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, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards. 

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

The City College of the City University of New York, Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs: 

B. Arch. (160 undergraduate credits) 

M. Arch. (non-professional degree + 108 credits) 

Next accreditation visit for all NAAB-accredited programs: 2026 (postponed from 2025 by NAAB due to COVID-19).

The five-year professional degree (Bachelor of Architecture) is registered by the New York State Education Department.