New accreditation status confirms NSAD’s academic excellence and continued commitment to quality education and student success

San Diego—March 13, 2014—NewSchool of Architecture and Design (NSAD) is pleased to announce it has been granted initial accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Senior College and University Commission.

WASC accreditation indicates that NSAD has met its rigorous standards for quality, institutional capacity, and educational effectiveness. This is the latest accreditation achieved by the school, which currently holds institutional accreditation from the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) and programmatic accreditation for its professional architecture programs through the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB).

“We are thrilled to receive this affirmation of NSAD’s academic excellence and its ongoing commitment to high quality education for its students,” said Gregory J. Marick, president of NSAD. “We are dedicated to being a global leader in design education and to providing an outstanding academic experience that prepares students for professional success.”

WASC is one of six regional associations that accredit public and private schools, colleges and universities in the United States. Through its review processes, WASC confirms that an institution has the resources, policies and practices in place to achieve its educational goals.  As an example, WASC’s final letter to NSAD recognized NSAD’s focus on and understanding of student learning, success and outcomes.

The WASC visiting team commended NSAD “for its ongoing development from being a single-purpose institution to a multi-focus architecture and design school as it adds new design programs”.  NSAD now offers product design, interior design, game art, game programming and animation programs that have been developed in collaboration with two highly-regarded design schools—Domus Academy in Milan, Italy, and Media Design School in Auckland, New Zealand. These programs contribute to the school’s unique mission to offer students a range of interdisciplinary and global experiences.

About NewSchool of Architecture and Design
Located in downtown San Diego, NewSchool of Architecture and Design (NSAD) prepares students for career success in design fields through an emphasis on interdisciplinary and global design skills, industry collaborations and real-world projects. The school’s programs include architecture, construction management, product design and interior design. The school also offers programs in digital media arts, game art, game programming and animation. For the past two years, DesignIntelligence has ranked NSAD among the top 10 undergraduate architecture schools in the western United States in its publication “America’s Best Architecture & Design Schools.” The school’s design environment provides inspiration for the school’s students and faculty, recognized for their work regionally and internationally, and NSAD students are prepared to work in a global and diverse work environment through the school’s collaborations with award-winning schools around the world such as Domus Academy in Milan, Italy and Media Design School in Auckland, New Zealand. NSAD is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Senior College and University Commission, and the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). NSAD’s Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Architecture and Executive Master of Architecture programs are accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). NSAD is part of Laureate International Universities, a global network of more than 75 accredited campus-based and online universities offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more 800,000 students around the world.  http://www.newschoolarch.edu/.

.