Mar 28, 2024  
2020-2021 Graduate Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Accreditation


Accreditation is important for the University to be able to receive and distribute state and federal funds.  Accreditation is also important for the acceptance and transfer of college credits.  The Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Operations(link to page) serves as the accreditation liaison for the University and is responsible for assuring that compliance with accreditation requirements is incorporated into planning and evaluation processes of the institution. 

Fairmont State University

Fairmont State is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association, 230 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500, Chicago, IL 60604-1411, (800) 621-7440 x105, http://www.ncahlc.org.

Fairmont State University only reviews transferable credit from regionally accredited institutions and institutions with national accreditation that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for acceptance as credit in our academic programs. The most current listing of sanctioned accrediting bodies can be found at www.ed.gov

College of Science and Technology

The Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) professional degree program is working towards accreditation by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). 1735 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20006. (202) 783-2007 https://www.naab.org/  The M.Arch. degree is currently in candidacy status for accreditation and anticipates full accreditation in 2022. The state of West Virginia, as well as many other state jurisdictions, along with the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) recognize degrees from institutions that have been awarded within two years of accreditation.

N.B. The NAAB only accredits the Master of Architecture degree although many of the student performance criteria are fulfilled in the Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree which is not accredited by NAAB, but is a pre-professional degree. 

Statement on NAAB-Accredited Degrees

In the United States, most 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 an eight-year, three-year, or two-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 preprofessional undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the preprofessional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

The NAAB grants candidacy status to new programs that have developed viable plans for achieving initial accreditation. Candidacy status indicates that a program expects to achieve initial accreditation within six years of achieving candidacy, if its plan is properly implemented.

In order to meet the education requirement set forth by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, an applicant for an NCARB Certificate must hold a professional degree in architecture from a program accredited by the NAAB; the degree must have been awarded not more than two years prior to initial accreditation. However, meeting the education requirement for the NCARB Certificate may not be equivalent to meeting the education requirement for registration in a specific jurisdiction. Please contact NCARB for more information.

Fairmont State University, Department of Architecture, Art & Design, is in candidacy for accreditation of the following NAAB-accredited degree program:

M. Arch. (preprofessional degree + 42 graduate credits)

Initial Candidacy granted: 2018

Next visit for continuation of candidacy: 2020

School of Business and Aviation

The School of Business is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) 11520 West 119th Street, Overland Park, KS 66213, (913) 339-9356, www.acbsp.org.

School of Education

The Teacher Education program is approved by the West Virginia Board of Education and accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). The University is also a member of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) and Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). In addition, selected teaching specializations are nationally approved by their respective learned society and/or professional organization.