In the United States, most state 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 U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted a 6-year, 3-year, or 2-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards. Master’s degree programs may consist of a preprofessional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree that, when earned sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, the preprofessional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

Professional degree programs in the North Carolina State University School of Architecture (i.e., Master of Architecture and Bachelor of Architecture) are fully accredited by the NAAB. The Bachelor of Environmental Design in Architecture (BEDA) degree, being a pre-professional program, does not fall under NAAB accreditation jurisdiction although it serves as the foundation for the two accredited professional degrees.

The NAAB Conditions for Accreditation, including the required Student Performance Criteria, can be viewed on the NAAB website at http://www.naab.org.