As known, engineering is a profession focused on solving technical
problems and improving our quality of life in society. Due to highly advanced
transportation and communication capabilities, it has become a more global
profession than ever before. This development has increased the opportunities
for engineers to find employment and work in foreign countries, just like in
their own countries. However, this situation also places significant
responsibilities on engineers, in addition to requiring them to possess greater
skills. Therefore, in today's world, the transparency of education, the
recognition of obtained diplomas, and the fulfillment of globally established
minimum requirements have gained great importance. One of the most effective
ways to document the fulfillment of these requirements is through accreditation
by authorized institutions for the respective engineering programs.
• What is accreditation?
Accreditation is the process of evaluating and approving the
technical and administrative competencies of an organization that produces a
product or service, carried out by an official authority authorized by a
recognized institution. It aims to demonstrate the conformity of the product or
service with the conditions and standards demanded by the market, and this
evaluation process is repeated at regular intervals.
• Why is accreditation important for the
Mechanical Engineering Department at Istanbul University?
·It enables
the department to create opportunities for self-updating by periodically
evaluating its engineering undergraduate programs according to accepted
criteria.
·It ensures
that their accredited programs are announced to the public, thereby raising
awareness of the community in this regard.
·It
encourages the continuous improvement of their programs, promoting
self-development.
·It provides
a competitive advantage in the academic environment by positively influencing
the preferences of students and/or parents.
·
Why is accreditation important for students?
·It proves
the professional validity and equivalence of their diplomas in
national/international contexts.
·It provides
documented evidence that they possess the qualifications to meet the expected
performance standards in their work environments.
·It offers
an advantage in terms of diploma equivalence and recognition during the
admission process to their potential postgraduate education.
• Who carries out accreditation?
Accreditation evaluations are conducted by independent civil
society organizations that have up-to-date and clear criteria, well-defined and
transparent processes, and are recognized and authorized by national and/or
international authorities. In the national context, MÜDEK (Association for
Evaluation and Accreditation of Engineering Programs) is the only institution
recognized by the Higher Education Council (YÖK) to accredit national
engineering undergraduate programs and possesses all these qualifications.
·
Brief history of MÜDEK
· Established
in 2003 and started evaluating national engineering undergraduate programs.
· Became a
member of the European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education
(ENAEE) in 2006.
· Gained
legal personality and was recognized by the Higher Education Council (YÖK) as
the national quality assurance organization for engineering undergraduate
programs in 2007.
· Authorized
by ENAEE to award the EUR-ACE label to accredited engineering programs in 2009.
· Became a
full member of the International Engineering Alliance (IEA) in 2011.
· Evaluated
over 500 engineering undergraduate programs in more than 50 foundation and
state universities until 2016.
·
International Position of MÜDEK
MÜDEK is a member of two major and important international
accreditation organization umbrella platforms.
ENAEE (European Network for Accreditation
of Engineering Education): It is an
organization that provides international recognition at the European level for
the accreditation of engineering undergraduate programs and includes
accreditation bodies from the following countries:
1. Turkey
2. Germany
3. France
4. United Kingdom
5. Ireland
6. Portugal
7. Russia
8. Romania
9. Italy
10. Poland
11. Switzerland
12. Spain
13. Finland
A program accredited by MÜDEK in Turkey is considered equivalent
to programs accredited by their respective institutions in these countries.
IEA (International Engineering
Alliance-Washington Accord): This
platform recognizes and acknowledges the programs accredited by the authorized
accreditation bodies of member countries as equivalent, based on the
"Washington Accord" agreement they have signed. The member countries
of this platform are as follows:
1. Turkey (*)
2. Australia
3. Canada
4. Taiwan
5. Hong Kong
6. India
7. Japan
8. Ireland (*)
9. Malaysia
10. South Korea
11. New Zealand
12. Russia (*)
13. Singapore
14. South Africa
15. Sri Lanka
16. United Kingdom (*)
17. United States of
America
As a result, a program accredited by MÜDEK (Association for Evaluation
and Accreditation of Engineering Programs) obtains significant advantages in
terms of recognition and validity of its graduates' diplomas in 25 different
countries, both in their own country and abroad. (*) Also a member of ENAEE.
·
What is the EUR-ACE Label?
It is a certificate given
to engineering undergraduate programs accredited by institutions authorized by
ENAEE in countries within the European higher education area. It is highly
beneficial in determining the equivalence of diplomas in Europe. All
undergraduate programs accredited by MÜDEK in our country also qualify to
receive the EUR-ACE label.
