A Summary Meeting With the International ABET Expert-Consultant Group Was Held at GTU
01-05-2025
A summary meeting with the expert-consultant group of the American Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) was held at the Georgian Technical University, at which the American specialists presented a conclusion on the readiness for international accreditation of several Georgian and English-language undergraduate educational programs seeking ABET accreditation.
Before the summary meeting, the Rector, Academician David Gurgenidze, met with the ABET group and, with the American expert consultants, reviewed the work done by the Georgian Technical University to obtain ABET accreditation and discussed the expected prospects.
To obtain international ABET accreditation, the Georgian Technical University is simultaneously preparing five Georgian and English-language bachelor’s programs: “Electrical and Electronic Engineering” of the Faculty of Energy, “Civil Engineering” of the Faculty of Construction, “Computer Engineering”, “Computer Sciences” and “Biomedical Engineering” of the Faculty of Informatics and Control Systems.
The closing meeting was attended by the Chancellor of GTU, Professor Carlo Kopaliani, President of the University Supervisory Board, Professor Zurab Gudavadze, Vice-Rectors - Professors Tamar Tsereteli and Tamar Lominadze, Head of the University Center for International Accreditation and the ABET-accredited English-language Bachelor’s Program in Biomedical Engineering, Professor Irine Gotsiridze, Head of the ABET Expert-Consultant Group, Professor Joe Turner of Clemson University (USA), Professor Francis Edward Noel of Syracuse, Oregon and Pennsylvania Universities (USA), Professor William Henry Hayter of the University of Massachusetts Amherst (USA), Dean of the Faculty of Construction of GTU, Professor Zurab Gvishiani, Dean of the Faculty of Energy, Professor Ketevan Kutateladze, Dean of the Faculty of Informatics and Control Systems, Professor Taliko Zhvania, heads of programs seeking ABET accreditation, and quality management managers.
As noted at the meeting, the mission of the working visit of the expert-consultant group of the American Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) was to facilitate the process of internationalization of educational programs and to consult on the process of preparing university engineering programs for obtaining ABET international accreditation, as well as to discuss the compliance of academic programs with ABET standards and issue recommendations in this direction.
During the visit, the ABET team held consultation meetings with the ABET preparatory groups and academic staff of the bachelor’s programs seeking international accreditation at the faculties of Construction, Energy, and Informatics and Control Systems of the Georgian Technical University.
They discussed the self-assessment reports of the bachelor’s programs, and the documentary materials to be submitted for international accreditation, and got acquainted in detail with the educational infrastructure and the educational and research laboratory base. According to the assessment of the ABET expert consultants, the academic and research laboratories of the Georgian Technical University undoubtedly deserve high marks.
As the head of the ABET group, Clemson University Professor Joe Turner, noted at the summary meeting, based on the preliminary conclusion, it is quite possible to submit five educational programs of the Georgian Technical University for accreditation for the 2026-2027 ABET assessment cycle.
“The efforts and support of the administrative and academic staff of the Georgian Technical University in obtaining ABET accreditation for five educational programs shortly are appreciated. We have been actively cooperating with the Georgian Technical University for three years. Extensive work has been carried out, relevant recommendations have been issued, and I hope all five programs will obtain ABET accreditation in 2026-2027. Moreover, I am deeply confident that they will be involved in this very important international program,” said Joe Turner.
According to Irine Gotsiridze, Head of the ABET-accredited English-language Bachelor’s Program in Biomedical Engineering at GTU, Professor of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Faculty of IMS, and Head of the University Center for International Accreditation, work is actively underway at the Georgian Technical University to obtain ABET accreditation.
“Working meetings with ABET expert consultants are extremely important, both for each program and their implementing staff, as well as for the university in general, because this is a summary assessment of academic progress issued by international expert consultants. It is noteworthy that in 2023, the English-language bachelor’s program in biomedical engineering, for the first time in the history of our university, obtained ABET accreditation, which was the result of great work and effort. The rector, academician David Gurgenidze, and the university administration were directly involved in this difficult process. We are confident that in 2026 the university will be fully ready to obtain international ABET accreditation and, accordingly, all five programs will successfully pass accreditation in the engineering and computer science program commissions,” says Irine Gotsiridze.
