The Board of Architects Malaysia was formed under the provisions of the Architects Act 1967 and it is responsible for the enforcement of the said Act. Section 10 (1)(a) of the Act, stipulates the following :

"10(1)(a) Subject to this Act, any person who holds the qualification recognised by the Board, shall be entitled on application to be registered as a Graduate Architect".

Under Section 4(1) of the Act, the Board is empowered :

“(gb) to appoint a council, consisting of such members of the Board, Professional Architects and other persons as may be determined by the Board, to advise and regulate all matters relating to architectural and interior design education including the certification and recognition of such programmes.”.

In this policy and procedure, unless the context otherwise requires –

'Accreditation' refers to the official acceptance and endorsement that a particular programme has been assessed and accredited to have attained the approved standard required by the Council of Architectural Education Malaysia, and that its graduates are deemed to possess the competencies required to progress towards registration as a Graduate Architect with the Board of Architects Malaysia.

A programme that has been accredited is referred to as a recognised programme by the Board.

'Board' refers to the Board of Architects Malaysia.

'Credit Hours or Credit Units' refer to the weightage given to each course which is required for the completion of the total programme.

'Conditional Accreditation' means the school still enjoys the same privileges under full accreditation but must take action on the shortcoming identified by the Panel. If fulfilled the conditional accreditation can be upgraded to full accreditation for a period of five (5) years which shall deem to commence from the date of the conditional accreditation.

'Council' refers to the Council of Architectural Education Malaysia or CAEM formed under the auspices of the Board.

'Core Courses' refer to courses of substantial credit value which relate to architecture.

'Course' refers to a subject of study which runs for multiple weeks involving contacts with academic staff and other students in a variety of forms including lectures, tutorials, seminars and workshops as well as on-line and electronic communication.  A number of courses may make up a sequence of study, eg. Architectural Design 1, Architectural Design 2, etc.

'Electives' refer to a range of courses offered by the programme for the purpose of pursuing individual interests or specific needs in addition to the core courses.

'Panel' refers to the Visiting Panel set up by the Council.

'Programme' refers to the sequence of courses taken to qualify for the degree or award in which a student is enrolled.

'School' refers to the entity within a tertiary educational institution that conducts the architectural programme leading to an award of qualification in architecture

Accreditation of educational programmes in architecture seeks primarily to ensure that the standards attained by successful graduates of the programmes are adequate with regard to the design, technical and professional skills required for competent architectural practice.

The duration of education and training for architects is structured into three (3) consecutive stages namely LAM Part I and LAM Part II, to be delivered in five (5) years of formal education, followed by a professional qualification of LAM Part III to be obtained after two (2) years of approved practical experience.

An architectural programme which has been accredited by the Board shall be deemed to have satisfied the requirements of either LAM Part I, LAM Part II or both LAM Part I and Part II of the Board’s examination in architecture.

Towards this objective, the Board assesses the programmes of study leading to the awards of qualifications in architecture and accredits programmes which are in line with the requirements of the Board.

Institutions conducting a programme having the word 'architecture' or 'architectural' in the name of programme or the award are required to get the advice of the Board at the inception of such programmes.

The word 'architecture' in a programme

Accreditation process is conducted upon the application of the institution offering the architectural programme.

Application for Accreditation

If the institution runs more than  one programme of study in architecture and wishes the programme to be accredited, the institution is required to apply for the accreditation of each of the programme separately.

Running more than one programme

If an institution wishes to run a programme at a different location or mode, the institution is required to apply for separate accreditation of such programme.

Accreditation  of the programme  of study is for a period of not exceeding five years and shall lapse at the expiry thereof.

Accreditation period 

The Board is empowered to require institutions to provide information on the accredited programme or programmes and to visit the institutions as and when necessary.

