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.
The School of Architecture at the University of Illinois Chicago offers the following NAAB-accredited degree program:
Master of Architecture (MArch) degree (prerequisite + requires 100 credits, advanced standing requires 64 credits).
The next NAAB accreditation visit will be in 2024.
Accreditation Reports and Related Documents
Architecture Program Report, 2014
Master of Architecture Letter of Accreditation, eight-year term, 2015
Five-Year Interim Progress Report, 2020
Five-Year Interim Progress Report Letter, 2021
Annual reports submitted to NAAB:
NAAB Conditions and Procedures
Conditions for Accreditation, 2014 Edition
Procedures for Accreditation, 2015 Edition
Procedures for Accreditation, 2020 Edition
Conditions for Accreditation, 2020 edition
Other Reports and Data
NCARB: ARE Pass Rates by School