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<p>ABET is the main CS accreditation in the US. The way to think about it is that it sets a minimum standard. An ABET accredited CS degree program can range from ok to excellent. A non-ABET accredited CS degree program can range from poor to excellent. So it is especially important to carefully evaluate the courses and curriculum if the school you are considering is not ABET accredited for CS.</p>
<p>However, it is not necessary for employment or graduate school in CS (provided you attended a school with a decent or better CS degree program, not a poor one), except in niche areas like patent law.</p>
<p>Of the “big four” schools in CS, one and a half (MIT and Berkeley EECS-CSE) are ABET accredited in CS, while two and a half (Stanford, CMU, and Berkeley L&S CS) are not ABET accredited in CS.</p>