About our accreditation

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 two-year term of continuing accreditation, 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.

Iowa State University Department of Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs:

  • Bachelor of Architecture (165 credits)
  • Master of Architecture (undergraduate degree with non-architecture major + 90 credits)
  • Master of Architecture – advanced standing (undergraduate degree with architecture major + 60 credits)

The NAAB Accreditation visit occurred April 4-6, 2022. Based upon the review of the program, we received an eight-year term of continuing accreditation.

Our next NAAB Accreditation visit for all programs is scheduled for 2030.