Program areas at NCARB
Member services - the Council strengthened its support for its Architectural licensing Boards by refreshing several tools used to provide key services, providing open communication and assistance as needed, and continuing to encourage the alignment of licensing requirements between jurisdictions. Ncarb partnered with state and territorial licensing Boards and other members of the architect community in the following activities that support the Council's mission to safeguard the health, safety, and welfare of the public:ncarb activities included:- securely maintained records for access by state and territorial members regarding all phases of an architect's career, from education through licensure to ncarb certification and interstate reciprocity. - evaluated and transmitted records and other data essential to the licensing functions of the state and territorial licensing Boards with a high degree of accuracy. - verified that licensure candidates had met the initial licensure requirements defined by the relevant licensing board prior to transmittal.- implemented an expedited transmittal process, speeding up the timeline for record evaluation for candidates who meet certain prerequisites. - continued to evolve the national standards for education, experience, and examination of architects.- successfully administered the Architectural experience program(axp) and the architect Registration examination(are) for emerging professionals to satisfy Registration requirements in the 55 u.s. jurisdictions.- transitioned to a new exam delivery vendor to ensure high levels of service, continued availability and delivery options, and maintain costs. - released free full-length practice exams for each divisions of the licensing exam, ensuring that all candidates have access to quality test prep materials.- proactively sought to provide insight to federal, state, and local government entities debating the role of professional and occupational licensure.- collaborated with other related regulatory organizations, providing national subject-matter experts and supporting data and analysis regarding the state of the Architectural profession. - completed a comprehensive review of the ncarb certification guidelines, creating a simplified and more accessible resource for architects and licensing Boards.- conducted an analysis of current and near-future architecture practice, reaching over 20,000 practitioners. Findings from the study will inform future changes to ncarb's programs and ensure the licensure process aligns with practice.- a specially appointed futures collaborative continued its assessment of future influencers on the profession of architecture and regulation. This is a multi-year effort that will help position the Council to meet the challenges of the future.- collaborated with representatives from other architecture and design professional organizations through a licensure advisory forum, charged with evaluating and exploring the path to licensure. This collaborative effort enables a holistic view of the licensure requirements. - conducted instructional program to support the professional development of faculty teaching professional practice curricula within architecture programs.- conducted a training conference for the volunteers who advise students, emerging professionals, and architects throughout the licensure process.- offered focused training resources and guidance for individuals acting as supervisors of licensure candidates participating in the national experience programthe axp.- continued supporting the integrated path to Architectural licensure (ipal) initiative, which enables students to streamline their path to licensure. In fy22, ncarb welcomed additional new programs to the initiative. - increased the portfolio of online hsw continuing education content offerings, provided at no cost to ncarb-certified architects to support licensure renewal requirements in most jurisdictions. - provided a path to certification and professional mobility for architects who are licensed but have little or no architecture-related education. The virtual portfolio submission streamlines the applicant portfolio submittal and peer review processes, while maintaining the standards and rigor required to demonstrate competency to practice architecture. - partnered with the national organization of minority architects (noma) to release an in-depth report on impediments faced by underrepresented groups while completing their education and taking the licensing exam, with a goal of enhancing equity and diversity in the profession. Ncarb's provision of these national services enables individual jurisdictions to focus their (often limited) resources on their own unique core issues surrounding licensure.
Examination services - ncarb develops and administers the national examination for Architectural candidates on behalf of all u.s. Architectural licensing Boards as a requirement for licensure. The examination serves as a measure of an individual's knowledge and skill (competency) to practice architecture independently, and is necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. In fy22, ncarb continued delivering are 5.0, a more technologically advanced, web-based version of the exam compared to prior versions. Are 5.0's content is organized around the progression of a typical architecture project. Are 5.0 is closely aligned with the practice of architecture, and the experience requirements for licensure. The new exam features item types that are designed to enable candidates to apply their experience as well as their education. In fy22, 40,944 divisions of the exam were administered. Over 16,100 candidates took one or more divisions of the exam, and over 3,400 candidates completed the are in fy22.
Customer relations services - during the fiscal year ended june 2022 (fy22), ncarb supported over 54,000 registered architects and 60,000 licensure candidates. The proportion of women on the path to licensure, as well as racial and ethnic diversity, continued to improve in fy22. Customer relations service statistics include: 3,494 ncarb candidate records were transmitted to a licensing board for initial licensure to practice architecture. 11,371 licensed architect records were transmitted to a licensing board for reciprocal licensure to practice architecture in another jurisdiction. 2,925 newly licensed architects were granted an ncarb certificate for purposes of future reciprocal licensure requests. 7,650 candidates applied to establish an ncarb record in pursuit of licensure. Licensing Boards also have a dedicated point of contact and an immediate feedback system to facilitate initial licensure and reciprocal licensure between jurisdictions.