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School of Design + Construction Accreditation

Architecture Accreditation

Overview

In the United States, most registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit professional degree programs in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. regional accreditation, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture.

A program may be granted an eight-year term, an eight-year term with conditions, or a two-year term of continuing accreditation, or a three-year term of initial accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established education standards.

Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may require a non-accredited undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the non-accredited degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

Washington State University’s School of Design and Construction offers the following NAAB-accredited degree program:

Master of Architecture (M.Arch). Depending on educational background, students wishing to earn the professional M. Arch degree may be admitted to a one, two, or three-year track. Applicants are evaluated individually in the admissions process.

  • 1-year (accelerated) (2 semesters plus summer): for current WSU students with a four-year, preprofessional undergraduate degree in architecture who have met the criteria for acceptance (48 credits)
  • 2-year (4 semesters plus summer): typically for students with an undergraduate degree in architecture, or for those with a degree in an allied design discipline who have submitted application materials demonstrating the need for additional design experience (60 credits)
  • 3-year (6 semesters plus summer): typically for students with a non-architecture undergraduate degree, or for those with a degree in an allied design discipline who have submitted application materials demonstrating the need for additional design experience beyond a two-year timeframe (90 credits)

The next accreditation visit at Washington State University will happen in 2023.

NAAB Conditions and Procedures

Reports

NCARB ARE Pass Rates