by Jonathan Matthew Taylor, Assoc. AIA, LEED-AP

Summary: Of the Institute’s members, 21 percent are Associates: non-licensed members who have a professional degree in architecture and/or are likely enrolled in the Intern Development Program (IDP), taking the Architect Registration Exam (ARE) and/or currently working under the supervision of an architect in a technical capacity directly related to the practice of architecture, and/or faculty members in a university program in architecture.

Aside from a love of architecture, these 17,660 individuals all have one thing in common: they are represented within the Institute by the National Associates Committee (NAC). The committee, composed primarily of a chair and a regional associate director from each of the AIA’s 18 regions, was created by the AIA Board of Directors in December 1999 and is dedicated to representing and advocating for Associates, both mainstream and alternative, in the national, regional, state, and local components of the AIA. With such diversity in this membership category, many voices come to the table, each sharing his or her particular perspective on a career in the architecture profession. For some, this involves the path to licensure; for others, it does not. Even those Associate members on the path to licensure do not all take the same road, since jurisdictional requirements vary widely.

As we enter 2008, a year that will include the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) Accreditation Review Conference, an opportunity every 5-6 years to reaffirm and modify the conditions and procedures for accreditation, it seems appropriate to begin with a review and discussion of the first milestone towards that goal: the accredited degree.

A first professional NAAB accredited degree (a BArch or MArch degree) is the primary means of satisfying the educational requirement for initial licensure/reciprocity in 42 jurisdictions. A required component of National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) model law, it is also required for council certification, the preferred facilitator of reciprocity among jurisdictions.

Seven jurisdictions (California, Guam, Idaho, Maryland, New Hampshire, Washington, and Wisconsin) do not use an NAAB accredited degree as the primary means of satisfying their educational requirement; 16 states accept work experience as their jurisdiction’s education requirement. Neither NAAB nor NCARB has authority to require that a certain degree be required. State or territorial jurisdictions have the responsibility to license architects and determine for themselves if any combination of an NAAB accredited degree, IDP, and the ARE is necessary for initial/reciprocal licensure, or if a NCARB certification is required for reciprocity.

So, should an NAAB accredited degree be the primary way to satisfy an architect’s educational requirement towards licensure?

NAAB is the sole agency authorized to accredit professional degree programs in architecture in the United States. Its stated mission is “leadership in, and the establishment of, educational quality assurance standards to enhance the value, relevance, and effectiveness of the architectural profession.” Through the NAAB process, accredited programs are recognized for meeting the NAAB Education Standard, assuring that an institution or program meets at least minimal standards for its faculty, curriculum, student services, and libraries.

And, if the NAAB accredited degree is the preferred path for licensed architects, what makes it better than a non-accredited degree, equivalent experience, or unrelated background?

Per the NAAB.org Web site, there are approximately 155 accredited programs at about 115 institutions. NAAB accredited schools graduate approximately 4,500 persons each year.

With the number of Baby Boomer architects expected to retire in the next 20 years, will there be enough new young architects to take over the leadership of the profession?

Tandem with the podcast link in the right-hand column of this page is a question for you on the NAC blog: “Should an NAAB accredited degree be the primary way to satisfy an architect’s educational requirement towards licensure?” As a graduate of Syracuse University, my response is an emphatic yes. What about you, and why?