Penn State Altoona's rail engineering program earns accreditation

The rail transportation engineering degree program at Penn State Altoona has been sanctioned by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, the university announced late last week.

The program's validation makes it the only ABET-accredited rail transportation engineering program in the United States, university officials said in a press release.

"Accreditation from ABET assures students and their families that Penn State Altoona's trailblazing RTE program meets the global standards for engineering education and signals to employers that our students are prepared to be productive and innovative rail transportation professionals," said Chancellor and Dean Lori Bechtel-Wherry.

Penn State Altoona's program is the first and only bachelor of science degree program in rail transportation engineering.

According to the university's website, the degree program prepares students for careers in railroad track design and maintenance; civil infrastructure design and maintenance; railway construction management; rail-car and locomotive design and maintenance; railway signaling; rail transportation logistics; and network planning and operations.

Recognized by the Council for Higher Education, ABET is a global accreditor of college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology.