As established by the Collateral Organizations (ACSA, AIA, AIAS, and NCARB) that have funded the organization since 1940, NAAB provides accreditation services and oversight to ensure architecture programs meet key quality assurance responsibilities. In 2020, with the support of the Collateral Organizations, NAAB embraced a more comprehensive approach to accreditation, one that utilizes outcome-based criteria to assess not only whether a program effectively teaches, but also whether students are learning and demonstrating competency in their area of study. This is the mission of accreditation and is the core of the shared commitment embraced by NAAB and the Collateral Organizations.
NAAB serves academic programs by helping to maintain and continuously improve the quality of architectural education, ensuring an equitable process for quality assurance that fosters diversity in architecture programs while safeguarding the autonomy of program philosophy in individual schools.
NAAB serves the architecture practice by validating the credibility of professional degrees offered by individual schools while assuring that educational programs exceed the minimum standards necessary to prepare students for internship prior to professional practice.
NAAB serves the architecture profession by supporting efforts to ensure a continuing supply of qualified professionals while promoting the development of research and development to advance the field of professionals.
NAAB serves architecture students by assuring the quality, consistency and credibility of professional education among individual architecture programs. The NAAB-accredited degree meets the education requirement for registration in all 55 U.S. jurisdictions; it is required in 35*.
*Of the 35 jurisdictions that require a NAAB accredited degree, 12 recognize a program accredited by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB) and/or will accept an Educational Evaluation Services for Architects (EESA) verification in lieu of that requirement.