School of Architecture Accreditation

 In the United States, most state 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 U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted a 6-year, 3-year, or 2-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.

Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree that, when earned sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, the preprofessional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

Prairie View A&M University, School of Architecture offers the following NAAB accredited degree program:

Master of Architecture (pre-professional degree + 36 graduate credits)
 
Next accreditation visit for all programs: 2012

NAAB accredited program requirements:
Competence in a range of intellectual, spatial, technical, and interpersonal skills
Understanding the historical, socio-cultural, and environmental context of architecture
Problem solving for architectural design problems
Integration of technical systems, health and safety requirements
Comprehend architects' roles and responsibilities in society

Accreditation of architectural programs takes place on a cycle that may range from every few years to as many as six years. Accreditation is ongoing–the initial earning of accreditation is not entry to indefinite accredited status. Periodic review is a fact of life for programs, and self-accreditation is not an option. An architecture program seeking accreditation must go through a number of steps stipulated by NAAB.  Currently Prairie View A&M University School of Architecture is accredited through 2012 (on the six year cycle or maximum term). 

B.S. in Construction Science Accreditation

We have just received our Provost approval to apply for formal accreditation.  Our program fulfills the education requirements set out by the ACCE.  We hope to be in candidate status by this fall and then start our initial self-study report.  More to follow.
 
The American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) is a 501 (c)(3) private non- profit corporation. The mission of ACCE is to be a leading global advocate of quality construction education programs; and to promote, support, and accredit quality construction education programs. The primary goal is promotion and continued improvement of post secondary construction education; specifically, ACCE accredits construction education programs in colleges and universities that request its evaluation and meet its standards and criteria.
ACCE is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as the accrediting agency for four year baccalaureate degree programs in construction, construction science, construction management, and construction technology, and as the accrediting agency for two year associate-degree programs of a like nature.

Organized in 1974, ACCE enjoys the support of the principal building and contracting national associations, the American Institute of Constructors, the constructor’s professional organization, and the Associated Schools of Construction, academic institutions seeking to satisfy the needs for well educated and trained entrants into the constructor profession.

By working together under the aegis of ACCE, persons representative of the total construction community and the public at large, construction educators and constructors establish and maintain standards and criteria for accreditation, provide guidance to those seeking to achieve accredited status, and carry out the accreditation and re-accreditation processes. In doing so, ACCE serves the interests of potential students by helping them identify institutions and programs that offer quality education in the field, and serves the interests of the industry by enabling employers to identify persons who, by reason of their education and training, have the potential for making lasting contributions to the industry and their profession. However, ACCE also serves the interests of owners/users of constructed facilities and the public at large by raising the professional caliber of constructors and thus the quality of the construction for which they assume responsibility.

ACCE and the Chartered Institute of Building in the United Kingdom have a reciprocity agreement whereby ACCE recognizes university degree programs accredited by the Chartered Institute of Building as equivalent to baccalaureate programs accredited by ACCE. In turn, CIOB recognizes baccalaureate programs accredited by ACCE as equivalent to university degree programs accredited by CIOB. This agreement was the culmination of a period of evaluation by both parties embracing academic standards comparability, exchange of procedural information and reciprocal observation of accreditation visits.