In Canada, the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB) is the sole agency authorized by the Canadian Architectural Licensing Authorities (CALA) to accredit Canadian professional degree programs in architecture for the purposes of architectural licensure.
The CACB receives its mandate from the Canadian Architectural Licensing Authorities (CALA) and the Canadian Council of University Schools of Architecture (CCUSA) in order to:
In Canada, there are 12 university schools of architecture that have been granted CACB accreditation for their professional programs in architecture (including the MSoA). Currently, all the accredited programs offered by the 12 schools are masters degree programs: Master of Architecture (M. Arch). Accreditation is based on the overall quality of the program objectives and the specific performance criteria that students meet through coursework. A CACB-accredited professional Program in architecture prepares students to enter the practice of architecture as architectural interns. The primary means of becoming a professional architect in Canada is to obtain a professional Masters degree from an accredited school of architecture.
Follow the link below to learn more about the Canadian Architectural Certification Board and the accreditation process:
Follow the links below to learn more about the Canadian Architectural Licensing Authorities or the Canadian Council of University Schools of Architecture, mandating the CACB to accredit professional architecture programs at Canadian Universities:
Download the following CACB documents to learn more about the conditions and terms for accreditation for professional degree programs in architecture (self-assessment, public information, equity, diversity and inclusion, student composition, well-being and enrichment, space and technology resources, etc.) or the procedures for accreditation for professional degree programs in architecture (candidacy status, cyclical accreditation review process, decisions and reporting, etc.):
The McEwen School of Architecture (opened in 2013) was granted ‘Initial Accreditation‘ for its professional Master of Architecture Program (for a 3-year term commencing July 1, 2021), by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB). The School’s accreditation status covers both undergraduate and graduate programs leading to the professional Master of Architecture (M.Arch) degree. This means that the Program is now fully accredited (becoming Canada’s 12th and newest fully accredited architecture program) as it has been evaluated by the CACB and substantially meets the educational standards that comprise, as a whole, an appropriate education for an architect.
The CACB requires Annual Reports from each School. This will lead to the MSoA’s next accreditation visit in an ongoing cyclical basis.
Note that the two M.Arch graduating classes from 2019 and 2020 will have their CACB certification “grandfathered in” according to the CACB Conditions and Procedures for Accreditation. The Director of the MSoA and the CACB should be communicating with all prior M.Arch graduates sometime during the 2021 summer.
You can click on the links below to read the “Architecture Program Report” (APR), as submitted by the MSoA to the CACB on Sep.15, 2020, as well as the Initial Accreditation “Visiting Team Report” (VTR), released by the CACB in June 2021, presenting the results of the evaluation of the School’s professional Program.
The MSoA curriculum is designed as a combined 4-year BAS + 2-year MArch professional degree program, with the MArch being the terminal professional degree. Thus, our BAS degree is designed as a pre-professional undergraduate degree in architecture (i.e. both the BAS and MArch degrees are cyclically reviewed by the CACB). The majority of our BAS graduates continue to pursue their studies in the MArch program at the MSoA. However, even though our program is not yet accredited, some of our BAS graduates have also been accepted by other Canadian accredited programs to pursue their MArch degrees.
On March 19, 2019, The Canadian Architectural Licensing Authorities (CALA) confirmed the following: “that during the accreditation process of your Master of Architecture (MArch) Program, under its current Candidacy Status, your MArch graduates will be allowed to enroll in the Internship in Architecture Program prior to the MArch Program receiving Initial Accreditation. Upon successful accreditation of your school, they will be granted full certification. In the unlikely event that your school does not achieve Initial Accreditation within the prescribed time frame, the CACB will review the students’ degrees for full certification, which may result in a requirement for further course work or study.” See PDF below to read the full CALA letter. Our first two MArch graduating classes have been accepted into the professional internship programs across the country under this allowance.
Questions regarding the accreditation may be addressed to our Director:
architecturedirector@laurentian.ca
Telephone: 705 675 1151 #7204
Office: Director’s office - Downtown Sudbury Campus