C of O engineering program earns accreditation

College of the Ozarks' James P. Keeter School of Engineering has been accredited six years after its debut.

The program has been granted the status by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, according to a news release.

“The feedback from our graduates and their employers about our program has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Geoffrey Akers, professor of engineering at C of O, in the release. “ABET accreditation is further validation that engineers who graduate from College of the Ozarks are prepared for the engineering profession."

Established in 2016, the C of O program's first engineers graduated in 2020. Engineering programs are required to have graduates in order to apply for accreditation from ABET. The college accreditation visit was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABET accreditation is voluntary, according to the release. To date, 4,361 programs at 850 colleges and universities in 41 countries have received ABET accreditation.

At C of O, the James P. Keeter School of Engineering is named in honor of a longtime board member and supporter of the school. Keeter’s wife, Julie Keeter, serves as a current board member. James P. Keeter died in 2014 at age 76. He was known for his family’s Royal Oak Charcoal enterprise and his endowment that helped create C of O's Keeter Center for Character Education, according to reporting by Branson Tri-Lakes News.