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Accreditation

The Boston Architectural College is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). The BAC’s professional degree programs are also professionally accredited.

NECHE Accreditation

Accreditation of an institution of higher education by NECHE indicates that it meets or exceeds the Commission’s standards for institutional quality periodically applied through a peer review process. An accredited college or university has the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future.

Accreditation by NECHE applies to the institution as a whole. NECHE accreditation provides reasonable assurance to the public about the quality of opportunities available to students who attend the institution.

Every 10 years, The Boston Architectural College undergoes a self-study as part of our reaffirmation by NECHE. The findings of the most recent study were submitted to NECHE (formerly NEASC) on September 30, 2016.

Boston Architectural College Institutional Self-Study for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Inquiries regarding accreditation status should be directed to the administration of the institution. Individuals may also contact:

New England Commission of Higher Education
3 Burlington Woods Drive, Suite 100
Burlington, MA 01803-4514
(781) 425 7785
E-mail: info@neche.org

Through its Board of Higher Education, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Higher Education charters all degrees at The Boston Architectural College. The BAC is approved by the Commonwealth to grant bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, and design studies.

Professional 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 Boston Architectural College’s School of Architecture offers the following National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) accredited degree program:

  • Bachelor of Architecture (150 undergraduate credits and 3,000 practice hours) - accredited since 1977
  • Master of Architecture, onsite and online (90 credits and 3,000 practice hours) - accredited since 2001

The BAC's Master of Architecture and Bachelor of Architecture degrees were successfully re-accredited in March 2018 for the full eight-year term.

Visit naab.org for more information.

NAAB Annual Program Reports 2016-2023

NAAB Interim Report

NAAB Visiting Team Report and Decision Letter

Access to NAAB Conditions and Procedures

In order to assist students and others as they seek to develop an understanding of the body of knowledge and skills that constitute a professional education in architecture:

Further, many states require that an individual intending to become an architect complete the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards (NCARB) Architecture Experience Program (AXP). The BAC identifies the point of eligibility for each student. Interested students may fulfill part or all of AXP requirements during their period of enrollment at the BAC. Many students will be eligible to sit for the Architectural Registration Exam (ARE) before graduation. The ARE is a multi-section exam used for the purposes of licensure qualification throughout the United States.

The Architecture Program Reports, Visiting Team Reports, and other required accreditation documents are also available to the public in the BAC Library.

The Massachusetts Higher Education Coordinating Council approved degree-granting authority for the BAC's Bachelor of Interior Design in 1993 and the Master of Interior Design in 1997. It should be noted that at this time, certification for interior designers is voluntary in the state of Massachusetts but is required in 24 US jurisdictions (including Maine, New York, and Connecticut in the Northeast) and eight Canadian provinces. In those states that legally recognize interior design, it is typically required that an applicant graduate from a CIDA-accredited school, participate in a monitored experience program (Interior Design Experience Program - IDEP), and pass the National Council of Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) examination.

The Bachelor of Interior Design and Master of Interior Design programs have been accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA, formerly FIDER) since 2002. The programs were renamed the Bachelor of Interior Architecture and Master of Interior Architecture in 2014 to represent more accurately the full range of knowledge an interiors professional brings to bear on the design of the built environment.

CIDA accreditation was renewed in 2009 and 2015, with the next full accreditation visit scheduled for 2021.

BACHELOR OF INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE

"The interior design program leading to the Bachelor of Interior Architecture is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, www.accredit-id.org, 206 Grandville Avenue, Suite 350, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503."

"The CIDA-accredited program prepares students for entry-level interior design practice, for advanced study, and to apply for membership in professional interior design organizations. The Bachelor of Interior Architecture granted by Boston Architectural College meets the educational requirement for eligibility to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ Exam). For more information about NCIDQ Exam eligibility visit: https://www.cidq.org/eligibility-requirements."

MASTER OF INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE

"The interior design program leading to the Master of Interior Architecture is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, www.accredit-id.org, 206 Grandville Avenue, Suite 350, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503."

"The CIDA-accredited program prepares students for entry-level interior design practice, for advanced study, and to apply for membership in professional interior design organizations. The Master of Interior Architecture granted by Boston Architectural College meets the educational requirement for eligibility to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ Exam). For more information about NCIDQ Exam eligibility visit the NCIDQ website."

Student Achievement Data

The Boston Architectural College regularly monitors our students' success in the areas of graduation, retention, and job placement. Information for Fall 2022 is as follows:

Bachelor of Interior Architecture
Graduation Rate: 43% of Bachelor Interior Architecture students graduated within 150% of program length.
Retention Rate: 67%

Master of Interior Architecture
Graduation Rate: 65% of Bachelor of Interior Architecture students graduated within 150% of program length.
Retention Rate: 87%

Job Placement Rate
As reported to the BAC's Practice Department, 73% of interior students who graduated from the BAC in 2020-2021 were employed in the field of design or a related field at the time of graduation.

The Boston Architectural College offers the following Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB) accredited degree programs:

  • Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (123 credits) - accredited since 2013
    • Master of Landscape Architecture (84 credits) - accredited since 2010

      A dual program accreditation scheduled for Fall 2020 has been postponed to Fall 2021 due to COVID-19. Both the BLA and MLA will undergo a full self-study and accreditation visit at that time.

      Public access to Landscape Architecture Program Reports, Visiting Team Reports, and other required accreditation documents are available to the public in the BAC library.

      Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board

      Mission
      The mission of the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB) is to evaluate, advocate for, and advance the quality of education in landscape architectural programs.

      Identity
      LAAB is the accrediting organization for landscape architectural programs. As such, the LAAB develops standards to objectively evaluate landscape architectural programs and judges whether a school's landscape architectural program is in compliance with the accreditation standards.

      LAAB is comprised of landscape architecture practitioners and academicians, representatives from landscape architecture collateral organizations, and public representatives. The collateral organizations are the:

      • American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)
      • Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB)
      • Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA)

      Values

      • To achieve our mission, the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board seeks to:
      • Hold itself to high standards and ethical behavior.
      • Uphold the standards it establishes in a non-punitive manner.
      • Support diversity in all its many forms.
      • Promote self-examination and self-analysis of programs and curriculum.
      • Aspire to achieve educational excellence as a predicate to professional excellence.
      • Encourage education that prepares students to succeed in a changing world.

      See the following URLs for information about LAAB and its accreditation standards and procedures:

      Regarding licensure, from the Council of Landscape Architecture Registration Boards' (CLARB) "The profession of landscape architecture is regulated by licensure boards that are responsible for administering the laws and rules of their jurisdiction. Licensing laws are established to prevent harm to those that use the built environment designed and constructed by landscape architects. Licensure is required in all 50 states, two Canadian provinces and the territory of Puerto Rico to practice landscape architecture." MLA and BLA students become eligible to sit for the exam upon completion of state requirements for the Landscape Architecture Registration Examination (LARE).