Fully Accredited for a New Era of Innovative Design

Westmont’s engineering program has earned full ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accreditation retroactive to October 2022 following an extensive three-year process that involved reviewing facilities, faculty, students and funding. Only three other Christian colleges in California have achieved this recognition. The significant designation boosts engineering alums.

“I recently talked to a hiring manager at the Northrop location in Goleta, and he said this opens up all kinds of opportunities,” says Dan Jensen, Allder professor and director of Westmont’s engineering program. “Raytheon is the same. I’ve got contacts at Raytheon who are excited to hire some of our folks as well.”

The accreditation team, which examined seven specific student outcomes to ensure they’re factored into all the courses, praised Westmont’s program, noting no weaknesses or concerns and highlighting support from the external advisory board and Westmont’s leadership.

Jensen, who has been involved in a dozen four-year college accreditations, says it’s the first perfect review he’s seen. “They said what you guys are doing is so good, we don’t have any suggestions — it’s a completely clean slate.

“Our graduates are working for wonderful companies, doing great stuff. We’ve got alums going to prestigious graduate schools, one who graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology and has returned as an adjunct professor here. Others are working at Northrop, Lockheed, the Department of Energy and for small engineering companies as well.”

Pictured left to right: Provost Kim Denu, Professor Dan Jensen, President Gayle D. Beebe, Professor Bob Haring-Kaye, Professor Adam Goodworth, and engineering students