, through which they can secure higher-level positions and salaries that are more suited to their qualifications and experience.

“Our students are so impactful when they get out into the workforce, and accreditation provides that external seal of approval upfront to help students succeed in a very tangible way,” Kuehner said.

Restructured Curriculum

Accrediting W&L’s engineering program will involve a restructuring of the existing curriculum. This restructuring will increase the degree requirements to 75 credits (up from the 62 currently required for the B.S. in engineering and 65 required for the B.S. in integrated engineering), which will be reflected in the addition of several courses across math, science and engineering. Additional faculty members will be hired in support of the new curriculum, and a faculty director of engineering will be appointed.

While these adjustments in curriculum and staffing will ensure W&L engineering students are meeting the global standard, it will not disrupt W&L’s liberal arts approach. The engineering program will continue to be anchored within the broader curriculum of the College to allow students to pursue their academic interests beyond engineering as well. Studying engineering at a liberal arts college already sets W&L students apart, and an accredited engineering program will only enhance a student’s liberal arts experience, not detract from it.

“My engineering classes at W&L taught me more than just engineering and math skills,” said Cat Caples ’25, who is currently a mechanical and design engineer at Hardwire LLC. “They taught me about self-advocacy and hard work. I learned the importance of taking charge of my education by utilizing every resource W&L provided me.”

While the new credit requirements for engineering might limit the potential to double major with a second credit-intensive degree, students can — and are encouraged to — take a variety of courses beyond their major or minor and pursue their academic interests during their four years at W&L.

“In this program, we are intent on our students exploring curriculum both within engineering and outside of it,” Kuehner said. “That has always been a bedrock of what we do, and there is no intention to change that piece of it.”