The long-term objective of the Invitational Accreditation/Validation Round Table is to achieve a mutual recognition agreement/accord between the respective accreditation systems of the attendees. Such recognition will be a direct benefit to architects who wish to practice globally.

The attendees of the Round Table are representatives of various national, regional and global organizations responsible for, or interested in, the accreditation/validation of architectural education. The shared goal of the participants is to develop an accord for the recognition of accreditation/validation systems which would allow graduates from a study program/course of architectural education accredited by one of the represented systems to be accepted as substantially equivalent by another, subject to additional requirements imposed by local law. It was further agreed that such a goal could be achieved by an international protocol that would contribute significantly to the quality of architectural education. The parties recognized that substantial similarities exist among the systems, including respect for cultural diversity, and processes for accreditation/validation of study program/courses in architecture. The participants expressed their commitment to continue the dialogue started at this Conference with the intent of establishing such a protocol.

The First Invitational Accreditation/Validation Round Table was held in Washington, DC, USA in 2006. In 2007 the Round Table met in Ottawa, Canada and in 2008 the meeting is scheduled to be held in Canberra, Australia. 

For more information about the International Roundtable click here.