The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) has voted to approve significant changes that will streamline and overhaul the Intern Development Program (IDP), which most states require to satisfy experience requirements for initial licensure as an architect. The changes will only be applicable where adoption has occurred by individual jurisdictional licensing boards.
The changes will be implemented in two phases. The first will streamline the program by focusing on the IDP’s core requirements and removing its elective requirements. The second phase will condense the 17 current experience areas into six practice-based categories that will also correspond with the divisions tested in the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®).
NCARB announced the proposals to modify the IDP in late June at its Annual Business Meeting, which was attended by representatives of its 54 member jurisdiction boards that oversee architect licensing in their states or territories. After reviewing the feedback from the boards, the Board of Directors voted to move forward with both proposals for implementation in mid-2015 and mid-2016.
“Streamlining of the IDP requirements will reduce complexities while ensuring that intern architects still acquire the comprehensive experience that is essential for competent practice, and result in a program that is both justifiable and defensible,” said NCARB President Dale McKinney, FAIA.
Phase 1: Focusing on Core Requirements
The IDP currently requires interns to document 5,600 hours of experience, with 3,740 of those hours as core requirements in specific architectural experience areas. The remaining 1,860 hours are elective hours. The first reinvention phase will streamline the IDP by removing the elective hour requirement, with interns documenting only the 3,740 hours in the 17 core experience areas.
In making its decision to eliminate the elective hours, the Board considered several important statistics:
· The average intern currently takes five years to complete the hours required for IDP and another 2.2 years to complete the ARE, totaling an average of more than seven years from graduation to licensure.
· With this reduction in required IDP hours, it is likely that the average intern will take roughly three to four years to complete their IDP requirements following this change.
· Combined with the time required to complete the ARE, the Board anticipates that the average intern will have five to six years of post-graduation experience prior to qualifying for initial licensure.
Implementation and Jurisdictional Adoption
NCARB expects to implement the first phase on or before June 2015. Many states will need to formally adopt the streamlined program because of how experience requirements for licensure are written in their laws or rules.
“Our planning efforts will include development of a campaign to inform interns of the importance of understanding the variables in jurisdictional laws and rules related to the experience requirement when considering where they will apply for licensure,” McKinney said.
Phase 2: Aligning Internship and Examination
The Board also agreed to a future realignment of the framework of IDP requirements into six experience categories reflecting the six general areas of practice, which were identified by the 2012 NCARB Practice Analysis of Architecture. These changes will mirror the six divisions of a future version of the licensing exam, known as ARE 5.0.
NCARB’s internship-related committees will provide guidance on mapping the existing requirements into the new, overhauled format. This work should be completed and ready for introduction in mid-2016, before the launch of ARE 5.0 in late 2016.
To learn more, NCARB recommends that interns, architects, and other stakeholders visit the NCARB website, blog, and frequently-asked-questions web pages for information as the IDP implementation plan develops.
Related Stories
| Jun 17, 2013
DOE launches database on energy performance of 60,000 buildings
The Energy Department today launched a new Buildings Performance Database, the largest free, publicly available database of residential and commercial building energy performance information.
| Jun 14, 2013
First look: Callebaut's eye-popping Möbius building for Taichung arts center
French design firm Vincent Callebaut Architectures has released renderings of "Swallow's Nest," an entry in a design competition for a new cultural center, fine arts museum, and public library in Taichung City, Taiwan. The building, based on a Möbius ring, swirls around a central "Endless Patio."
| Jun 14, 2013
Purdue, industry partners test light steel framing for seismic safety
A partnership of leading earthquake engineering researchers from top U.S. and Canadian universities and design professionals from the steel industry have begun the final phase of a three-year project to increase the seismic safety of buildings that use lightweight cold-formed steel for their primary beams and columns.
| Jun 13, 2013
7 great places that represent excellence in environmental design
An adaptive reuse to create LEED Platinum offices, a park that honors veterans, and a grand national plaza are among the seven projects named winners of the 2013 Great Places Awards. The Environmental Design and Research Association recognize professional and scholarly excellence in environmental design, with special attention paid to the relationship between physical form and human activity or experience.
| Jun 13, 2013
Richard Smith joins Cannon Design Science + Technology practice
Cannon Design, an internationally ranked architectural, engineering and planning firm, is pleased to announce Richard Smith has joined the firm as a Principal. Smith joins the leadership team for Cannon Design’s Science + Technology (S&T) practice and will focus on developing strategies for immediate and long-term growth.
| Jun 13, 2013
Winfrey hired as Health and S&T studio head for SmithGroupJJR Dallas
SmithGroupJJR, one of the nation’s largest architecture, engineering and planning firms, has hired David Winfrey, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, as leader of its Health and Science & Technology Studio at its Dallas, Texas office.
| Jun 13, 2013
WorkingBuildings acquires Specialty Operations Solutions
The WorkingBuildings Companies, a leading provider of comprehensive Owner-based solutions for the built environment, announces the acquisition of Specialty Operations Solutions (SOS), a national provider of research and laboratory services.
| Jun 13, 2013
Health Product Declaration Collaborative names Knott as Executive Director
John L. Knott Jr. has been named as the Health Product Declaration Collaborative’s (www.hpdcollaborative.org) first Executive Director following a national search. The Health Product Declaration Collaborative (HPDC) is a customer-led standards-setting organization committed to the continuous improvement of the building industry’s environmental and health performance, through transparency and innovation in the building product supply chain.
| Jun 13, 2013
AIA partners with industry groups to launch $30,000 'Designing Recovery' design competition
The program will award a total of $30,000 to three winning designs, divided equally between three locations: Joplin, Mo., New Orleans, and New York.
| Jun 12, 2013
More than 90% of New York City schools have code violations
More than 90% of New York City schools have at least one outstanding building code violation. Loose wires, stuck doors and inadequate ventilation are just some of the problems.