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Accreditation

The Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design is accredited through the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.


NAAB

The Hines College is a member of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB).

As Noted by the NAAB:

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 University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design offers the following NAAB-Accredited degree programs:

Bachelor of Architecture
Track: 160 semester undergraduate credit hours

Master of Architecture
Track I: Undergraduate degree with architecture major + 60 graduate semester credit hours
Track II: Undergraduate degree with non-architecture major + 99 graduate semester credit hours

Next visit for all three accredited programs: Spring 2022

6. Public Information

6.1 Statement on NAAB-Accredited Degrees

https://www.uh.edu/architecture/about/accreditation/

6.2 Access to NAAB Conditions and Procedures

The program must make the following documents available to all students, faculty, and the public, via the program’s website:

  1. Conditions for Accreditation, 2020 Edition
  2. Conditions for Accreditation in effect at the time of the last visit (2009)
  3. Procedures for Accreditation, 2020 Edition
  4. Procedures for Accreditation in effect at the time of the last visit (2012)

6.3 Access to Career Development Information

The NCARB Handbook for Interns and Architects
Toward an Evolution of Studio Culture
The Emerging Professional’s Companion
National Council of Architectural Registration Boards
American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architecture Students
Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture

6.4 Public Access to Accreditation Reports and Related Documents

To promote transparency in the process of accreditation in architecture education, the program must make the following documents available to all students, faculty, and the public, via the program’s website:

  1. All Interim Progress Reports (IPR) and narratives of Program Annual Reports (PAR) submitted since the last team visit
  2. All NAAB responses to any Plan to Correct and any NAAB responses to the Program Annual Reports since the last team visit
  3. The most recent decision letter from the NAAB 
  4. The Architecture Program Reports submitted for past visits 
  5. The final edition of the most recent Visiting Team Report, including attachments and addenda
  6. The program’s optional response to the Visiting Team Report
  7. Plan to Correct (if applicable)
  8. NCARB ARE pass rates

NASAD

As of November 2023, the Hines College's interior architecture and industrial design programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The Commission granted the University fully accredited membership with no deferrals. Among the 32 schools applying for first-time accreditation, only the University of Houston and one other institution were granted accreditation.

NASAD Initial Acceptance Letter - October 12, 2023
NASAD Commission Action Report - November 10, 2023