According to Vice-Rector, Professor Tamar Lominadze, obtaining ABET accreditation is important for the Georgian Technical University to ensure a decent future for youth and open up new opportunities for them.
According to the Vice-Rector, the intellectual and material resources that the Georgian Technical University has devoted to implementing this important project serve a noble purpose.
“By receiving international ABET accreditation in engineering and technology, we are paving the way for our young people to receive education and practical skills of international standards, which will put them in competitive conditions in the global labor market and help them find employment. It is noteworthy that at the meeting with the ABET group, it was emphasized that the laboratory base of the Georgian Technical University is not inferior to the laboratories of the top ten universities in the United States of America. This is a great achievement for our university. In this direction, the contribution of all the people who have ensured the proper functioning of the infrastructure for the Georgian Technical University is appreciated. On behalf of the Rector, Academician David Gurgenidze, we would like to express our gratitude to the Government of Georgia, the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth - without their support, success would not have been possible. We are confident that we will achieve even greater success in the future and hope that all five programs - with the joint efforts of the rector, university administration, program leaders, and academic staff - will gain international accreditation with dignity. The result will strengthen the local and international positions of the Georgian Technical University, as one of the country’s leading higher education institutions, and increase the opportunities for our students to receive international quality education and international diplomas, thereby guaranteeing a better future for our young people. We are confident that in two years we will be able to boldly declare that not only in our country but also in the region, the Georgian Technical University will be the only higher education institution that will offer its students, including international students, to study in so many internationally accredited programs at the same time,” noted Tamar Lominadze.
For information, the American Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) is the world’s leading international organization responsible for monitoring, evaluating, and certifying the quality of education in engineering, engineering technology, applied sciences, natural sciences, and computer sciences.
More than 180,000 students worldwide graduate from ABET-accredited programs each year, including at leading universities such as the California Institute of Technology, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and others.
Before the summary meeting, the Rector, Academician David Gurgenidze, met with the ABET group and, with the American expert consultants, reviewed the work done by the Georgian Technical University to obtain ABET accreditation and discussed the expected prospects.
To obtain international ABET accreditation, the Georgian Technical University is simultaneously preparing five Georgian and English-language bachelor’s programs: “Electrical and Electronic Engineering” of the Faculty of Energy, “Civil Engineering” of the Faculty of Construction, “Computer Engineering”, “Computer Sciences” and “Biomedical Engineering” of the Faculty of Informatics and Control Systems.
The closing meeting was attended by the Chancellor of GTU, Professor Carlo Kopaliani, President of the University Supervisory Board, Professor Zurab Gudavadze, Vice-Rectors - Professors Tamar Tsereteli and Tamar Lominadze, Head of the University Center for International Accreditation and the ABET-accredited English-language Bachelor’s Program in Biomedical Engineering, Professor Irine Gotsiridze, Head of the ABET Expert-Consultant Group, Professor Joe Turner of Clemson University (USA), Professor Francis Edward Noel of Syracuse, Oregon and Pennsylvania Universities (USA), Professor William Henry Hayter of the University of Massachusetts Amherst (USA), Dean of the Faculty of Construction of GTU, Professor Zurab Gvishiani, Dean of the Faculty of Energy, Professor Ketevan Kutateladze, Dean of the Faculty of Informatics and Control Systems, Professor Taliko Zhvania, heads of programs seeking ABET accreditation, and quality management managers.
As noted at the meeting, the mission of the working visit of the expert-consultant group of the American Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) was to facilitate the process of internationalization of educational programs and to consult on the process of preparing university engineering programs for obtaining ABET international accreditation, as well as to discuss the compliance of academic programs with ABET standards and issue recommendations in this direction.
