NAAB Accreditation

National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) is the only agency recognized by registration boards in U. S. jurisdictions to accredit professional degree programs in architecture. To receive NAAB accreditation, programs must be offered by institutions accredited by an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the US Department of Education. Currently, there are 176 NAAB-accredited programs offered by 140 institutions of higher learning in the U.S. and abroad. In all 55 U.S. jurisdictions, the NAAB-accredited degree meets the education requirement for NCARB registration.

For an architecture program to obtain NAAB accreditation it must first go through the candidacy process. Candidacy is a multi-year effort that starts with an eligibility review by NAAB and continues with up to three visits to the school. Prospective students who are interested in a program in candidacy should not be discouraged by its candidacy status, but need to understand the program’s plan for achieving Initial Accreditation.

Graduates from a program in candidacy can meet the NCARB education requirements if they graduate within two years of the program achieving Initial Accreditation. If you graduate outside this two-year window your degree will not be considered accredited by NAAB, and you may need to complete additional requirements to obtain your architecture license.

Cal Poly Pomona, Department of Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited degree program(s): 

• Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) (150 semester credits) 
• Master of Architecture (MArch) (non-pre-professional degree + 90 semester credits) 

The next accreditation visits for both accredited programs will be in Spring 2031. View the criteria.