The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) recently released data that indicates aspiring architects who graduate from programs accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) are more successful in completing their licensure goals. This information was featured in the 2015 edition of NCARB by the Numbers—a yearly report about the path to licensure.
“In addition to experience and examination, education is a vital step along the path to licensure,” says NCARB CEO Michael Armstrong. “The latest data from NCARB by the Numbers reveals that NAAB-accredited programs are not only producing architecture students who achieve higher success rates on the Architect Registration Examination (ARE), but are developing the vast majority of aspiring architects who are working to gain their license.”
The report offers the following data from 2014:
- Of the aspiring architects who created an NCARB Record—the first step on the path to licensure—69 percent graduated from NAAB-accredited programs.
- ARE candidates from NAAB-accredited programs had a 69 percent success rate on the exam versus a 58 percent success rate for candidates from non-accredited programs.
- Candidates from NAAB-accredited programs completed the ARE in 2.4 years, versus 2.8 years for those from non-accredited programs.
The 2015 NCARB by the Numbers also offers revealing information in several other key licensure-related areas. This includes a record high number of aspiring architects reporting hours through the Intern Development Program (IDP) or testing for the ARE, an increase in the number of licensed architects being reported by licensing boards, and a higher percentage of racial and ethnic minorities making up the aspiring architect pool. The latest edition also presents the data in a new format, breaking the information out into topical sections and providing a dashboard of comparative statistics for each of the 54 U.S. jurisdictions that make up NCARB’s membership.