NCARB is in the middle of a multi-year study to design a new path to licensure—and the results will shape the architecture profession for years to come. We recently conducted a survey to identify the key knowledge and skills (competencies) that define what it means to be an architect. Check back here for findings and future follow-up studies! 

About the Competency Survey

For the past year, the volunteer architects who make up NCARB’s Competency Task Force have been working to identify the key competencies that should be required at the point of earning a license to practice architecture. Together, they laid out 18 core competencies related to Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) in practice. 

In October 2023, we reached out to the architecture community to check our work. Did the 18 competencies listed in the survey align with the knowledge, skills, and behaviors an architect should have at the point of licensure? 

As part of this study, we were especially interested in:

  • How frequently each competency would come up in an architect’s day-to-day work at the point of initial licensure
  • How critical each competency is—how much risk would the absence of this competency create?
  • Are there additional competencies you think we’ve left out?

Your insights and feedback will help us define the minimum required knowledge, skills, and behaviors an architect must have in order to protect the public’s HSW. 

Keep in mind: These competencies are intended to be at the point of initial licensure as an architect who could practice independently and be in responsible control of a project. While additional knowledge and skills may be needed or developed later in an architect’s career, they are not the focus of the current study.

Background

This is the next step in the research initiated by NCARB’s 2022 Analysis of Practice—a study that explored the current and near-future practice of architecture. The competencies identified through this work will be used to establish the requirements for earning and maintaining a license.

Once this research is completed, NCARB’s community of volunteer experts will determine how to best measure each of these competencies—evolving the licensure process and NCARB’s core programs, like the Architectural Experience Program® (AXP®) and Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®).

Win a $100 VISA Gift Card

After completing the survey, participants could enter their contact information to be entered to win one of 10 $100 VISA gift cards. NCARB randomly selected 10 winners from the survey participants after the survey closed. The winners are: 

  • Adam L. 
  • Jason C.
  • Laura D. 
  • John B. 
  • Clay A.
  • Jeff S.
  • John G. 
  • Bert T. 
  • Sofya L. 
  • Mark L.