U.S. Requirements for Certification

For more information, see Chapter 1 of the most recent Handbook for Interns and Architects.

1.Good Character
You must be of good character as verified by employers and the registration board where you are registered.

2. Education
You must hold a professional degree in architecture from a program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) or the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB).

Alternatives to a Professional Degree
If you do not hold a professional degree, NCARB will accept either of the following:

• Satisfaction of NCARB’s Broadly Experienced Architect Program.
• An EESA evaluation report stating that you have met the NCARB Education Requirement for a degree in the field of architecture from an academic institution outside the United States or Canada.

3. Training
You must complete the Intern Development Program. Please be advised of changes to the program that go into effect in April 2012. [Learn more]

Alternatives to the IDP
If you have not completed the IDP, NCARB will accept any one of the following:

• Registration by an NCARB Member Board for at least five consecutive years together with a certification by the applicant that his or her experience as a registered architect met the intent of the IDP in each of the training areas, and verification by one or more other architects that the applicant obtained such experience. This alternative shall not apply to applicants initially registered after January 1, 2011.
• Satisfactory completion of the Canadian Intern Architect Program.

4. Examination
You must have passed the NCARB Architect Registration Examination^® (ARE^®) or an earlier NCARB examination. See Chapter 5 of the Handbook for Interns and Architects for a description of current and previous NCARB examinations.

Alternatives to the Examination Requirement
If you have not met the examination requirement, you may be certified in under the following circumstances:

• If your examination deficiency arose from causes other than having failed a division of an examination under applicable NCARB pass/fail standards, and the deficiency is, in NCARB judgment, compensated for by you demonstration of competency in the deficient area. 
• If your registration was based in whole or in part on having passed sections of the California Architect Licensing Examination (CALE) between 1987 and 1989, you are deemed to have passed the corresponding divisions of the ARE. See Chapter 5 of the Handbook for Interns and Architects for a list of the sections of the CALE corresponding to the divisions of the ARE.

5. Registration
You must hold a current registration to practice architecture issued by a registration board.

6. General
In evaluating qualification, NCARB may, prior to certification, require you to substantiate the quality and character of your experience, even if you have met the technical requirements outlined above.