During the visit, the ABET team held consultation meetings with the ABET preparatory groups and academic staff of the bachelor’s programs seeking international accreditation at the faculties of Construction, Energy, and Informatics and Control Systems of the Georgian Technical University.
They discussed the self-assessment reports of the bachelor’s programs, and the documentary materials to be submitted for international accreditation, and got acquainted in detail with the educational infrastructure and the educational and research laboratory base. According to the assessment of the ABET expert consultants, the academic and research laboratories of the Georgian Technical University undoubtedly deserve high marks.
As the head of the ABET group, Clemson University Professor Joe Turner, noted at the summary meeting, based on the preliminary conclusion, it is quite possible to submit five educational programs of the Georgian Technical University for accreditation for the 2026-2027 ABET assessment cycle.
“The efforts and support of the administrative and academic staff of the Georgian Technical University in obtaining ABET accreditation for five educational programs shortly are appreciated. We have been actively cooperating with the Georgian Technical University for three years. Extensive work has been carried out, relevant recommendations have been issued, and I hope all five programs will obtain ABET accreditation in 2026-2027. Moreover, I am deeply confident that they will be involved in this very important international program,” said Joe Turner.
According to Irine Gotsiridze, Head of the ABET-accredited English-language Bachelor’s Program in Biomedical Engineering at GTU, Professor of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Faculty of IMS, and Head of the University Center for International Accreditation, work is actively underway at the Georgian Technical University to obtain ABET accreditation.
“Working meetings with ABET expert consultants are extremely important, both for each program and their implementing staff, as well as for the university in general, because this is a summary assessment of academic progress issued by international expert consultants. It is noteworthy that in 2023, the English-language bachelor’s program in biomedical engineering, for the first time in the history of our university, obtained ABET accreditation, which was the result of great work and effort. The rector, academician David Gurgenidze, and the university administration were directly involved in this difficult process. We are confident that in 2026 the university will be fully ready to obtain international ABET accreditation and, accordingly, all five programs will successfully pass accreditation in the engineering and computer science program commissions,” says Irine Gotsiridze.
According to Vice-Rector, Professor Tamar Lominadze, obtaining ABET accreditation is important for the Georgian Technical University to ensure a decent future for youth and open up new opportunities for them.
According to the Vice-Rector, the intellectual and material resources that the Georgian Technical University has devoted to implementing this important project serve a noble purpose.
“By receiving international ABET accreditation in engineering and technology, we are paving the way for our young people to receive education and practical skills of international standards, which will put them in competitive conditions in the global labor market and help them find employment. It is noteworthy that at the meeting with the ABET group, it was emphasized that the laboratory base of the Georgian Technical University is not inferior to the laboratories of the top ten universities in the United States of America. This is a great achievement for our university. In this direction, the contribution of all the people who have ensured the proper functioning of the infrastructure for the Georgian Technical University is appreciated. On behalf of the Rector, Academician David Gurgenidze, we would like to express our gratitude to the Government of Georgia, the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth - without their support, success would not have been possible. We are confident that we will achieve even greater success in the future and hope that all five programs - with the joint efforts of the rector, university administration, program leaders, and academic staff - will gain international accreditation with dignity. The result will strengthen the local and international positions of the Georgian Technical University, as one of the country’s leading higher education institutions, and increase the opportunities for our students to receive international quality education and international diplomas, thereby guaranteeing a better future for our young people. We are confident that in two years we will be able to boldly declare that not only in our country but also in the region, the Georgian Technical University will be the only higher education institution that will offer its students, including international students, to study in so many internationally accredited programs at the same time,” noted Tamar Lominadze.
For information, the American Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) is the world’s leading international organization responsible for monitoring, evaluating, and certifying the quality of education in engineering, engineering technology, applied sciences, natural sciences, and computer sciences.
More than 180,000 students worldwide graduate from ABET-accredited programs each year, including at leading universities such as the California Institute of Technology, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and others.
