9.1.1    The Visiting Team. For a comprehensive evaluation, the visiting team has at least four members representing the ACSA, AIA, NCARB, and AIAS, respectively, and may include a member representing the public. If more than one degree program is being reviewed, the visiting team will have at least five members, in which case the additional member represents the ACSA.

9.1.2    Terms of Continuing Accreditation. Programs seeking continuing accreditation may receive one of the following terms of accreditation, or accreditation may be revoked.

a)         Six-Year Term. This term indicates that deficiencies, if any, are minor, and the intent to correct them is ensured. The program is accredited for a 6-year period.

b)         Six-Year Term with Focused Evaluation at the End of 1, 2, or 3 Years. This term indicates that major deficiencies may exist in meeting the NAAB conditions of accreditation and consideration of such deficiencies will form the basis of the focused evaluation.

c)         Three-Year Term. This term indicates that major deficiencies are affecting the quality of the program, thus requiring a full accreditation review after 3 years. At the next scheduled review, the program may receive either a 6-year term or a 2-year probationary term. If a 3-year term follows a 2-year probationary term, the program must receive a 6-year term at its next scheduled review or accreditation will be withdrawn. This review usually will be conducted by a team consisting of three former NAAB Directors and a person not from the NAAB.

d)         Two-Year Probationary Term. This term indicates that the deficiencies are severe enough to erode the quality of the program and that the intent or capability to correct these deficiencies is not evident.

1)         The program is on probation and must show cause for the continuance of its accreditation.

2)         At its next scheduled review, the program must receive at least a 3-year term or accreditation will be revoked.

3)         The next scheduled review of a program that has received a 2-year probationary term usually will be conducted by a team consisting of three former NAAB Directors and a person not from the NAAB.

e)         Revocation of Accreditation. Indicates that insufficient progress was made during a 2-year probationary term to warrant a 3-year term.

Accreditation can also be revoked if no APR is submitted or if the team observes substantial and uncorrectable noncompliance with the NAAB conditions for accreditation during any site visit.

9.1.3    Focused Evaluation. In requiring a focused evaluation, the NAAB will specify the deficient conditions 1 through 12 that necessitated the focused evaluation. In the specified year of the focused evaluation the Annual Report submitted by the program will be reviewed by a team of two people appointed by the NAAB.

a)         The Annual Report must include all of the regularly required three parts as described in section 7.6.1 of this document.

b)         The team will review the Annual Report along with the APR, the VTR, which includes the program’s response to the VTR if any, and any other pertinent documents on which the NAAB based its finding of deficiency.

c)         The evaluation team will confer, using any reasonable means, to determine whether the Annual Report provides sufficient evidence that the program has removed, or will remove, each deficiency in the near future. If the team reaches such a conclusion, it will prepare a report confined to the analysis of any such deficiency or deficiencies. The NAAB will provide the report to the program. No further action with respect to the focused evaluation is required by the program.

d)         If the evaluation team finds that a site visit is needed before a recommendation can be made, the team will make the visit and conclude its activities with an Evaluation Team Report, which will be submitted to the program first in draft form for correction of factual error and then in final form.

e)         The program, if it wishes, may provide a written response to the final Evaluation Team Report.

f)          The NAAB will receive the Evaluation Team Report, its confidential recommendation, and any program response, and make a decision from among these alternatives:

1)         Allow the schedule for the next visit to stand unchanged.

2)         Advance the time for the next visit while allowing adequate time for the program to prepare for a regular visit.

3)         Continue to identify the deficiencies as not met and schedule another focused evaluation before the next scheduled visit.

9.1.4    Decisions of the NAAB following a focused evaluation are not subject to appeal.

9.2.1    Institutions seeking initial accreditation for a degree program must first be granted candidacy status by the NAAB. Institutions intending to establish a professional degree program should seek guidance from the NAAB for assistance in selecting the appropriate degree program type or types before proceeding with the development of a candidacy application. Programs should also seek guidance from educational and professional consultants and the ACSA, which will assist in the development, documentation, and review required by a candidacy application.

9.2.2    To achieve candidacy status, a candidacy application must be submitted to the NAAB that includes the following:

a)         A written announcement from the institution’s chief academic officer of the intention to seek accreditation for a professional degree program in architecture.

b)         An APR documenting the extent of the program’s current compliance with each of the NAAB conditions for accreditation.

c)         The most recent report to, and response from, the recognized regional accrediting agency for the institution (See Section 3.11, Administrative Structure, in the NAAB Conditions.)

d)         When the application is complete, the NAAB will authorize a site visit by a three-person candidacy visit team.

1)         After the visit, the team, which consists of an educator, a practitioner, and the NAAB Executive Director or Associate Executive Director, will prepare a Candidacy VTR.

2)         The NAAB will review the APR, the Candidacy VTR, the viability of the program’s plans for complying with the NAAB conditions for accreditation, and any additional relevant information.

3)         If the NAAB considers the program able to implement its development plans and achieve accreditation within no more than 6 years, candidacy status is granted.

4)         Once candidacy status is granted, the program must maintain it through biennial site visits that are initiated by submitting an APR. The program pays for all direct expenses for these visits and all the usual fees associated with the accreditation process (See Appendix I.)

5)         Should a program fail to achieve initial accreditation within a maximum of 6 years, it must submit a new candidacy application.

9.2.3    The requirements for an initial accreditation site visit include these:

a)         The completion of no less than 2 years in continuous candidacy status for institutions with currently accredited programs; no less than 4 years in continuous candidacy status for institutions without a currently accredited program.

b)         One graduating class that has completed the entire professional degree program for which accreditation is sought.

c)         Evidence that the plan for complying with the NAAB conditions for accreditation will be achieved by the time of the site visit for initial accreditation.

d)         The attainment of a 6-year term for any existing accredited professional degree program in architecture in the institution.

