Bachelor of Architecture

The LAU Bachelor of Architecture (B. Arch.) is a five-year professional degree program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). It enables graduates to practice architecture in its wide range of applications, or to pursue graduate studies in a range of fields including architecture, urban design, urban planning, landscape design, construction management, or related areas.

The Bachelor of Architecture program begins with a common foundation year in which students are introduced to design in general. The program proceeds to develop students’ knowledge and skills in the theoretical and professional aspects of architectural design, by exposing them to current issues, complemented by a number of activities such as international studios, workshops and exchanges with architecture schools worldwide.

The total number of credits required for graduation with a Bachelor of Architecture degree is 169 credits, which can be completed in a minimum of five academic years after the freshman year.

Admissions

For more information on how to apply to the Bachelor of Architecture, please see the admissions section.

Program

For more information on the program, please consult the academic catalog.

NAAB Accreditation

After being granted NAAB candidacy status in 2013, the B. Arch. program at LAU was granted Initial Accreditation in May 2020, which applies to all graduates of the program from January 1, 2019 onwards. NAAB accreditation is a prerequisite for any architecture graduate who wishes to integrate the profession and to sit for the licensure exam in the United States. In order to meet the education requirement set forth by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, an applicant must hold a professional degree in architecture from a NAAB accredited program.

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.

Lebanese American University, School of Architecture and Design, offers the following NAAB-accredited degree program:
B. Arch. (Baccalaureate + 169 credits)

Next accreditation visit: Spring 2023

If you are interested in more details about LAU’s Bachelor of Architecture Program NAAB accreditation, read on.

Selection of Architecture Work