NCARB/ACSA Professional Practice Course Review

November 2018

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) have completed Part I of a data collection initiative to better understand the range of approaches to teaching professional practice in degree programs accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). The effort surveyed professional practice professors, analyzed syllabi and curricular models, and yielded the report found below.

“The purpose of the research was to compare and assess current coursework and instructional methods in relationship to NAAB Conditions for Accreditation and NCARB’s definitions of health, safety, and welfare. ACSA and NCARB also wanted to understand if schools providing students work opportunities, for credit, teach professional practice differently.

Another goal of the research was to identify models for integrating professional practice content across the curriculum, providing students a more integrated experience of content that they will need to use working in an architecture firm. The findings will also help inform ACSA and NCARB’s contributions to the 2019 NAAB Accreditation Review Forum.

“By partnering with the ACSA on this survey, NCARB and our licensing boards will gain a deeper understanding of how accredited programs prepare students for the realities of modern-day practice—and eventually licensure,” said NCARB CEO Michael Armstrong. “We are especially interested in identifying overlaps between curricula, the Architectural Experience Program™ (AXP™), and Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®).”

Participating Schools

(language adapted from ncarb.org)

Questions, comments, requests? Contact Kendall Nicholson, Director of Research + Information.

Academy of Art University
American University of Sharjah
Arizona State University
Auburn University
Ball State University
Boston Architectural College
Bowling Green State University
California College of the Arts
California Polytechnic State University
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Carleton University
Carnegie Mellon University
Catholic University of America
City College of New York
Clemson University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Dalhousie University
Drury University
Florida A&M University
Florida Atlantic University
Florida International University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Howard University
Illinois Institute of Technology
Iowa State University
Judson University
Kansas State University

Kennesaw State University
Kent State University
Lawrence Technological University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana Tech University
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
McGill University
Mississippi State University
Morgan State University
New Jersey Institute of Technology
New York Institute of Technology
NewSchool of Architecture and Design
Northeastern University
Norwich University
Oklahoma State University
Parsons The New School for Design
Pennsylvania State University
Pontifical Universidad Catolica de Puerto Rico
Portland State University
Prairie View A&M University
Pratt Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rhode Island School of Design
Rice University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Roger Williams University
Ryerson University

South Dakota State University
Syracuse University
Temple University
Texas A&M University
Texas Tech University
The Ohio State University
The School of Architecture at Taliesin
Thomas Jefferson University
Tulane University
Tuskegee University
Universidad De Puerto Rico
Universite Laval
Universite de Montreal
University At Buffalo, SUNY
University of Arizona
University of Arkansas
University of British Columbia
University of Calgary
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Cincinnati
University of Colorado Denver
University of Detroit Mercy
University of Florida
University of Hawaii At Manoa
University of Houston
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
University of Louisiana – Lafayette
University of Manitoba

University of Maryland
University of Memphis
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
University of New Mexico
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of Oklahoma
University of Oregon
University of Pennsylvania
University of South Florida
University of Southern California
University of Tennessee-Knoxville
University of Texas at Arlington
University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas At San Antonio
University of Utah
University of Virginia
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Virginia Tech
Washington State University
Washington University in St. Louis
Wentworth Institute of Technology
Woodbury University
Yale University

Questions

Kendall Nicholson
Director of Research + Information
202-785-2324
knicholson@acsa-arch.org