Michael J. Armstrong, Chief Executive Officer, National Council of Architectural Registration Boards

The path to architectural licensure in the United States has advanced from requirements developed and implemented by each individual jurisdiction, to a series of regionally-accepted alliances, to national standards cultivated and facilitated by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). Over the course of the past 100 years, the three components of initial licensure—education, experience, and examination—have matured into a set of structured standards accepted by all 54 U.S. registration boards.

NCARB, along with its collateral organizations, is continuously reviewing, evaluating, and updating the requirements for licensure based on changes in the profession. We are honored to have convened a diverse group known as the NCARB Licensure Task Force—composed of interns, recently licensed architects, practitioners, academics, licensing board members and executives, and leaders of the ACSA, AIA, AIAS, and NAAB—to explore how the components of the path to licensure could be further integrated, and thus accelerated, within the timeframe of receiving a degree from an accredited architecture program.

Based on several years of programmatic and proposed regulatory changes initiated by NCARB, the licensure path has evolved from a strictly sequential one to a path that allows overlap at both ends: simultaneous pursuit of education and experience, and simultaneous pursuit of experience and examination. The feasibility of a complete overlap has been a topic of speculation for many years. Our unprecedented look at new opportunities to realign the licensure path is built upon decades of informal discussion, and upon a growing desire to support students whose focus and maturity would create interest in a concentrated model encompassing all current criteria for licensure.

The decision of NCARB to endorse this exploration is significant, signaling that its mission of creating tools to protect the public does not need to be rigidly focused on how the tools are arranged in the toolbox. Through this initiative, NCARB seeks to frame the approach and incorporate pre-graduation access to the ARE through the partnership and cooperation of interested accredited programs, the jurisdictional licensing boards, and the profession.  These new and enhanced partnerships will require several elements to maximize success: closer ties between the academy and jurisdictional licensing boards; the assistance of advocates within the academy and profession to address potential legislative impediments; and a new dialogue between the academy and practitioners in support of student internships.

We recognize that a program that provides participation in an integrated path to licensure is not for every school or every student.  And as in every new concept, there will be early adopters and those that require additional time. The Council anticipates that participation will be an open-ended prospect, renewing annually as adjustments are made to the program and institutions take whatever time they need to develop an approach or become comfortable with the concept.

This is not about replacing the existing multiple paths to licensure, nor NCARB controlling the curriculum, nor mandating participation. Our hope is to further enhance the path to licensure and uphold the ideals of the profession by creating new opportunities and offering new alternatives.

NCARB welcomes your engagement, respects your comments, and seeks to maintain an ongoing dialogue with all who support the Council’s strategic goal of facilitating licensure.

On Thursday, March 19, 2015, NCARB will host a workshop at the 103rd ACSA Annual Meeting for faculty and administrators at architecture programs considering this integrated path to licensure.