Document Number: ACC-MAN-01
Version Number: 3.0
Effective Date: 01 July 2024

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ACCREDITATION POLICY

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1.0 PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT

The purpose of this document is to present the policy adopted by the Board of Accreditation for Engineering and Technical Education (BAETE) of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) for the accreditation of undergraduate engineering programs

2.0 SCOPE OF THIS DOCUMENT

This policy applies to policies, manuals, standard operating procedures, work instructions, templates, and forms for BAETE accreditation of undergraduate engineering programs in Bangladesh.

3.0 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

3.1 The Board

Provide adequate resources to support the effective management and operation of the BAETE accreditation policy.

3.2 BAETE Secretariat

Assure compliance with this policy by all personnel involved in the BAETE accreditation.

Assure all personnel have the necessary qualifications, training, and experience in the BAETE accreditation process.

4.0 DEFINITIONS AND ACRONYMS

See ACC-MAN-06 for definitions and acronyms.

5.0 ACCREDITATION OF UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING PROGRAMS

5.1 The Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh

The Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) was founded as the Institute of Engineers, Pakistan, registered on May 7, 1948, by the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies, East Bengal. It was recognized as the representative body of qualified engineers when the government of Pakistan ratified its constitution in September 1952. After Bangladesh emerged as an independent country in 1971, the society’s name was changed from the Institute of Engineers, Pakistan, to the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh. The Registrar of Joint Stock Companies, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, registered the new organization on July 7, 1972. To become a member of the IEB and provide professional services in Bangladesh, an individual must hold an engineering degree Accredited by the BAETE. Moreover, the IEB actively fosters the advancement and enhancement of engineering education standards and quality across Bangladesh. To this end, the IEB constitution encompasses the accreditation of programs within the country that award engineering degrees.

5.2 Objectives of Accreditation

In general, a program’s accreditation recognizes and acknowledges the value of transforming a student into a capable engineer with sound knowledge of fundamentals and an acceptable level of professional competence. The accreditation process is also significant in promoting quality by encouraging healthy competition among different degree programs at the same institution and similar programs at other institutions

The specific objectives of accreditation are as follows:

1. To ensure that graduates acquire the attributes required to meet national and international standards;
2. To assist all stakeholders in identifying specific engineering education programs that meet national and international standards; and
3. To provide a mechanism for the continual improvement of existing engineering programs through evaluation and feedback.

5.3 Board of Accreditation for Engineering and Technical Education

5.3.1 Formation, Authorities and Functions

The IEB established the Board of Accreditation for Engineering and Technical Education (BAETE) by the provision enshrined in the IEB constitution. BAETE, hereafter referred to as "the Board," is empowered to function as an independent and autonomous body to establish the policy, procedure, criteria, and related systems to conduct engineering program accreditation.

5.3.2 Composition and Terms of Office

The Council of the IEB appoints the Chairman and the members of the Board. The IEB president may nominate to Board positions in consultation with the Chairman of the Board and other professionals/experts in the field. The structure of the Board is as follows.

The term of office for the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and members who are not “ex-officio” is four years. The Board meets to discuss administrative issues at a time, place, and frequency chosen by the Chairman.

5.3.3 Maintenance and Finance

The Board maintains an office (the Secretariat of the Board) in the IEB Headquarters Building at Ramna, Dhaka, led by the Member Secretary. A full-time Registrar and a full-time Executive Assistant hold offices to maintain records and assist the Board with its activities. In principle, the BAETE is a financially self-supporting body that obtains its funds mainly from fees from accreditation applications. Budget deficits, if any, are met by the IEB. The BAETE also welcomes industry contributions as part of their corporate social responsibility.

5.3.4 Quality Assurance Cell

The Board constitutes a Quality Assurance Cell to ensure the quality of the Evaluation Team Report. The Board decides on the number of members in the Quality Assurance Cell based on necessity. The Cell comprises one Chair and at least one Co-Chair. The Chair, Co-Chairs, and members must have experience in outcome-based accreditation. The members must be well-versed in the accreditation systems.
The Quality Assurance Cell is responsible for the moderation of Evaluation Team Reports by checking inconsistencies between the stated findings and the evaluation results in each of the criteria and sub-criteria, checking inconsistencies that may exist among various criteria and sub-criteria within the same report, and checking inconsistencies in findings and evaluations across various Evaluation Team Reports as per benchmark requirements of the BAETE.

5.3.5 Sectoral Committee

The Board constitutes Sectoral Committees for different engineering programs under broad sectors (or disciplines) such as Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Chemical Engineering. The Board also defines new sectors as necessary. Each committee comprises five members, one of whom serves as the Chair, who are experts in the sectoral disciplines and are usually appointed for three years. Sectoral Committee members should be well versed with the accreditation systems and the requirements of program-specific criteria in the relevant sectoral disciplines. No member of the Sectoral Committee should be a member of the Board.
Sectoral Committees are responsible for scrutinizing the evaluation reports in the relevant disciplines to maintain evaluation consistency and ensure compliance with accreditation policy, procedure, and criteria. The Sectoral Committee submits its independent recommendations and requirements to the Board together with the report of the Evaluation Team. A Sectoral Committee member may accompany the Evaluation Team for on-site moderation.

5.3.6 Appellate Committee

If an institution is unsatisfied with the Board’s decision not to accredit a program, it may apply for a review by an Appellate Committee. The Appellate Committee will comprise three members, including the Chair. Its members are selected from among the former Board members, former Sectoral Committee members, and former Evaluation Team Chairs and are appointed by the IEB President after discussion with the Chair of the IEB Ethics Committee.

6.0 ACCREDITATION MANUAL, STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES, AND WORKING INSTRUCTIONS

The Accreditation Manual provides the basis for all BAETE accreditation-related activities of undergraduate engineering programs. The BAETE shall prepare guidelines and standard operating procedures based on the accreditation manual for elaboration and clarification of the contents of the Accreditation Manual as necessary. See ACC-MAN-00 for details.

7.0 ELIGIBILITY FOR ACCREDITATION

A program must fulfill the following requirements to be considered for accreditation:

1. An engineering degree-awarding program approved by an appropriate authority, namely, the UGC or any other appropriate government body.
2. A duration of four years after twelve years of schooling.
3. At least one cohort has graduated from the program (for programs applying using criteria in ACC-MAN-02-V2.2 and preparing SAR according to ACC-TMP-04-04-V2.1 effective till 30 June 2026). At least one cohort under an outcome-based curriculum has graduated from the program (for programs applying using criteria in ACC-MAN-02-V3.0 and preparing SAR according to ACC-TMP-04-04-V3.0, effective from 1 July 2025).[ Programs can apply using either V2.2 or V3.0 of accreditation criteria from 1 July 2025 till 30 June 2026.]
4. Program pedagogy follows outcome-based education.
5. Requires at least 130 credit hours (see ACC-MAN-06 for details).

The following should be noted:

1. Accreditation is voluntary, and programs are considered for accreditation only at the written request of the educational institution.
2. Accreditation is granted only to programs and not to the institution.
3. The same program offered at different campuses of an institution must be accredited separately at each campus.
4. The degree title of a BAETE-accredited program must adequately reflect the content of the education provided, including the field of specialization, and it must appear on academic transcripts and certificates issued by the institution.
5. The program and degree title(s) of non-accredited program(s) offered by the same institution must be distinguishable from those of an accredited program.
6. No changes in the name/title of an accredited program shall be made without the prior approval of the BAETE.
7. The program must report to BAETE changes in the curriculum, the campus location, or any other changes that may void BAETE's decision to accredit the program.

8.0 PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF NEW PROGRAMS

A new program may ask the BAETE to evaluate its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and concerns for future accreditation when its most senior cohort is in its second year. The Evaluation Team shall identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and concerns in its report without expressing approval or disapproval of the program.

9.0 EVALUATION

The program evaluation shall be conducted according to the criteria presented in ACC-MAN-02 (V2.2 will be discontinued on 30 June 2026; V3.0 will be effective on 1 July 2025, with a year where programs can apply using either V2.2 or V3.0 ). The evaluation process includes examining information provided in the Self-Assessment Report (SAR) and the Evaluation Team’s findings from an on-site visit.

10.0 ACCREDITATION DECISIONS

The Board shall make an accreditation decision about a program based on the recommendations of the Evaluation Team after the Quality Assurance Committee moderation and the relevant Sectoral Committee. The quality evaluation of a program is based on a holistic judgment in relation to the stipulated accreditation criteria regarding compliance, concerns, weaknesses, and deficiencies. The maximum accreditation period shall be six years if there is no deficiency in any criteria. The Board may accredit a program for a shorter period if the program’s overall assessment is acceptable. The actual duration of an accreditation period may also depend on the extent of weaknesses and/or concerns. A program cannot be accredited if any deficiency in any criterion is identified. If a program is not accredited, the institution may reapply one year from the date of decision after addressing the deficiencies and weaknesses (See ACC-SOP-04-03 for details). Typically, a program’s accreditation commences for Round 1 and Round 2 applications in January and July, respectively (Rounds of accreditation application are defined in Section 5.2 of ACC-MAN-04). However, a new program applying within twelve months of the graduation of its first cohort may be granted retrospective accreditation to include its first graduated cohort. In that case, the date of accreditation commencement will be adjusted accordingly by the Board.

