About The BAC
Accreditation
The Massachusetts State Board of Higher Education charters degrees at the BAC, most recently permitting charter expansion to include the BDS and BLA programs. The BAC is accredited by the, New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) to grant the B.Arch, M.Arch, BID, and MID degrees. The B.Arch program has been accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) since 1971. The M.Arch program has been accredited by NAAB since 2002. The BID and MID have been accredited by the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research (FIDER) since 2002. The Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Program received official Candidacy Status in March 2006 and will be permitted to stand for accreditation by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB) of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) when it graduates its first class.
Architecture Programs
In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for architecture licensure. NAAB, which is the sole agency authorized to accredit U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes two types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture and the Master of Architecture. A program may be granted a five-year, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on its degree of conformance with established educational standards.
Master's degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree, which, when earned sequentially, comprise an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.
NAAB grants candidacy status to new programs that have developed viable plans for achieving initial accreditation. Candidacy status indicates that a program should be accredited within six years of achieving candidacy, if its plan is properly implemented.
Further, many states require that an individual intending to become an architect complete the Intern Development Program (IDP). This program requires a record of internship experience, generally beginning at the completion of the third year of education for B.Arch students and at the end of the first year of education for M.Arch students. The BAC identifies the point of eligibility for each student. Interested students may fulfill part or all of IDP requirements during their period of enrollment at the BAC. Many students will be eligible to sit for the Architectural Registration Exam (ARE) immediately upon graduation.
Interior Design Programs
The Massachusetts Higher Education Coordinating Council approved degree-granting authority for the BAC's Bachelor of Interior Design in 1993 and the Master of Interior Design in 1997. It should be noted that at this time, certification for interior designers is voluntary in the state of Massachusetts but is required in 24 U.S. jurisdictions (including Maine, New York, and Connecticut in the Northeast) and eight Canadian provinces. In those states that legally recognize interior design, it is typically required that an applicant graduate from a FIDER-accredited school, participate in a monitored experience program (Interior Design Experience Program -- IDEP), and pass the National Council of Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) examination.
Landscape Architecture Program
The BAC BLA degree was approved by the Massachusetts State Board of Higher Education in September 2005 and the program received Candidacy Status in March 2006 from the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB). The BLA Program will be permitted to stand for accreditation by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB) of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) when it graduates its first class.
In Massachusetts, the state registration board requires a degree from an accredited professional landscape architecture program and two years of work for a licensed landscape architect, or a landscape architecture degree and six years of work for a licensed landscape architect as a prerequisite for sitting for the licensing exam. LAAB, which is the sole agency authorized to accredit U.S. professional degree programs in landscape architecture.
LAAB grants candidacy status to new programs that have developed viable plans for achieving initial accreditation. Candidacy status indicates that a program should be accredited within six or less years of achieving candidacy, if its plan is properly implemented. Massachusetts is a title registration law state, rather than a practice registration state, but general has reciprocity with other states having licensure for landscape architects. For more details refer to www.asla.org, under the state licensing law button.