American Engineers' Council for Professional Development

The American Engineers' Council for Professional Development or simply the Engineers' Council for Professional Development (ECPD), established in June 1932,[1][2] was an engineering professional body dedicated to the education, accreditation, regulation and professional development of the engineering professionals and students in the United States.[3][4][5] ECPD grew and has changed its name to ABET, Inc. and its focus solely to accreditation.[3]

Its purpose was to set standards and to publish the Codes of Ethics and other material for engineers and engineering schools and organizations in the United States,[6][7][8][9]

The seven engineering societies that established ECPD in 1932 were:[3]

• The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
• The American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, now the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME)
• The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
• The American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE), since 1963 merged into the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)[10]
• The Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education, now the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)
• The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
• The National Council of State Boards of Engineering Examiners, now the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)

ECPD was founded to provide a "joint program for upbuilding engineering as a profession". However, it almost immediately began developing as an accreditation agency, evaluating its first engineering program in 1936 and its first engineering technology program in 1946.[3]

ECPD changed its name to Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in 1980, and changed it again to ABET, Inc. in 2005.[3]

ABET, Inc. is now an accreditation federation of 29 professional and technical societies (and one associate member society), representing the fields of applied science, computing, engineering, and technology.[11]