The University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning has an admission policy that actively encourages applicants from protected groups and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or veteran status. Admission is competitive, and applicants are reviewed according to the admission criteria. Acceptance of students in the pre-professional, professional, and advanced graduate programs is determined on the basis of the applicants' qualifications and experience. However, since the school's size is limited, the programs may exercise discretionary powers of selection. Courses and programs offered by the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning may include an instructional support services fee.
National Architectural Accreditation Board Statement on Accreditation: 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 professional degree programs in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. regional accreditation, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted a(n) 8-year, 3-year, or 2-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.
Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may require a pre-professional undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree. The University at Buffalo is the only campus in the State University of New York system to offer the accredited professional master of architecture (MArch) degree.
The University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs:
- MArch 2-Year (pre-professional undergraduate degree + 64 graduate credits)
- MArch 3.5-Year (non-pre-professional undergraduate degree + 112 graduate credit)
Next accreditation visit for all programs: 2023
Visit the NAAB Accreditation website for more information on University at Buffalo Architecture NAAB Statement on Accreditation.
Studio Culture Policy Statement. The Department of Architecture in the School of Architecture and Planning at the University at Buffalo acts in accordance with the National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) studio policy requirement. Therefore, all studio faculty and/or departmental administrators agree to:
- Provide students with a syllabus that complies with the University at Buffalo syllabus guidelines, and includes a studio description, objectives, evaluation methods, and grading policies.
- Encourage students to lead balanced lives. This includes regular sleep and exercise, healthy eating habits, and breaks for non-architecture related endeavors.
- Assist students in developing effective time management strategies.
- Integrate knowledge and information acquired in other architecture courses in studio, when possible.
- Integrate knowledge and information acquired in other disciplines in studio, when possible.
- Encourage collaboration both within the studio, and, when appropriate, outside of the studio.
- Provide guidance to new instructors on studio curriculum development.
- In addition to existing guidance and grievance procedures, the department will establish an ombudsman group, comprised of University at Buffalo architecture alumni, to act on behalf of students who are having difficulty with studio culture. All concerns expressed to this group will be kept in confidence unless otherwise expressed by the student.
- Foster a constructive atmosphere in design reviews that promotes critical dialogue between students and reviewers.
- Promote theories, research, and experiences that increase students' awareness of multi-cultural issues.
Approved by the voting faculty of the University at Buffalo Department of Architecture: 4/2005.