Accreditation

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Architecture Accreditation

In the United States, most registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional 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: Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Architecture, and 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 University of Maryland’s School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs:

M. ARCH (pre-professional degree + 60 graduate credits)
M. ARCH (non-pre-professional degree + 105 credits)

The next accreditation visit is Spring 2026.

For more on NAAB, visit www.naab.org. Licensure requirements vary by jurisdiction; check specifics at NCARB's licensing tool.

NAAB Architecture Program Report and NAAB Visiting Team Reports

The Architecture Program Report (APR) is a self-analytical document describing how a program meets accreditation conditions. The Visiting Team Report (VTR) assesses the program's compliance with accreditation conditions based on student learning, program capacity, and the learning environment. The NAAB Board of Directors reviews VTRs annually in July, considering visiting team recommendations to determine accreditation terms. Accreditation terms are communicated via a formal letter to the university's president and are effective January 1 of the visit year, expiring January 1 of the scheduled visit year unless extended by NAAB.

PDFS:

NAAB Documents

For a better understanding of the conditions and procedures for accreditation, see the documents below. For additional information, visit www.naab.org.

Architects Registration Examination Pass Rates

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards publishes pass rates annually for each section of the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) by institution. This information may be useful for planning your higher/post-secondary education.

Annual ARE Pass Rates

Path Toward Licensure: Education, Internship, and Examination

Licensure ensures architects have the skills and knowledge to protect public health, safety and welfare. The path toward licensure includes:

Education: Provides foundational skills and knowledge. Resources include the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and the National Architectural Accrediting Board for accredited programs.

Internship: Offers practical experience through the Architectural Experience Program (AXP), under a licensed architect's supervision. Interns are paid while learning. NCARB provides information on internships and examinations.

Examination: Candidates must pass the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) to offer architectural services. NCARB is the primary resource for ARE information.

Resources: The American Institute of Architects (AIA) offers information on the profession. In Maryland, AIA's State Licensing Advisor assists with IDP and ARE queries. Within the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, the NCARB Architect Licensing Advisor is Associate Clinical Professor Brittany Williams.

Urban Studies & Planning Accreditation

The Urban Studies and Planning Program's Master of Community Planning (M.C.P.) degree is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB). The Planning Accreditation Board accredits university programs in North America leading to bachelor’s and master’s degrees in planning. The Planning Accreditation Board standards are developed with input from the public and sponsoring organizations, including the American Planning Association (APA), APA’s American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP). The M.C.P. was first accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board in 1984, and the program's most recent accreditation review was conducted in the fall of 2019.

Student Achievement:

Student achievement is mostly measured at the course level. Each instructor develops course objectives, rubrics, processes, deliverables and potentially other methods to assess student achievement levels. At the program level, there is a balance between soft and hard skills that the program aims for to attain a well-rounded planning formation, including self-reflection, critical thinking, participation, oral and other presentation skills, community engagement skills, professionalism (including punctuality, respect, courtesy, hard-work, self-direction) and qualitative planning methods for the so-called “soft” skills, and quantitative planning methods, economic analysis, modeling, scenario planning and data analytics for the so- called “hard” skills. Students are also afforded real life planning experience though a 300-hr internship requirement in a planning agency. Students are invited, encouraged, and supported to participate in competitions (e.g., ULI), public presentations of projects at government agencies, planning conferences (e.g., APA chapter or national conferences), etc.

2024-25 Tuition and Fees

IN-STATE RESIDENTS, PER FULL-TIME ACADEMIC YEAR: $21,654.44

OUT OF STATE RESIDENTS, PER FULL-TIME ACADEMIC YEAR: $46,956.4

Student Retention Rate

Percentage of students who began studies in Fall 2023 and continued into Fall 2024: 76%

Student Graduation Rate:

Percentage of students graduating within 4 years, entering class of 2020: 93%

Number of Degrees Awarded:

Number of degrees awarded for the 2023-2024 Academic Year: 18

AICP Pass Rate:

Percentage of master’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 3 years who pass, graduating class of 2020: N/A

Employment:

Percentage of all graduates obtaining professional planning, planning-related, or other positions within 12 months of graduation, graduating class of 2022: 88%

PDF:

2024 PAB Annual Report URSP