·
What are the criteria for accreditation?
MÜDEK evaluates programs that meet the following criteria and
grants accreditation to engineering undergraduate programs:
Criterion 1 : Students The quality, development, and achievements of students,
who are one of the inputs of an engineering program, are important in
evaluating the program. Therefore, the quality of students, their
infrastructure upon admission, student exchange programs, horizontal-vertical
transfers, Course Placement (ÇAP) and Proficiency Development (YAP) programs
and their applications, the advisory services they receive, the transparency
and fairness of evaluations, graduation requirements, and the mechanisms that
control them are evaluated.
Criterion 2 : Program Educational Objectives The career objectives (program
objectives) that program graduates are expected to achieve in the near future
should be defined by considering stakeholder opinions, be aligned with the
institution's mission, be published and communicated to the public, and be
updated at appropriate intervals.
Criterion 3 : Program Outcomes These are the knowledge, skills, and behaviors
that the program must impart to students until graduation. The program outcomes
should encompass the following MÜDEK outcomes and be measured through a system
to prove that they are achieved by graduates:
a. Mathematics, basic science, and basic engineering knowledge
b. Ability to identify and solve engineering problems
c. Ability to design a process, system, or product
d. Ability to use modern tools
e. Ability to design, conduct, and evaluate experiments
f. Aptitude for teamwork
g. Communication skills in Turkish and foreign languages
h. Awareness of the necessity of lifelong learning
i. Ethical awareness
j. Awareness of project management, innovation, and
entrepreneurship
k. Awareness of universal and societal dimensions of health,
environment, and safety in practice.
Criterion 4 : Continuous Improvement The results obtained from the
measurement-evaluation system established for the program should be used in the
continuous improvement of the program, and evidence regarding this should be
presented.
Criterion 5 : Curriculum The program should have a curriculum that supports its
educational objectives and outcomes, and it should include the following
components:
·
At least 32
credits of mathematics and basic science courses.
·
At least 48
credits of engineering courses.
·
Sufficient
general education courses.
·
At least
one major design experience.
Criterion 6 : Faculty The faculty is a fundamental element of the program.
Therefore, the faculty should be sufficient in quantity and quality to cover
all areas of the program, and the criteria for appointment and promotion to
faculty positions should be defined and implemented to ensure this.
Criterion 7 : Infrastructure Classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer
infrastructure, etc. should be adequate. Sufficient safety measures should be
taken in laboratories and other facilities, and infrastructure arrangements
should be made for individuals with disabilities. Non-curricular social activities
should be supported.
Criterion 8 : Institutional Support and
Financial Resources The university's administrative support and resources
should be at a level that ensures the quality of the program, and there should
be sufficient support staff (administrative, technical). The resources should
be sufficient to attract a qualified faculty.
Criterion 9 : Organization and
Decision-Making Processes The overall functioning of the university, the
relationships between the Rectorate/Faculty/Department, the decision-making
mechanisms within the department, and the consistency of these processes are
evaluated.
Criterion 10: Program-Specific Criteria
(e.g., Mechanical Engineering) This criterion specifies additional conditions
that the relevant engineering program should meet. For example, additional
criteria for the Mechanical Engineering Program include:
·
Knowledge
of chemistry and physics, with depth in at least one area
·
Knowledge
of multivariable calculus and differential equations
·
Familiarity
with linear algebra and statistics
·
Ability to
design and operate both thermal and mechanical systems.
If there are no deficiencies in these criteria, the program is
accredited by MÜDEK.
· What is the situation with the programs
conducted by the Mechanical Engineering Department?
The most important prerequisite for applying to the MÜDEK accreditation process, which is based on outcome evaluations, is that the program has graduated students at the time of application. Therefore, in early 2015, the necessary application was made for the accreditation of the Mechanical Engineering (English) undergraduate program, which had already graduated for 4 years, and after a successful process, the program received MÜDEK accreditation for a period of 5 years in July 2016. This program also has the right to use the EUR-ACE label on the diplomas of its graduates for the same period. MÜDEK has determined the validity period of the accreditation as September 30, 2022, to September 30, 2027, for the Mechanical Engineering (English) Undergraduate Program, May 1, 2022, to September 30, 2027, for the Mechanical Engineering (Turkish) Undergraduate Program, and May 1, 2022, to September 30, 2024, for the Mechatronics Engineering Undergraduate Program. Therefore, all graduates who graduated or will graduate during this time frame will receive their diplomas with MÜDEK accreditation.