March 2026 Chapter Meeting: From ABET to HVAC: What an Accredited Engineering Education Includes for HVAC Career Paths

Topic: From ABET to HVAC: What an Accredited Engineering Education Includes for HVAC Career Paths.

Description: Managers and mentors are the front lines of transitioning new engineering graduates into professional HVAC practice for both engineer and non-engineer roles. Most of these engineering students have graduated from programs that have been accredited through a rigorous process administered by ABET, a non-profit, non-governmental agency.

ABET defines required student outcomes and program criteria, while allowing for significant flexibility in how each program meets them.

This talk will examine the following:

Explain how ABET accreditation works, including program criteria and accreditation paths
Distinguish between engineering and engineering technology programs, and the classification’s impact on engineering licensure
Identify what is and isn’t included in an ABET-accredited mechanical engineering curriculum, and how that prepares graduates for both engineer and non-engineer roles within the HVAC industry.

Presenter: Matt Price, P.E. | Founder

Day 3 Academy

Matt Price, P.E. serves as East Tennessee Chapter CTTC Chair and President-Elect and leads Day 3 Academy, an education company for new construction industry professionals. Matt was a student member of ASHRAE at the University of Tennessee and worked as a process engineer for Nissan before moving into the HVAC industry as a mechanical equipment account executive.