CRETE, NE — After launching their Bachelor’s in Engineering Program six years ago, Doane University has earned accreditation for the program.

"To finally to be able to go from a, 'We can't really guarantee what's going to happen,' to 'Yes, we are fully accredited,' is really a fantastic opportunity for those students now," Doane's Engineering and Physic Department Chair Dr. Joel TerMaat said.

TerMaat says the school has been working toward accreditation since the degree was first offered in 2016. Now that its reality, it’ll open other doors for the university.

"For Doane, with the accreditation of the B.S. in Engineering Program, we are now the only private, residential institution in the state that has an accredited engineering degree," TerMaat said.

It will also increase opportunities for its students. Engineering student Zack Perez is studying to one day become a civil engineer. He talks about the importance of graduating from an accredited program.

"You can do a lot more things," he said. "I know certain routes you may want to take, even getting a license or graduate school, you do have to have that ABET accredited degree. It really opens a lot of options and I know a lot of employers ask if you do have that ABET accreditation so I think it really benefits and really shows this program is providing valuable education."

Fellow student Ivana Lopez hopes to one day work alongside her uncle at NASA. Doane’s accreditation along with Doane’s campus made the southeast Nebraska university a perfect choice for her.

"I really enjoy the environment and the community because it's like a small community inside of Crete," Lopez said. "And the small classrooms are really my style of learning. I don't like big classrooms because I feel like one-on-one with teachers is better than teachers just looking over you like another student. Here, it's like you get the attention you need and that you ask for."

Although Doane’s Engineering Program just became accredited this year it applies retroactively to graduates from October 2019 on. TerMaat says that's notable because the first crop of graduates from the program earned their degrees in 2020. 

The accreditation comes from ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology), a prominent U.S.-based accreditor who has certified over 4,300 programs in over 40 countires around the world.

"It's a specialized accreditation, but they are the global accreditor for pretty much all engineering and technology programs internationally so it was a pretty intensive process for us to go through.