Frequently Asked Questions

Programs

2020 Conditions

Condition 3: Program and Student Criteria

Per the 2020 Procedures, a program should send a roster of passing students from the course(s) in which the learning outcomes associated with SC.5 are achieved and a roster of passing students from the course(s) in which the learning outcomes associated with SC.6 are achieved, respectively. These should be two separate rosters provided in Excel or Word format and emailed as an attachment to accreditation@naab.org. NAAB has created a sample Student Roster Template in word format, which is an optional tool for programs to use. Rosters should be sent no later than 60 days prior to the visit start date. Student work must be available at the start of the site visit presented in physical, digital, or in hybrid format in the on-site team room.

Note: Students or courses which satisfy SC.5 and/or SC.6 may be duplicated between the two rosters. NAAB’s random selection will be specific to SC.5 and SC.6, respectively, so there may or may not be duplication of students in our selection. If a student who appears on both rosters is only selected to demonstrate evidence for satisfying one criterion rather than both (for example, if Student X was randomly selected for SC.5 but not for SC.6), you can then annotate each example to provide respective course details and learning outcomes within the criterion being satisfied.

The program must collect all passing student work produced for the course(s) in which the learning outcomes associated with SC.5 and SC.6 are achieved within one year before the visit, or the full academic cycle in which the courses are offered.

For fall visits, student work should be from fall and spring of the same academic calendar, or spring from the prior year’s calendar if needed.

The institution/program defines what is considered passing. The syllabus typically would have the grading rubric in it. If a D is passing as defined by a program, then students receiving D would be included in the list of passing students from which work will be randomly selected. 

Student work is no longer to be marked as high-pass or minimum-pass.

It is up to the school how they choose to provide this evidence. Lecture material is required but its format is up to the school. A summary of lectures will suffice.

Copies of blank exam forms should be included for all Student Criteria (SC). For SC.1-4, programs need to provide aggregated data that demonstrates that student learning outcomes are being achieved. For SC.5-6, programs need to provide graded student exams.

If the syllabus and learning objectives are identical for each section (same project, same topics, same grading rubric, etc.), all sections are treated as one pool from which randomly selected student examples are taken. One syllabus would suffice with all faculty listed.

Programs and faculty have the flexibility to deliver content differently across sections, provided that student learning outcomes data can demonstrate that students are achieving those learning outcomes. A program does not need to show all the inputs for all sections to demonstrate that they are teaching the exact same things across all sections. However, since the 2020 Conditions are rooted in outcomes-based assessment, the program must have in place (and describe and demonstrate) a systematic process that ensures consistency of outcomes across sections. If a program provides exemplar lectures, it needs to demonstrate that student learning across sections is consistent, that it is assessed consistently, and that student achievement meets the benchmarks the program has set for student learning across all sections. Assessment data demonstrating the consistency of student learning is key to this approach.

If one course offers sections with different syllabi and learning objectives, the program must submit evidence from each section. The syllabus for each section must be provided and must all contain the information that NAAB requires).

Note: Each PC and SC is reviewed and evaluated separately, therefore syllabi need to be provided for each PC and SC that they are intended to satisfy.

For group work, include a summary of individual student contribution to the group work. Each student in the group must have received a passing grade for the class; if one student did not, that project should not be selected.  

As described in the Guidelines to the Accreditation Process, of the 2020 Procedures describes the types of evidence required for the assessment of SC.1 through SC.4. What evaluators are looking for is a description of how the program achieves and evaluates each criterion – and each part of each criterion – and evidence that the program has developed and regularly assesses student learning outcomes associated with the criterion, making changes to the curriculum and pedagogies in response to the results of these assessments.

As they prepare their evidence, programs should ensure that the evidence is identifiable and accessible to the visiting team in the supporting materials submitted: relevant syllabi, assignments, course schedules, and/or instructional materials. Consider tools such as a rubric in the program’s assessment that evaluates students’ ability for this part of the criterion and report on the results of that assessment. Demonstrate how the program has used those results to make changes or improvements to the program.

Programs may provide both curricular and non-curricular activities as evidence. The narrative in the APR and supporting evidence will need to demonstrate that all students had substantially similar learning experiences for each PC, even if not all students had the same experience. A curricular example would be all students taking one required elective from a list of three courses covering different aspects of the dynamics between the built and natural environments (PC.3).  A non-curricular activity might be a program requirement to work with a community group or organization that has different social contexts but provides opportunities to apply effective collaboration skills (PC.8).  

