Developed with input from thousands of practicing architects, the NCARB Competency Standard for Architects establishes 16 knowledge areas, skills, abilities, and behaviors—called competencies—that describe the capabilities necessary at the point of initial licensure for an individual to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare.
Download the Competency Standard
About the NCARB Competency Standard for Architects
The Competency Standard establishes the level of proficiency needed in each competency to qualify an individual for initial licensure, as assessed by NCARB’s programs. The competencies are organized into three domains:
- Design & Documentation
- Construction Administration
- Practice & Project Management
In 2025 and 2026, NCARB is updating our existing programs to align with the Competency Standard. We’re also using the Competency Standard as the foundation for a future licensure model that offers greater flexibility to licensure candidates. Once implemented, candidates for licensure will demonstrate their capabilities in each of the 16 competencies to earn a license to practice architecture.
Why create the Competency Standard?
Pathways to Practice seeks to expand licensure access to individuals of all educational and career backgrounds by creating a more flexible licensure model. As NCARB works to create multiple pathways to licensure, it is essential that our programs share a core expectation of what competency looks like at the point of initial licensure. The NCARB Competency Standard for Architects establishes that shared expectation and lays the foundation for a modular licensure process.
As NCARB’s volunteers identify new methods of assessing competency, they’ll tailor those assessment methods to each of the competencies defined in the Competency Standard—ultimately ensuring that all licensure candidates are held to the same level of competency, regardless of their licensure pathway.
Learn more about why NCARB is developing multiple licensure pathways.
How was the NCARB Competency Standard for Architects developed?
The NCARB Competency Standard for Architects is the outcome of work by NCARB’s Competency Task Force. Using findings from NCARB’s 2022 Analysis of Practice—which had nearly 20,000 architect participants—as a foundation, the task force researched which competencies were necessary at the point of initial licensure to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare. The task force also explored the competency level required for licensure in similar professions before releasing a draft list of competencies for public feedback in October 2023.
After receiving feedback from nearly 5,000 architects, the task force further refined the draft Competency Standard throughout 2023 and 2024. The Competency Standard was shared with NCARB’s members for final comments in June 2024, finalized by NCARB’s Board of Directors in September 2024, and released publicly in October 2024.