ABET was established in 1932 as the Engineers' Council for Professional Development (ECPD) by seven engineering societies: The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers - now the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the American Institute of Electrical Engineers - now the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education - now the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and the National Council of State Boards of Engineering Examiners - now the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).
ECPD was originally founded to provide a "joint program for upbuilding engineering as a profession". However, it almost immediately began developing as an accreditation agency, evaluating its first engineering program in 1936 and its first engineering technology program in 1946.
ECPD changed its name to Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in 1980, and changed it again to ABET, Inc. in 2005.