The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) establishes the minimum credit requirements for the following degrees:
Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch): 150 semester credit hours, or the quarter-hour equivalent, in academic coursework in professional studies and electives.
Master of Architecture (M.Arch): 168 semester credit hours, or the quarter-hour equivalent, of which 30 semester credit hours, or the quarter-hour equivalent, must be at the graduate level in academic coursework in professional studies and electives.
Doctor of Architecture (D.Arch): 120 undergraduate semester credit hours, or the undergraduate-level quarter-hour equivalent, and a minimum of 90 graduate-level semester credit hours, or the graduate-level quarter-hour equivalent, in academic coursework in professional studies and electives.
3/3.5-year M.Arch programs currently meet the requirements for the D.Arch. This petition aims to gather support for a retroactive title change from M.Arch to D.Arch for 3/3.5 M.Arch alumni who meet the requirements for D.Arch.
The petition will be sent to the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), and the National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB) with the intent to foster a national mandate.