Accreditation & Assessment
CCA is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC/WASC), the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), and the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB).
Introduction
Meeting exemplary professional standards
2018 Commencement Ceremony at the Sydney Goldstein Theatre in San Francisco
Multi-discipline accreditation
CCA believes in fostering the artistic and academic excellence of our students and faculty. By seeking national accreditation and assessing student learning, we ensure all a learning environment defined by its evolving, contemporary curriculum and powerfully effective pedagogy informed by current professional practices.
WSCUC
Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission
Recognized for several areas of achievement
CCA undergoes periodic reaffirmation of accreditation review by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), our regional accreditation body and primary accreditor.
In 2017 the college completed the final phase of its current reaffirmation of accreditation process. This most recent review was successful and quite fruitful, inspiring important collegewide conversations.
The WSCUC review team commended the college in the following areas:
- Financial viability and successful targeted enrollment growth, particularly in technologically oriented academic areas
- Rising retention and graduation rates
- Data-driven decision making and support for quality assurance
activities - Learning assessment processes and the use of findings for
continuous improvement - Building a strong foundation of studio-based instruction and
culture of critique - Enhancing co-curricular support through a vital Student Affairs
division and its partnership with Academic Affairs - A comprehensive and inclusive campus planning process
- A strong, positive, and constructive relationship between the
Board of Trustees and the college's administration
The reports and commission letters are available below:
- WSCUC Commission Action Letter (March 9, 2017)
- Report of the Visiting WSCUC Team for Reaffirmation of Accreditation (December 2016)
- CCA Institutional Report (submitted February 15, 2016)
- WASC Commission Action Letter (June 30, 2009)
- Report of the Visiting WASC Team for the Educational Effectiveness Review (March 11, 2009)
- CCA Educational Effectiveness Review Report (submitted on December 15, 2008)
- WASC Commission Action Letter (February 29, 2008)
- Report of the Visiting WASC Team for the Capacity and Preparatory Review (October 12, 2007)
- CCA Capacity and Preparatory Review Report (submitted July 12, 2007)
- CCA Institutional Proposal (submitted May 15, 2005)
WSCUC's next reaccreditation review of the college will be completed in 2026.
NASAD
National Association of Schools of Art and Design
Compliant with established national credentials
The National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) is an organization of schools, conservatories, colleges, and universities with approximately 363 accredited institutional members. It establishes national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees and other credentials for art and design and art/design-related disciplines.
The association also provides information to the public. It produces statistical research, provides professional development for leaders of art and design schools, and engages in policy analysis.
NAAB
National Architectural Accrediting Board
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 term, an eight-year term with conditions, or a three-year term of initial accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established education standards.
Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may require a non-accredited undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the non-accredited degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.
California College of the Arts, Architecture Division offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs:
- Bachelor of Architecture (159 undergraduate units)
- Master of Architecture (undergraduate Degree plus 90 units)
NAAB's next review of CCA's Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture programs is scheduled for spring 2026.
In 2017, both the Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture programs met all 26 conditions with five areas of high distinction:
- Building Materials and Assemblies
- Evaluation and Decision Making
- Integrated Architectural Solutions
- Integrative Design
- Use of Precedents
View accreditation and assessment reports:
- NAAB Conditions for Accreditation (as of May 2025)
- 2020 NAAB Procedures for Accreditation
- NAAB Final Visiting Team Report 2017
- NAAB Architecture Programs Report 2016
- NAAB Conditions for Accreditation 2014
NAAB's next review of CCA's Architecture programs is scheduled for spring 2026.
