Dunwoody College of Technology, a leader in hands-on technical education, is proud to announce that its Bachelor of Architecture (BARCH) program has received reaccreditation through the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), building upon the program’s initial accreditation in 2019. Dunwoody now stands as the second educational institution in Minnesota to provide an accredited Architecture program. The renewed accreditation is valid for eight years.
“I’m so impressed with the growth and maturation I’ve seen in this program over the past few years,” said Trevor Bullen, Dunwoody College of Technology’s Academic Dean for the School of Design. “This recognition is a testament to the dedication and brilliance of Dunwoody’s faculty and students, without all of whom none of this would be possible. We’re thrilled to continue being a leader in architectural education.”
Dunwoody’s BARCH program provides students with project-based, hands-on learning with a focus on career readiness to jumpstart students’ careers and shorten their path to licensure. The BARCH program is a five-year, professional undergraduate degree that serves as an evolution and expansion of one of the College’s two-year associate’s degree programs: Architectural Drafting & Design, which originally began as Architectural Drafting & Estimating in 1914.
“Accreditation from the National Architectural Accrediting Board shows prospective students and our greater community that Dunwoody’s Bachelor of Architecture program is one of the best in the nation,” explains Bullen. “This assures students and their families that the program will prepare them for a long and successful career in the field of architecture.”
The BARCH program at Dunwoody boasts a 100 percent job placement rate of its graduates, according to the 2021-2022 Career Services Annual Report. This is due to Dunwoody’s history of career readiness among its graduates, which involves a practice-based curriculum, a professional-focused philosophy, and actively practicing faculty. The school roots its architectural education in a tradition of community engagement, social responsibility, and leadership in the profession, both locally and globally. This approach gives students a unique perspective on the architecture industry and the insight needed to succeed in an ever-changing field.
NAAB provides accreditation and oversight services for educational institutions to ensure the quality of architecture programs across the United States, using established criteria. The accreditation serves as a mark of distinction for educational institutions and offers various benefits to students, education programs, and the architecture industry at large. There are currently 175 NAAB-accredited programs across the United States and two in Minnesota.
For more information on Dunwoody’s Bachelor of Architecture program, and other programs that are preparing the next generation of doers, visit https://dunwoody.edu/design/architecture/ or follow the College on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
ABOUT DUNWOODY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
Founded in 1914, Dunwoody College of Technology is the only private, not-for-profit technical college in the Upper Midwest. Having provided hands-on, applied technical education to more than 250,000 individuals, Dunwoody is the college for experimenters and makers, a place where the curious and the confident learn by doing. Located in Minneapolis, Dunwoody offers a unique campus experience in dedicated labs, studios, and shops that treats students like future professionals from day one. With certificates, associate’s, and bachelor’s degrees in more than 40 majors – including engineering, robotics, design and other STEM-related fields – Dunwoody challenges students to come determined and graduate destined.