Accreditations

What is accreditation?

Accreditation, in general, is a process of external quality review used to scrutinize colleges, universities and educational programs for quality assurance and quality improvement. In the United States, accreditation is carried out by private, nonprofit organizations designed for this specific purpose. Institutions and educational programs seek accredited status as a means of demonstrating their academic quality to students and the public.

In addition to the university-wide Middle States Commission on Higher Education accreditation, HCAD programs are accredited by the following agencies:

Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) and Master's of Architecture (MArch) are accredited by NAAB,
Digital Design, Industrial Design and Interior Design programs under the School of Art + Design are accredited by NASAD,
The Interior Design program is also accredited by CIDA.

New Jersey School of Architecture

NAAB Accreditation

The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) is the sole agency authorized to accredit US professional degree programs in architecture. Since most state registration boards in the United States require any applicant for licensure to have graduated from a NAAB-accredited program, obtaining such a degree is an essential aspect of preparing for the professional practice of architecture. While graduation from a NAAB-accredited program does not assure registration, the accrediting process is intended to verify that each accredited program substantially meets those standards that, as a whole, comprise an appropriate education for an architect.

The New Jersey School of Architecture (NJSOA) offers two first professional degree programs accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB): the Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture programs.

Statement on NAAB-Accredited Degrees

In the United States, most 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 professional degree programs in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. regional accreditation, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted an eight-year term, an eight-year term with conditions, or a three-year term of initial accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established education standards.

Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may require a non-accredited undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the non-accredited degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

Accredited Programs

New Jersey Institute of Technology, New Jersey School of Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs:

B. Arch. (150 undergraduate credits)
M. Arch. (non-pre-professional degree + 90 credits)

Next accreditation visit for the B. Arch. and M. Arch. programs: 2031

Access to NAAB Conditions and Procedures

The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) requires that the following documents are made publicly available:

2020 Conditions for Accreditation – Full Document

2020 Procedures for Accreditation – Full Document

Access to Career Development Information

To further develop an understanding of the larger context for architectural education, as well as the career pathways available to graduates of accredited degree programs, please visit the links below. 