Program Accreditation
Program accreditation is a discipline-specific process conducted at the department, program, or college level by external professional bodies. These accrediting organizations assess educational programs against established standards within the field, focusing on quality, relevance, and alignment with industry needs.
The primary goal of program accreditation is to ensure that academic programs maintain high standards and provide students with a solid foundation for professional success. Accreditation assures students and employers alike that graduates’ degrees meet recognized industry criteria and hold value in the job market and for further academic pursuits.
National
All undergraduate programs at the College of Architecture and Digital Design at Dar AlUloom University—including Architectural Engineering, Interior Design, and Graphic Design—have been granted full programmatic accreditation from August 2024 through September 2027.
International
The Architecture Department at Dar AlUloom University’s College of Architectural Engineering and Digital Design achieved Substantial Equivalency from the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) for a six-year term beginning in January 2018. As the sole accrediting authority for professional architecture degrees in the U.S., NAAB occasionally assesses international programs to ensure they meet standards comparable to U.S.-accredited programs.
The accreditation process involved three visits over four years, allowing the department to engage closely with distinguished academic and professional reviewers. The first visit, led by Professor Schwartz, Dean of the College of Architecture at the University of Wisconsin, took place in April 2014. Following the success of this visit, a second evaluation was conducted in April 2016 by a team led by architect Michael Stanton and Professor Katherine Schwennsen, Dean of the School of Architecture at Clemson University. The final visit, in November 2018, was headed by Professor David Mohney, Dean of Michael Graves College at Kean University, with additional team members Architects Denis Henmi, Janet Hanson, and Nicole K. Gerou.
The success of these evaluations highlighted the department’s well-prepared academic environment, robust physical and financial resources, and its commitment to producing architects ready to contribute to Saudi Arabia’s national planning and development. With this distinction, Dar AlUloom University became the first private university in Saudi Arabia—and the third in the nation overall—to achieve NAAB Substantial Equivalency