Engineering Technology Division
Accreditation & Quality
Continuous Improvement Plan

What is accreditation?

Accreditation is a process by which an external agency audits the associate degree programs offered by the ET Division and determines if they are meeting quality standards and producing the outcomes and results that are expected.

The ET Division at Greenville Tech is essentially reviewed by two agencies. The first one is the South Carolina State Board for Technical & Comprehensive Education. This agency, based in Columbia , SC , certifies that the Engineering Technology programs are meeting all of the requirements established for associate degree programs in the Technical College system. The second one is the Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET. This agency, based in Baltimore, Maryland, certifies that the Engineering Technology associate degree programs are meeting national standards for Engineering Technology programs.

Additionally, the college at large is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools ( SACS ) every 10 years.  The next SACS review is scheduled for 2012.

What is quality?

In the context of the ET Division, quality has to do with the value of the benefits provided by the curricular programs to the stakeholders of the programs.  Examples of stakeholders would be the perspective students, the current students, the graduates, local employers, the advisory committees and the college administration.  Faculty and staff are certainly the providers of the benefits to the stakeholders, but sometimes they also can be stakeholders as well.

What are the benefits of meeting the quality and performance standards of these two agencies?

First, if the curricular programs of the ET Division at Greenville Tech did not meet the standards set by the state of South Carolina, they would first be put on probation and then potentially shut down. Basically, the state of South Carolina certifies that the programs are meeting the human resource needs of the local community by producing graduates who become employed in the ET field. Also, local employers are surveyed to determine the quality of Engineering Technology graduates and their ability to contribute to a company's success.

Second, accreditation with Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET gives the Engineering Technology associate degree programs quality certification and recognition on a national basis. In order to achieve ABET accreditation, the ET programs must have established a continuous quality improvement process that is documented and working to make the programs better for each of the stakeholders involved. For the Engineering Technology programs, the stakeholders are the perspective students, the current students, the faculty, the graduates, the employers and the college administration. Each one of these parties has a keen interest in promoting the improved quality and outcomes of the program.

All Associate Degrees in the Engineering Technology Division are accredited by the Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050 , Baltimore . MD 21202-4012, Telephone: (410) 347-7700

Continuous Improvement Plan

The continuous quality improvement plan for the ET Division is in the form of a flow chart and can be seen if you Click Here or the button below.   This plan includes the following elements:

• The South Carolina State Tech System
• The Greenville Technical College administration
• The ET Division mission statement
• The mission statements of each of the six ET Division curricular programs
• The stakeholders of the six ET Division curricular programs
• The GTC Office of Academic Support
• The GTC Office of Planning & Grants
• Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET
• The Southern Association of Colleges & Schools ( SACS )
• The faculty of each of the six Engineering Technology curricular programs.