NAAB Accreditation

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 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.

Carnegie Mellon Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited programs:

• Bachelor of Architecture (450 units)
• Master of Architecture (Pre-professional degree or equivalent + 180 units)

The next NAAB accreditation visit for the Bachelor of Architecture is scheduled for 2026. 

The next NAAB accreditation visit for the Master of Architecture is scheduled for 2030.

Accreditation Reports and Related Documents

• NAAB Conditions for Accreditation, 2020 Edition
• NAAB Procedures for Accreditation, 2020 Edition
• NAAB Conditions for Accreditation, 2014 Edition
• NAAB Procedures for Accreditation, 2015 Edition

M.Arch Reports and Documents

• M.Arch NAAB Response to Request for Reconsideration (2020)
• M.Arch NAAB Architecture Program Report (September 2022)
• M.Arch NAAB Visiting Team Report (VTR) (March 2023)
• M.Arch NAAB Accreditation Letter to Provost (December 2023)

B.Arch Reports and Documents

• B.Arch NAAB Accreditation Letter (2018)
• B.Arch NAAB Architecture Program Report (APR) (2018)
• B.Arch NAAB Visiting Team Report (VTR) (2018)
• B.Arch NAAB 3-Year Interim Progress Report (IPR) (2021)
• B.Arch NAAB 5-Year Interim Progress Report (IPR) (2023)

Career Development Information

ARE pass rates are available at the website of the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards (NCARB). To view the school’s most recent ARE pass rates, visit the ARE 5.0 Pass Rates by School section of the NCARB website. From the drop-down menu under state select "Pennsylvania" and under university name select "Carnegie Mellon University.”

Carnegie Mellon Architecture career development information available here.