Architect boards endorse licensure at graduation

Still facing a major state licensing exam and required internships, sometimes people completing professional school programs wonder what all the graduation celebration is about. So making licensure part and parcel of graduation from professional schools like those in medicine, accounting, nursing and architecture is a step that many people think makes sense. But professional groups have been wary.  In an unexpected move, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) announced in May that it is endorsing licensure upon graduation for architects.  As an alternative to the traditional licensure process, candidates for an architect license could complete their required licensing exams and internships while they are still students.

The move comes as a result of recommendations by a special Licensure Task Force, a group of volunteers that count among their members the former NCARB President, past and current NCARB members, the National Architectural Accrediting Board, the Association of Colleges and Schools of Architecture, interns, newly-licensed architects, deans and instructors, and many more industry groups.

The goal of the new program is to facilitate the licensing process, while still preserving the high standards necessary for the protection of public health and safety, NCARB says. Just entering its second year, the program will now begin to work with schools that are interested in implementing the program.

If successful, the program may pave the way for a simplified, more-streamlined, and more-efficient process for licensing in other disciplines.

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