Master of Architecture program at CBU achieves initial accreditation

Riverside – The Master of Architecture program at California Baptist University has received its initial accreditation by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB).

“The accreditation is a great milestone,” said Keelan Kaiser, program director of architecture in the College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design (CAVAD). “Being accredited means the students are now eligible to take their licensing exams to earn national certification and acquire their license in any state.”

The program had to complete a series of tasks to obtain accreditation including completing a self-study that identified standards such as human, physical, and financial resources, in addition to having defined and established learning outcomes, Kaiser said.

Kaiser indicated that CAVAD, during its self-study, also had to identify what differentiates the program from others.

“The primary difference is that it is housed in a faith-based university,” Kaiser said. “We’re one of a small cohort of architecture schools in a faith-based university.”

Other distinct characteristics for the master’s program include smaller class sizes—the program will have approximately 150 students for the fall 2019 semester—and it is located within a populous area with a large number of architecture offices and commercial firms without other architecture programs nearby, Kaiser said.

Another requirement for accreditation was a benchmark of graduating its first class before the accreditation visit, Kaiser noted. The first Master of Architecture class graduated in May 2018.

Victor Robles, a graduate architecture student, said it means a lot to him to have the program accredited.

“The architecture program at CBU has offered many learning opportunities from networking to great projects that are highly accepted and liked by professionals,” Robles said. “Thanks to the close relationship that our professors provide, I have been able to produce work that speaks highly of the school in my opinion.”

The accreditation, which is for three years, is significant for the program, said Mark Roberson, dean of the College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design.

“We achieved initial accreditation at the earliest point possible for a new program such as ours,” Roberson said. “NAAB accreditation establishes CBU Architecture as a legitimate, recognized program that can now compete on even footing with the other programs in our region and across the country. This represents the culmination of a lot of work by a lot of people, as well as a great deal of support from the university.”