Research On Specialized Programmatic Accreditation Of Engineering In The United States In The View Of Third Sector

Specialized Programmatic Accreditation of Engineering is a basic problem of the engineering education research, which directly relates to the quality of engineering education. American Specialized Programmatic Accreditation of Engineering as the most mature and authoritative quality guarantee system is one of the main references of engineering education for other countries in the world. However, the current study more focuses on its microscopic research so that it lacks an appropriate perspective for in-depth analysis of its formation and development. Therefore, it is meaningful both in theory and in application to explore the formation and development of Specialized Programmatic Accreditation of Engineering from the perspective of the third sector in its special historic cultural background.The formation and development of American Specialized Programmatic Accreditation of Engineering has its internal and external motivation mechanism. The contradiction between the quantity and quality of engineering education is the main motive force, which determines its mission and aim for improving the education quality; American higher education autonomy tradition and decentralized management is the basic motive force, which determines its mode of the third-party certification; the demand of stakeholders such as governments, colleges and markets directly promotes the formation of this system, which determines its necessity to coordinate conflicts among stakeholders. Throughout the development history and current states of American Specialized Programmatic Accreditation of Engineering, it can be clearly found the significant attributes of the Third Sector, such as non-governmental, non-profit, autonomous, professional and voluntary. These attributes constantly promote the development of American Specialized Programmatic Accreditation of Engineering in the background of American history and culture. The Non-governmental and non-profit accrediting organizations can carry out specialized and institutional activities independently with its public services to improve the quality of education as the mission and aims, which effectively coordinate the relationship among government, colleges and markets. Not only do they ensure the independence, objectivity and justice of certification activities, promote the quality of engineering education and maintain the autonomy of university and academic freedom, but also they satisfy the demand of governments, colleges and markets and win the recognition and support of every related stakeholders at the same time. As a result, certification activities become more and more authoritative and influencing. And Specialized Programmatic Accreditation of Engineering will also gain greater development space. The connotation of the third sector’s attributes can be greatly enriched and extended as Specialized Programmatic Accreditation of Engineering keeps developing and improving. So, undoubtedly, the attributes of the third sector boost the certification activities of American Specialized Programmatic Accreditation of Engineering gradually growing mature and perfect under the revolution of engineering education and society.