One of the primary missions of the Academy since the mid-1980s is accreditation of academic programs in industrial hygiene. Accreditation of academic degree programs in a field of study is a key indicator of the development and standing of a profession. After an initial attempt at accreditation from within the Academy, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) was selected to manage industrial hygiene accreditation through its Applied Science Accreditation Commission (ASAC).
To develop the technical industrial hygiene criteria for accreditation and to select and train accreditation auditors, the Academy formed the Academic Accreditation Committee (AAC). View the AAC Membership List for current members.
The program criteria for industrial hygiene were first published in the late 1980s. Since that time there have been several major revisions as well as numerous minor changes. The AAC continues to be tasked with updating these criteria as well as supplying trained auditors to apply them during site visits. In addition to these specific criteria, ABET also has general criteria and procedures which apply to all educational programs accredited through ABET. The current general criteria and the industrial hygiene program criteria may be found on the ABET “Download Forms and Criteria” web page under “Applied Science Programs”.
As of December 2008, 41 programs at 30 schools are accredited in industrial hygiene through ABET. These include seven bachelors programs at five schools, and 34 masters degree programs at 25 schools. ABET does not accredit doctoral programs.
These accredited schools have worked hard to achieve and maintain their accreditation and, by meeting the ABET standard, are believed to deliver a very high-quality industrial hygiene education.
A more detailed historical review of the ABET accreditation process can be found in “How the Academy of Industrial Hygiene Joined the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology” by Lawrence W. Whitehead, PhD, CIH.