At the 2015 Annual Business Meeting of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), Member Boards agreed on Saturday to discontinue the current Broadly Experienced Foreign Architect (BEFA) Program in favor of a simplified alternative for receiving an NCARB Certificate.
The change, effective July 1, 2016, will optimize the process for foreign architects who are licensed but do not currently meet the requirements for the NCARB Certificate. This credential facilitates licensure among jurisdictions and signifies that an architect has met national standards for licensure established by registration boards.
“We wanted to remove some of the unnecessary financial and administrative impediments for this group by refocusing on the nationally accepted standards for licensure." —Dale McKinney, NCARB President
The new alternative for foreign licensees will replace the current BEFA Program’s requirements, eliminating the committee dossier review and the need to document seven years of credentialed practice in a foreign country. Instead, foreign architects will be required to document completion of the Intern Development Program (IDP) experience requirements and successfully complete the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) to obtain NCARB certification.
“NCARB Certification provides an important career advantage, opening up future job opportunities throughout the U.S. and providing free online continuing education,” said NCARB President Dale McKinney, FAIA, NCARB. “We wanted to remove some of the unnecessary financial and administrative impediments for this group by refocusing on the nationally accepted standards for licensure.
“By imposing the same experience and examination criteria on foreign architects as we do in U.S. architect candidates for certification, we address knowledge of U.S. codes and facility with English as the primary U.S. language,” McKinney added. “The new alternative will be more automated, increasing objectivity and helping reduce fees associated with the dossier and interview requirements.”
In other Annual Business Meeting action, a new alternative to the Broadly Experienced Architect (BEA) program fell one vote shy of getting the 28 votes needed by the Member Boards to discontinue the BEA in favor of a more simplified alternative for architects seeking an NCARB Certificate when they do not have a degree from a program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB).
The new requirements for the education alternative for certification would have required five years of post-licensure practice for all licensees without accredited education. It would also have required twice the IDP requirements for work experience for architects with a pre-professional architectural degree, and five times the IDP requirements for those with anything less than a pre-professional architectural degree.
“The split in our membership shows the proposal needs more work,” said NCARB CEO Michael Armstrong. “Our board will apply feedback from the membership toward a remodeled alternative and come back next year with a proposal that will try to capture the blend of rigor, inclusion and ease of use that is acceptable to a majority of our members.”
Related Stories
| Feb 19, 2014
It's a world record! Largest uninterrupted concrete pour kicks off Wilshire Grand project
Guinness World Records verifies the concrete pour as the largest ever
| Feb 19, 2014
Why you should start with a builder, part two
When it’s time to build or expand, the first step is finding a builder that fits your needs. Once you have found a builder, checked their references, visited with their previous clients and are ready to move forward, the next step is answering an initial set of questions that will direct your project.
| Feb 19, 2014
Slight rebound for Architecture Billings Index
After consecutive months of contracting demand for design services, AIA's Architecture Billings Index inched up nearly two points to 50.4 in January, indicating favorable business conditions.
| Feb 19, 2014
Sefaira Adds Daylighting Analysis to Performance Based Design Platform
Sefaira, the leader in software for high performance building design, today announced that its performance based design platform now includes daylighting analysis. With the addition of daylighting, Sefaira combines two critical design metrics in the same tool.
| Feb 19, 2014
Harvard's 'termite robots' can build any thing, any way [video]
The robots build by observing thier environment and then obeying a set of traffic rules programmed by researchers.
| Feb 18, 2014
Illinois leads Top 10 states for LEED in annual USGBC ranking
The U.S. Green Building Council has released its ranking of the Top 10 States for LEED, the world’s most widely used and recognized green building rating system.
| Feb 18, 2014
Study: 90% of healthcare providers say Affordable Care Act is 'step forward,' but major revisions needed
Providers are excited about opportunities to address long-term health issues in the U.S., but worries about the transition persist, according to a new study by Mortenson Construction.
| Feb 17, 2014
SmithGroupJJR President and CEO Carl Roehling appointed to serve on the AIA/AGC Joint Committee
Carl Roehling, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, president & CEO of SmithGroupJJR, has been appointed to serve on the Joint Committee of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).
| Feb 17, 2014
Developer plans to 'crowdfund' extended stay hotel in Manhattan
Want to own a piece of Manhattan hotel real estate? Developer Rodrigo Nino is inviting individual investors to put up $100,000 each for his latest project, 17 John.
| Feb 17, 2014
Call for Entries: 17th annual Building Team Awards - Deadline Extended!
BD+C's Building Team Awards is the industry's only recognition program to honor projects that achieve excellence in both design/construction and collaboration of the AEC/O team. The deadline has been extended to March 14, 2014.