There is a section in the beginning of the APR template that asks programs to provide a narrative regarding progress made on each Not Met SPC from the last visit. Depending on which SPC it is, it may be evaluated as part of a more comprehensive PC or SC as part of the 2020 Conditions. In this section, the program could state that the SPC is no longer specifically required under the 2020 Conditions and therefore the program decided to (options):

  1. Include it within courses Arch xxx under PC.x (or SC.x).
  2. Include it within their curriculum as an elective or other required courses that do not fulfill SC or PC.
  3. Not include it in their program.

SC.5 relates specifically to how a program ensures that students develop the ability to make design decisions while synthesizing (SC.5) multiple stated requirements. SC.6 relates specifically to how a program ensures that students develop the ability to make design decisions while integrating (SC.6) multiple stated requirements. Though programs must define their individual approach to and assessment of the development of these skills within the accredited program, programs have found success in showing compliance with this criterion when the evidence provided relates to one project in which students are required to synthesize (SC.5) all requirements stated in the criterion. The project can be addressed in one or multiple courses. Similarly, programs have found success in showing compliance with SC.6 when the evidence provided relates to one project in which students are required to integrate (SC.6) all requirements stated in the criterion. The project can be addressed in one or multiple courses.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

NAAB Conditions define the standards that professional degree programs in architecture are expected to meet. The 2020 Conditions reflect a set of collective values that inform program and student criteria. NAAB does not prescribe a definition, but rather invites each program to define and address EDI through the relevant activities via Shared Values; Condition 5.5; and PC.8, related to EDI, in the context of their own program and their institution’s mission. Programs should state their approach in instilling these values holistically and describe how they influence the design of the culture and curricular programs for a professional degree. Programs are encouraged to develop unique learning and teaching practices and innovative methods, within their unique institutional context, for satisfying the criteria and Conditions, using ongoing assessment as part of a process of continuous improvement.

NAAB Conditions related to diversity, equity, and inclusion are not limited to a narrow set of issues but relate to issues of fairness, diversity, and social justice in the curriculum, in the work and learning environment, in the institution, in the profession, and in society at large and the range of pathways for students seeking access to an architecture education.

NAAB Conditions are outcomes-based, thereby requiring programs to demonstrate how quality assurance is validated in their programs. Programs can aggregate data from 1) all students and 2) across all courses where these student learning outcomes are being measured/assessed. The Program Criteria (PC) require that the team verifies and documents (see p. 9 of the Guidelines to the Accreditation Process):

  • The program engages in assessment of each criterion on a recurring basis,
  • The program makes modifications to its curricula and/or associated program structures based on findings from those assessment activities.

Programs should continuously review and determine whether the established student learning outcomes are being met and implement changes and/or improvements as a result of this assessment. Programs can provide meeting minutes of the discussion and documentation of all changes/ improvements.

A program is not required to have one course dedicated to equity, diversity, and inclusion. The program should describe how the program achieves each criterion through curricular or non-curricular activities that all students experience. The program can infuse the content related to DEI/SEI throughout its curriculum and develop student learning outcomes specific to equity, diversity, and inclusion; identify the course(s) where these outcomes are being assessed; and anchor them with assessment measures in the course syllabi by noting how they are being measured (projects, assignments, etc.).

The PC/SC matrix may help you map how you infuse each criterion through the curriculum and co-curriculum, and it is designed to identify points of assessment – how and where you assess whether the program “furthers and deepens students’ understanding of diverse cultural and social contexts and helps them translate that understanding into built environments that equitably support and include people of different backgrounds, resources, and abilities.”

 

Programs should describe and demonstrate how they deliver those learning experiences to all students, and how they check whether those learning experiences are achieving their desired outcomes. Programs should demonstrate that this is done, and the process and data are discussed and analyzed by the faculty and that the results of this analysis are used to make changes in the curriculum.

2020 Procedures and Digital Guidelines

Applying for Accreditation

To be eligible to pursue NAAB accreditation of an architecture program, a program must be housed in a regionally accredited institution. A listing of regional accreditors can be found here. To begin the process of accreditation, a program should schedule a consultation with staff by contacting NAAB at accreditation@naab.org. Prior to starting the process of accreditation, programs are encouraged to review the requirements for accreditation outlined in the Conditions for Accreditation and Procedures for Accreditation.

Programs seeking initial accreditation that do not currently offer a NAAB-accredited degree must complete a minimum of four years in candidacy status, whereas programs that already have at least one NAAB-accredited professional degree must have a minimum of two years in candidacy status. Additional requirements which must be satisfied in order to be eligible for initial accreditation are outlined in the Procedures for Accreditation.

