2015 Procedures for Accredidation

SECTION 4. PROCEDURES FOR CANDIDACY AND INITIAL ACCREDITATION Initial candidacy and initial accreditation for a new professional degree program in architecture requires the completion of five important steps that are reviewed by the NAAB staff and the NAAB directors.

For institutions that already have at least one NAAB-accredited professional degree program, some of these steps may be waived or modified. Generally, the steps are as follows: 1. Application to establish candidacy status 2. Determination of eligibility 3. Initial candidacy visit 4. Subsequent evaluations toward accreditation 5. Initial Accreditation Schools should work with the NAAB to establish a calendar for candidacy and initial accreditation.

Consultation & Support Institutions interested in establishing a NAAB-accredited, professional degree program in architecture are encouraged to contact the NAAB staff, administrators and faculty members from institutions with NAAB-accredited degree programs, the ACSA, and professional consultants for advice and counsel in selecting appropriate degree types and for assistance in preparing the necessary documentation, especially the Plan for Achieving Initial Accreditation.

If an institution seeks to establish more than one NAAB-accredited program, the applications must be made separately. The NAAB will not accept applications for candidacy for more than one program at a time from the same institution.

The period of candidacy to initial accreditation may vary, but is no longer than six years. Should a program fail to achieve initial accreditation within the maximum period, it must submit a new candidacy application.

1. Candidacy Application. Institutions seeking initial accreditation for a professional degree program in architecture must first be granted candidacy status by the NAAB. The first step in achieving candidacy status is to submit an application for candidacy. A complete application must include the following: a. A letter from the institution’s chief academic officer announcing the intention to seek candidacy for accreditation for a professional degree program in architecture. The letter should include the specific degree name (i.e., B. Arch., M. Arch., or D. Arch.) along with any prerequisites and the total number of credits to be awarded. b. The most recent decision letter from the recognized, U.S. regional accrediting agency for the institution (See 2014 NAAB Conditions for Accreditation, Part II: Section 2.1, Regional Accreditation). c. The Plan for Achieving Initial Accreditation (see Section 2). d. Applications may be submitted in electronic format only.

25