When there are minimal shortcomings to the programme, the Board may grant conditional accreditation during which time the institution must take necessary corrective measures to address the shortcoming, within a period of  up to two years failing which the accreditation shall be withdrawn

Conditional Accreditation

Architectural     education     should     ensure    that    all graduates have knowledge and ability in architectural design, including technical systems and requirements as well as consideration for health, safety and ecological balance; that they understand the cultural, intellectual, historical, social, economic and environmental context for architecture, and that they comprehend thoroughly the architects’ roles and responsibilities in society, which depend on a cultivated, analytical and creative mind. The programme of study should address the various issues outlined in APPENDIX A.

Learning Outcome

4.9

Duration

4.9.1

For LAM Part I accreditation, the programme shall be of no less than three (3) years duration after Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) or the equivalent, or of no less than four (4) years duration after Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) or the equivalent, delivered on a full time basis

4.9.2

For LAM Part II accreditation, the programme shall be of no less that two (2) years duration upon registration of a full time programme.

4.9.3

For both LAM Part I and Part II accreditation, the programme shall be of no less than five years duration after Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) or the equivalent, or of no less than six years duration after Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) or the equivalent, delivered on a full time basis.

4.9.4

Any programme delivered on part time basis must show evidence of equivalency as stated in paragraphs 4.9.1, 4.9.2 and 4.9.3

4.10

The minimum credit requirement  for  an academic  programme  in architecture is 150 credits and the distribution is as follows :-

LAM Part I  : Minimum 90 credits
LAM Part II : Minimum 60 credits

The allocation of credits shall be in the following proportion:-

a)   Architectural core courses minimum 70%
b)   Architectural related studies : 10 - 15%
c)   Others : 15 - 20%

For details please see APPENDIX B.

 4.11

Major changes in syllabus and curriculum of accredited programmes have to be presented to the Council for advice.  These refer to changes involving the following aspects:-

• Underlying philosophy of programme 
• More than 40% of programme content
• Location and mode of delivery
• Name and duration of award 

 4.12

The students’ admission system must ensure that only qualified candidates are admitted into the programme.  For details please see APPENDIX C.

Entry requirements 

 4.13

The teaching staff must be sufficient in number and capability to ensure the quality of the programme. For details please see APPENDIX C.

Staff 

4.14

There must be dedicated work space for each student in a studio with an allocation of 2.5 sq.m per student. Inability to provide this requirement, the institutions has to substantiate with evidence showing occurrence of sharing and peer learning. Apart from dedicated studio space, institutions should also provide spaces for presentation and exhibition of student’s works.

Facilities 

4.15

There should also be other related facilities such as laboratories, model making workshop, building technology workshop, repository of students’ works, facilities for research, advanced studies, information and data exchange for new technologies to support effective learning environment.

4.16

The programme must have adequate access to institutional support and financial resources to ensure the ongoing viability of the programme.

Finance

Schools of Architecture seeking accreditation from the Board should apply to :

Honorary Secretary
Council of Architectural Education Malaysia
c/o Board of Architects Malaysia
17th Floor, Block F, PWD Headquarters
Jalan Sultan Salahuddin
50582 Kuala Lumpur

Preliminary Visit :

Newly established schools are advised to consider requesting for a preliminary visit by the CAEM Panel to advise the implementation of the programme.  Such visits can be requested as early as in final semester of the second year.

Application for accreditation shall be submitted to the Council  before the first cycle of the programme is completed i.e when the first batch of students are in their final semester. Such application shall be submitted at least six (6) months before the intended accreditation visit.

AAccreditation Visit :

Panel from CAEM would visit the School to assess the standard of architectural education at the end of either Part I or at the end of the Part I & II of the School’s syllabus, where relevant.

The documentation of information as prescribed in APPENDIX D shall be submitted to the Council one month prior to the visit of the CAEM Panel.

The application for continuing the accreditation shall be submitted at least six (6) months before the expiry of the original accreditation period. The submission of documentation to the Council shall be made at least one (1) month before the visit. Additional documents submitted thereafter may not be taken into consideration by the Panel in assessing the programme

To prepare for the visit of Panel, the School shall make ready items as described in APPENDIX E.

5.8

 Where Conditional Accreditation has been awarded (Paragraph 4.7 refers), interim visits may be necessary and/or the School may be required to furnish information as prescribed by the Panel.

5.9