The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB)
The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) is both a decision-making and policy-generating body composed of a 13-member Board of Directors. The American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) each nominate three directors for three-year terms, which are staggered at one-year intervals. The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) nominates two directors for staggered two-year terms. The directors, collateral organizations, and interested members of the public at large propose candidates for two public directors, who serve three-year terms and are elected by the Board of Directors. In addition, the executive director serves ex officio.
The NAAB was founded in 1940 to “produce and maintain current a list of accredited schools of architecture in the United States and its possessions, with the general objective that a well integrated and coordinated program of architectural education be developed that is national in scope and afford opportunity for architectural schools with varying resources and operating conditions to find places appropriate to their objectives and do high class work therein.”
Since 1975, the NAAB has accredited professional degree programs rather than schools or universities and only accredits the first professional degree program offered by any school or university. As such, the NAAB does not accredit pre professional degrees or other preparatory education that may serve as a prerequisite for admission to a professional degree program.
The NAAB is the only agency recognized by registration boards in U.S. jurisdictions to accredit professional degree programs in architecture. Because most registration boards require an applicant for licensure to hold a NAAB-accredited degree, obtaining such a degree is an essential part of gaining access to the licensed practice of architecture.
The Board elects an executive committee that includes at least one representative each from the AIA, ACSA, and NCARB, to serve as president, president-elect, secretary, and treasurer for a period of one year. At the discretion of the president, the most senior director nominated by the AIAS may be invited to participate in the deliberations of the executive committee.
The Board of Directors holds three regular meetings per year: winter, summer, and autumn. Substantial equivalency decisions rest solely with the NAAB Board of Directors.
The NAAB reserves the right to vary from these published procedures if such an action is in the best interests of a program or programs. The Board of Directors has delegated responsibility for establishing and maintaining the operating procedures that support accreditation activities, including the implementation of these Procedures, to the executive director.
The NAAB is an independent nonprofit 501(c) 3 corporation with an office in Washington, D.C. It adheres to nondiscriminatory practices and is funded equally by the AIA, ACSA, and NCARB, with a contribution by the AIAS. Directors and visiting team members are not compensated, but are reimbursed for expenses.
The NAAB was founded in 1940 to “produce and maintain current a list of accredited schools of architecture in the United States and its possessions, with the general objective that a well integrated and coordinated program of architectural education be developed that is national in scope and afford opportunity for architectural schools with varying resources and operating conditions to find places appropriate to their objectives and do high class work therein.”
Since 1975, the NAAB has accredited professional degree programs rather than schools or universities and only accredits the first professional degree program offered by any school or university. As such, the NAAB does not accredit pre professional degrees or other preparatory education that may serve as a prerequisite for admission to a professional degree program.
The NAAB is the only agency recognized by registration boards in U.S. jurisdictions to accredit professional degree programs in architecture. Because most registration boards require an applicant for licensure to hold a NAAB-accredited degree, obtaining such a degree is an essential part of gaining access to the licensed practice of architecture.
The Board elects an executive committee that includes at least one representative each from the AIA, ACSA, and NCARB, to serve as president, president-elect, secretary, and treasurer for a period of one year. At the discretion of the president, the most senior director nominated by the AIAS may be invited to participate in the deliberations of the executive committee.
The Board of Directors holds three regular meetings per year: winter, summer, and autumn. Substantial equivalency decisions rest solely with the NAAB Board of Directors.
The NAAB reserves the right to vary from these published procedures if such an action is in the best interests of a program or programs. The Board of Directors has delegated responsibility for establishing and maintaining the operating procedures that support accreditation activities, including the implementation of these Procedures, to the executive director.
The NAAB is an independent nonprofit 501(c) 3 corporation with an office in Washington, D.C. It adheres to nondiscriminatory practices and is funded equally by the AIA, ACSA, and NCARB, with a contribution by the AIAS. Directors and visiting team members are not compensated, but are reimbursed for expenses.