The current process of earning a license typically involves earning a degree from a program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), documenting professional experience, and passing a national licensing exam.
In 2023, NCARB launched Pathways to Practice, a years-long effort to expand access to the profession by creating a more flexible yet equally rigorous licensure process. Our goal is to offer a modular, competency-based approach to licensure that fairly and accurately assesses an individual’s ability to practice safely and independently. By offering multiple ways for candidates to demonstrate their competency, NCARB can ensure that individuals of all educational and career backgrounds have a pathway to architectural practice—while still maintaining the level of rigor needed to protect the public.
Why offer multiple pathways?
Since 2012, NCARB has been monitoring and analyzing trends on the path to licensure through NCARB by the Numbers. Over the years, data has increasingly demonstrated that offering a single path to licensure creates a variety of unintended social and financial barriers—including an above-average level of student debt tied to architectural education requirements.
Currently, only 18 of the 55 U.S. jurisdictions allow a pathway to initial licensure for individuals without a degree from a NAAB-accredited program. Although similar in nature, these additional paths today vary in degree and experience requirements. Today, 48 jurisdictions allow pathways to reciprocal licensure for these individuals. By offering multiple pathways to initial licensure through Pathways to Practice, NCARB can reduce the social and financial impediments attached to a single path, ensure that individuals of all professional and educational backgrounds are able to pursue a career in architecture, and establish consistent standards for initial licensure regardless of the level of education one has obtained.
In addition, offering multiple pathways creates greater flexibility and adaptability within the licensure process at the regulatory level—allowing NCARB and its member licensing boards to better meet the future needs of the public as practice evolves.
What will a modular licensure process look like?
NCARB is still in the process of developing the future licensure model. We expect a modular licensure process to provide more flexibility for licensure candidates, allowing them to choose a licensure path that best suits their individual career progress and education background. For example, candidates may be able to select how they would like to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and abilities in a particular competency from a suite of available assessment methods.
We’ll share more updates on what a modular licensure process will look like in the months and years ahead, so stay subscribed to NCARB’s newsletters to learn more.