Mission

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.

Since 1975, the NAAB Conditions for Accreditation have emphasized self-assessment and student performance as central elements of the NAAB model. The Directors have maintained their commitment to both of these as core tenets of NAAB’s criteria and procedures.

Vision: NAAB advances educational quality assurance standards and processes that anticipate the needs of academic programs, the profession, and society, to promote a better built environment.

Mission: NAAB develops and maintains an accreditation system in professional degree education that enhances the value, relevance, and effectiveness of the profession of architecture.

Core Values: The following principles serve as a guide and inspiration to NAAB.

  1. Commitment to Excellence. Foster a culture of continual improvement that seeks positive organizational transformation and responds to external change.
  2. Diversity and Inclusion. Celebrate unique institutional perspectives and ensure the inclusion of diverse populations to enrich the learning environment.
  3. Effective Communication. Articulate the value of an accredited architectural education to students, the profession, and the communities architects serve.
  4. Spirit of Collaboration. Promote transparency and collateral cooperation in the shared responsibility of preparing graduates for professional practice.

Volunteers are the heart of accreditation. Annually, 120+ unpaid volunteers spend more than 10,000 hours conducting accreditation reviews. The Board of Directors is comprised of volunteers nominated by the Collateral Organizations, who each contribute approximately nearly 500 unpaid hours per year as part of a three-year commitment.  An average of 126 volunteers (educators, practitioners, and regulators) serving as site visitors, spend upward of 80 unpaid hours per year each conducting much of the work of accreditation. All accreditation work is supported by the NAAB accreditation staff.

120+ Volunteers
10,000+ Hours
300+ Reviews