9.2.4    When the program has met the above requirements, it may initiate the accreditation sequence described at the beginning of Section 9.

9.2.5    The visiting team for initial accreditation always includes at least four members representing the ACSA, AIA, NCARB, and AIAS.

9.2.6    The term of initial accreditation is 3 years.

Graduates of the program in the 2 years before initial accreditation qualify to take the Architect Registration Exam under the following NCARB policy:

A request for reinstatement must be made by an institution’s chief academic officer. The procedure for reinstatement is as described in Section 9.2, Application for Initial Accreditation, except that the period of candidacy shall be for a minimum of 1 year.                  

9.4     Programs at Remote Locations

A professional degree program offered at a home institution may also be offered in whole, or in part, at one or more remote locations. NAAB recognizes that these programs may vary from individual courses to semester and year long special research and professional centers, study abroad programs and Web-based courses.

NAAB recognizes that all institutions exercise extensive control over their courses and curricula including remote programs. Institutions strive to provide equity of program resources, content and quality of all academic offerings. It is the responsibility of each program to demonstrate in their APR and in the NAAB site visits that a reasonable standard of equity and performance exists for all of the graduates of their programs.

9.4.1 Submission Requirements and Review Sequence

In the last annual report (due in November) prior to the next regularly scheduled APR (due in September of the following year ) a brief cover letter providing a comparative outline of the home institution's relationship to the remote programs must be included. At a minimum, the home institution must describe the relationship and conformance of the remote programs to its administrative structure, equipment and facilities, financial responsibilities, student demographics, curriculum and student / faculty governance policies.

Upon review of this material a determination of the status of the remote program with respect to its relationship to the home institution will be made by the NAAB at a subsequent board meeting. The school will be notified prior to March 1 of the year in which an APR is due as to whether a separate APR and separate site visit will be required. In most cases, the remote locations will be incorporated in the regular site visit or an extended day visit. The criteria for the determination of the status of the remote programs are outlined in "9.4.2 Required Separate APR and Separate Remote Program Site Visits" as presented below.

New remote programs and major changes in existing remote programs must be reported in the home institutions annual NAAB report. The material presented in subsequent APR's will be reviewed by the assigned Team Chair and a recommendation presented to the NAAB for a decision as to the status of the APR and the need for a regular or "extended day" visit to programs at remote locations. The program and team members must be informed of an "extended day" visit at least eight weeks prior to the scheduled NAAB team visit.

9.4.2 Required Separate APR and Separate Remote Program Site Visits

Although the vast majority of NAAB schools offering remote programs will not require a separate APR and separate program site visit, a few unique programs do exist. The factors the Board will consider with regard to the need for separate accreditation include:
 
a. The program of study at the remote site exceeds one full academic year in length and credit;
b. The program of study at the remote site has a significantly different or independent administrative, equipment and facilities, financial, student and faculty profile, curriculum, or student / faculty governance policies.

When it is determined that the remote program is an independent program based on the criteria above and not governed by the home institution's accreditation decision, the home institution shall comply with the conditions and procedures established by NAAB in "1.7 Accreditation Sequence" for the accreditation of the remote program.

9.4.3 Review of Student Work

In all cases, NAAB Visiting Teams shall have access to student work completed at remote locations. There are several options that may be determined upon the recommendation of the Team Chair and the approval of the NAAB. It may be determined that an appropriate "extended day" site visit to the remote location is still required. Therefore, the student work may be displayed at the remote location or the home institution. The institution will coordinate the location of the display and logistics of the visit with the team chair prior to the accreditation visit.

When it is determined that a separate site visit to the remote program is not required, examples of student work performed at the remote location must be included in the Team Room during the institution’s NAAB accreditation visit. The work must be clearly identified as having been produced by students at the remote program.

9.4.4 Visiting Team Report

In all cases, NAAB Visiting Team Reports shall address the institution's remote programs relative to the conformance of their administrative structure, financial responsibilities, equipment and facilities, student demographics, curriculum and student / faculty governance policies to those of the home institution. The evaluative essence of the accreditation process is to assure the profession and the public that the conditions and performance standards for accreditation as measured through institutional and student performance criteria has been achieved in all program offerings.

9.5.1    Programs that intend to change degree title must meet the following criteria:

a)         They must first have a 6-year term of accreditation for their current program.

b)         They must submit a special report describing any proposed changes. The report should also include from the most recent APR the sections responding to Condition 12, Professional Degrees and Curriculum, and Condition 13, Student Performance Criteria. It should also include the planned first year of graduation of students in the new program and the last year of graduation of the students in the former program.

9.5.2    The NAAB then appoints a team of two to review the report. One of the two will be an NAAB director and, if possible, the other will be from the team that most recently reviewed the program in a regular accreditation visit. One will be a practitioner; one will be an academic. One of the two will be appointed team chair. The NAAB will provide the team with the program’s most recent VTR and any Annual Reports submitted by the program since its last accreditation visit. Any additional information the team needs will be negotiated between the chair and the administrator of the program.

9.5.3    After reviewing the report, the team will make a recommendation to the NAAB on whether the team should visit the school. Programs may also request a visit, if such a visit would be helpful. If no visit is deemed necessary, the team will write an evaluation of the school’s plan and submit it to the Board, along with the report from the program, for Board action.

A program that intends to close must maintain compliance with the NAAB conditions for accreditation. During a phase-out period, students who enrolled in the accredited degree program must be able to complete their entire course of study, with the necessary resources, as accredited by the NAAB.

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