Conditions and Procedures
The Conditions and Terms for Accreditation and Procedures for Accreditation are the two guiding documents for the accreditation of Programs offering professional degrees in architecture. They outline the requirements that the accredited Programs must meet and the procedures to follow to ensure a uniform, fair, and equitable accreditation process that will uphold the minimum standards in architectural accreditation. The CACB Conditions and Terms for Accreditation and the CACB Procedures for Accreditation are companion documents that should be read together.
In June 2025, the CACB Board of Directors approved revisions to the 2017 Procedures for Accreditation. All programs are required to use this revised edition. Read more about the changes below.
2017 Conditions and Terms for Accreditation
The 2017 version still refers to the Canadian Architectural Licensing Authorities (CALA), which has been known as the Regulatory Organizations of Architecture in Canada (ROAC) since February 2022.
2017 Procedures for Accreditation (Revised Edition, July 2025)
Read the information below regarding the 2025 revisions to the 2017 Procedures.
2025 Revisions to 2017 Procedures for Accreditation
In June 2025, the CACB approved revisions to the 2017 Edition of the Procedures for Accreditation to align them with procedures introduced since 2022. These revisions take effect on July 1, 2025.
The revisions are intended to better support programs in preparing for accreditation visits and to assist visiting teams in carrying out their evaluations.
Below is a summary of the revisions.
1. Content and Procedures Streamlining: Several sections have been reformatted to enhance clarity, including an expanded Overview, Mission, and Mandate. The Accreditation Review Process section has also been revised and now includes an introduction designed to help non-accredited programs better understand each phase of the process.
2. Terminology Update – “Maintenance” Renamed “Continuing”: The term Maintenance has been replaced with Continuing to align with terminology used by other accreditation bodies and to emphasize that accreditation is reviewed on an ongoing basis, as determined by the previous term of accreditation.
3. Integration of the Virtual Phase into Visit Preparation: The virtual phase, introduced during the 2024 accreditation visits, is now part of teh Procedures under the Visit section. This update highlights the associated activities and requirements. Phases are detailed in chronological order in Sections 2.1 through 2.3.
4. Clarification on the Virtual Exhibition of Student Work: The Virtual Exhibition of Student Work is hosted on a secure, program-selected digital platform for the Visiting Team to review organized and clearly labeled student work.
5. Clarification of the Sequences and Requirements for Maintenance Accreditation: The Annual Report section now clearly specifies submission requirements and due components according to the accreditation term year. The Automatic Certification section has been expanded to provide more detailed guidance.
6. Update of Appendices: Appendix 3 now includes the hybrid portion of the visit agenda. Appendices 4, 5, and 6 have been revised by replacing lengthy comment boxes with Likert scales to enable faster and more efficient completion. Appendix A7 has been updated to incorporate the approved version from the Working Group on Funding the Accreditation Program.