Accreditation

In 2012, the Faculty has been awarded by the international accreditation given by RIBA; Royal Institute of British Architects. It was an honourable reward due to the tangible efforts that were achieved throughout decades of a serious work. The accreditation was awarded for five years 2012-2017. It enabled students to obtain the RIBA Part I certificate after year 5 (The Graduation Year).

After few years, the Faculty envisioned that an advanced development has happened according to stepping more visible steps towards internationalization. This development has positively reflected on the level of education, quality of graduates, and staff’s teaching efficiency. The Faculty, therefore, found it was necessary to readjust validating its programme. Thus, the accreditation was successfully renewed for new five years 2017-2022 with the RIBA’s approval on the required readjustment; RIBA Part I after year 4 (Bachelor of Architecture) and RIBA Part II after year 6 (Master of Architecture).

The RIBA; Royal Institute of British Architects, is a global professional membership body driving excellence in architecture serving its members and society in order to deliver better buildings and places, stronger communities and a sustainable environment.

RIBA is the oldest accreditation body in the world. It was founded for ‘the general advancement of architecture’. 1834 the Institute of British Architects founded. After three years, it was awarded the Royal Charter by King William IV. The RIBA main aim is to improve communication, support, and engagement among its members, wherever they are located. The RIBA validates programmes at 80 schools of architecture around the world. Through validation, the RIBA indentifies courses and examinations which achieve the standards necessary to prepare students for professional practice. The period of validating a school is five years, applicable to be renewed. Shortly, the procedures of RIBA validation are as follows:

• Peer review process: it monitors compliance with internationally recognised minimum standards in architectural education and encourages excellence and diversity in student achievement.
• Visiting the school: Boards visit schools of architecture to assess the output standards of courses for exemption from the RIBA’s examinations in architecture. The boards are composed of practising architects, academics, and graduates’ representative.
• A decision: Giving a decision whether the school is validated or not and in which part the students will need.

The decision to validate programmes is depended on meeting the RIBA criteria:

• RIBA Part I: To be validated after level 3, or 4, or 5 in the Bachelor of Architecture – It testifies that the student has the adequate knowledge of the basic architectural principles, qualifying to design a complete architectural project with environmental and technological solutions and be able to prepare a full execution design project.
• RIBA Part II: To be validated after level 5 in the Bachelor of Architecture or level 6 in the Master of Architecture – It qualifies the student for the professional practice. The student can generate complex design proposals testing new hypotheses to reach visible outcomes solving real problems.
• RIBA Part III: To be validated only for the British schools of architecture – it qualifies the student to work directly in the UK.