George Washington University
Contact
Sandra Whitehead, Program Director
Dept. phone: 202.994.2083
swhitehead@gwu.edu
https://cps.gwu.edu/sustainable-urban-planning
Public Information
Accreditation Actions
Accreditation through December 31, 2028
Last Accreditation Cycle: 2022 – 2023
Next Accreditation Cycle: 2027 – 2028
Progress Report: July 1, 2026
Summary of Recent Actions
April 2023: Program granted 5-year accreditation.
PAB accreditation indicates that the Program has undergone an external review and substantially meets the PAB standards and criteria. Programs granted accreditation demonstrated conformity with PAB Standards after a thorough review from the Board. PAB bases its decisions on the overall quality of the program, its performance relative to its mission and strategic plan, and its performance relative to PAB’s five standards, which encompass a total of 29 criteria and 18 curriculum sub-criteria. When PAB determines that a Program does not fully meet a criterion or curriculum sub-criterion, the Program is encouraged to take steps to improve in that area and provide information to PAB on its efforts, either during the next accreditation review or in an interim progress report.
The Planning Accreditation Board has required the Program to address issues in the following areas:
- Criterion 1B/ Current Strategic Plan determined to be partially-met. The Program needs to complete its strategic plan.
- Criterion 3B/ Faculty Diversity determined to be partially-met. The Program is encouraged to continue efforts to increase racial and ethnic diversity.
This information is a summary only. Please consult the school directly for in-depth information regarding programs, course offerings, and compliance with PAB standards. Programs should also be consulted directly for additional information on issues and areas of improvement identified during an accreditation review, and the actions that the school is taking to address these areas. If the Program has provided a response to any of the issues cited above, please see below for a link to the response.
August 2021: The Board accepted the report as fulfillment of the reporting requirement.
April 2019: Program granted 5-year accreditation. Progress Report by July 1, 2021 to be submitted by the Program.
PAB accreditation indicates that the Program has undergone an external review and substantially meets the PAB standards and criteria. Programs granted accreditation demonstrated conformity with PAB Standards after a thorough review from the Board. PAB bases its decisions on the overall quality of the program, its performance relative to its mission and strategic plan, and its performance relative to PAB’s 7 standards, which encompass a total of 35 criteria and 17 curriculum sub-criteria. When PAB determines that a Program does not fully meet a criterion or curriculum sub-criterion, the Program is encouraged to take steps to improve in that area and provide information to PAB on its efforts, either during the next accreditation review or in an interim progress report.
The Planning Accreditation Board has required the Program to address issues in the following areas:
- 1C/ Programmatic Assessment
- 1D/ Student Learning Outcomes Assessment
- 2C/ Student Advising, Services, and Support
- 3B/ Faculty Diversity
- 4A2d/ Curriculum: Plan Creation and Implementation
- 4A2e/ Curriculum: Planning Process Methods
- 4A2f/ Curriculum: Leadership
- 5B/ Program Leadership
This information is a summary only. Please consult the school directly for in-depth information regarding programs, course offerings, and compliance with PAB standards. Programs should also be consulted directly for additional information on issues and areas of improvement identified during an accreditation review, and the actions that the school is taking to address these areas. If the Program has provided a response to any of the issues cited above, please see below for a link to the response.