11.0 DEFERMENT OF ACCREDITATION

If the Evaluation Team finds any deficiency in the program that can be corrected within a short period, the Team may recommend to the Board for a Deferment of Accreditation for a specified time not exceeding twelve months. The institution may reapply within the specified period without waiting for the minimum of one year required for a "Not to Accredit" decision.

12.0 Requirements After Accreditation

An accredited program and/or its institution must comply with the following requirements:

1. Institutions with BAETE-accredited programs shall represent the accreditation status of each program accurately and without ambiguity. This must be accurately reflected in all appropriate print and electronic channels of the institute, particularly on the website.
2. Each accredited program must be specified as follows: “ accredited by BAETE until . Details may be verified from the BAETE accreditation register, available on the BAETE website. The 'program name' and 'expiration date' must be the same as mentioned in the accreditation decision letter.
3. Each accredited program must disseminate the following data/information about the program, particularly on the website thereof:
   1. program’s educational objectives,
   2. program outcomes,
   3. iii.annual student enrollment and graduation data
4. Institutions with BAETE-accredited program(s) shall submit an annual report by January/July as per BAETE’s Annual Report Template, using ACC-TMP-01-01, and an annual maintenance fee.

13.0 RENEWAL

The renewal process is identical to the usual accreditation process, where the only difference is that the respective program must provide information regarding the concerns, weaknesses, and deficiencies stipulated in the most recent Evaluation Team Report communicated to it as part of an accreditation process. In particular, the respective institute must adequately and accurately fill out the section titled “FOR RENEWAL OF ACCREDITATION ONLY” in the Self-Assessment Report (SAR), clearly reporting the extent to which these shortcomings have been addressed. An institute should apply for the renewal of a program’s accreditation in an appropriate accreditation round of BAETE (see section 5.2 of ACC-MAN-04) to ensure that its current accreditation does not expire before the accreditation decision of that round.

14.0 EXPENSES AND FEES

The program must pay the appropriate fees when submitting an accreditation application. The fee structure is provided on the BAETE website. Moreover, the educational institution will bear all visit-related expenses, including transportation, food, and lodging.
In addition, the accredited program must pay an annual maintenance fee to BAETE each year for its accreditation period. The annual maintenance fee structure is provided on the BAETE website.

15.0 CONFIDENTIALITY

All information provided for accreditation by the institution, including the SAR and all on-site observations and findings, are confidential. This information may not be revealed to any unauthorized persons under any circumstances without written permission from the concerned educational institution. Similarly, the institution may not disclose any part of the Evaluation Team’s report to any unauthorized person or the public without explicit written permission from the BAETE.

16.0 CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Service in any BAETE activities, including but not limited to the accreditation process (e.g., as a Board member, Quality Assurance Cell member, Sectoral Committee member, or Evaluation Team member) must not create situations that may result in conflicts of interest or questions regarding the objectivity and credibility of the BAETE and accreditation process. Everyone involved in the BAETE accreditation process must behave professionally and ethically and disclose real or perceived conflicts of interest. BAETE shall not assign any responsibility to an individual for whom a conflict of interest exists concerning that task. In any meeting related to the accreditation process, if there is one or more agenda which a member has a conflict with, s/he will recuse themself from that agendum. Real or perceived conflicts of interest are defined as a current and/or recent close association with the institution under consideration for accreditation-related activities by BAETE. These include but are not limited to:

1. Any reason that the individual cannot render an unbiased decision. b.Current or past association with the institution in any capacity. c.A close family relative is, or was, a student or employee of the institution.
2. Current or past association with the institution in any capacity.
3. A close family relative is, or was, a student or employee of the institution.

The conflict of interest period is ten years from the date of association with the institution.

17.0 THE BAETE ACCREDITATION MANUAL, STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES, TEMPLATES, FLOWCHARTS, SCHEDULE, AND WORK INSTRUCTIONS

See ACC-MAN-00 for details.

18.0 REVISION HISTORY