NAAB terms of accreditation are effective on January 1 of the year in which the visit took place.

Site Visits

As described in the 2020 Procedures, all material prepared for accreditation visits must be provided in English, including the APR, supplemental material, and student work to be reviewed by the visiting team.

Additionally, programs whose curricula are not taught in English may be required to provide a translator to assist the team during a visit. Programs will be notified at least 30 days before the visit if they must provide a translator, who may not be affiliated with the program in any way. NAAB makes every effort to include individuals who speak the language of the program being visited; however, if this is not possible, a translator will be required.

Supplemental Information and Tools

The Program Criteria (PC) and Student Criteria (SC) Matrix can be found on the Resources page of the NAAB website.

The program should limit the designations to the primary courses in which evidence of assessment can be found. While many programs may use the matrix as a curriculum map for internal purposes, the matrix they provide in the VTR must be used to map the primary points where programs assess achievement of outcomes related to each of the criteria. The team uses this matrix to quickly find the information it needs to verify the evidence required. For SC.5 and SC.6, samples of passing student work in each course identified as the primary evidence sources on the matrix will be used as required evidence of achievement of each of those criteria. Programs may also choose to designate courses on the matrix on a spectrum of introductory-developing-reinforcing or similar achievement levels and highlight those courses that present the primary source of evidence for student achievement of the criterion.

If any criteria are expected to have been met in preparatory or preprofessional education prior to admission to the NAAB-accredited program (see Condition 4.3), indicate as such using the provided columns in the top section of the matrix.

The inclusion of Shared Values in the matrix offers programs the opportunity to define the means and methods most appropriate to their mission, context, and pedagogy to prepare students with a set of core values that are essential and fundamental to the practice of architecture. Shared Values are included in the Matrix because they need to be woven through the curriculum. Further, a response for each value identifies how the program continuously addresses these values as part of its long-range planning (Condition 5.2). They are included in the matrix as a tool to help programs ensure they do so and ensure their APR and evidence submissions are complete and programs can move through the accreditation process.

Note: If a program offers multiple tracks within the same program in which different courses are used as the primary assessment points for satisfaction of any criterion, a separate PC/SC matrix should be provided.

The 2020 Conditions and the more detailed resource, 2020 Guidelines to the Accreditation Process, serve as a program’s best and most comprehensive template for this purpose.

A Visiting Team Report Template is available on the Resources page of the NAAB website page for reference use.

Programs seeking to make a substantive change must first contact NAAB in writing to determine which procedure is appropriate or whether the changes are sufficiently expansive to warrant a substantive change application. Substantive changes must be reviewed by NAAB before implementation by the program or institution and if approved, may not be applied retroactively.

The 2020 Procedures outline the substantive changes requiring review by NAAB, including the following overarching categories of change:

  • Professional Degrees and Curriculum Changes
  • Nomenclature Change
  • Institutional Changes           

The specific type of application and additional information required will vary by the category and specific type of change being proposed. See “Substantive Changes Requiring Review by NAAB” in the 2020 Procedures for specific details or contact the NAAB staff at accreditation@naab.org on a proactive basis for any questions.

The 2022 revised Remote Location Questionnaire can be found on the Resources page of the NAAB website. It should be included in the submission of an APR for programs seeking accreditation status for remote locations, additional sites, teaching sites, and/or online learning. Programs are advised to contact NAAB staff at accreditation@naab.org for a preliminary discussion and guidance prior to submission.

Students

As required by the NAAB Conditions, each program must make its most recent VTR available on its website. NAAB publishes all VTRs after accreditation decisions are made, for use by current or prospective students and faculty, as well as the public.

Graduates of a program that loses its NAAB accreditation can still satisfy the education requirements for licensure if they graduate within two years of the date when the program lost its accreditation. See the NCARB Certification Guidelines for more information about the two-year rule.

NAAB accredits professional degree programs in architecture, not individual degrees. Licensure candidates who do not hold a degree from a NAAB-accredited program may apply for an EESA evaluation if their jurisdiction requires a NAAB-accredited degree and accepts an EESA evaluation in lieu of the NAAB-accredited degree. To review jurisdictional requirements, please see NCARB’s Licensing Requirements Tool.

NAAB does not rank its accredited programs. All programs that are granted NAAB accreditation are considered to have met the quality assurance threshold set by the NAAB Conditions and Procedures.