Each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands sets its own education, training, and examination requirements for initial and reciprocal registration in their jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction requires that interns acquire experience under the direct supervision of a registered architect for some period of time.
Most of NCARB’s 54 jurisdictions have adopted the Intern Development Program (IDP) as their training requirement for initial registration.
Interns must acquire 5,600 training hours to satisfy the IDP Training Requirement. One training hour equals one hour of acceptable experience in an IDP work setting.
It is an intern’s responsibility to understand the requirements of any jurisdiction where they may seek either initial or reciprocal registration. More information on jurisdictional requirements can be found here: Registration Boards Requirements.
The NCARB web site provides an overview of the Intern Development Program. All participants in the Intern Development Program must adhere to the rules and regulations defined in the IDP Guidelines and the Handbook for Interns and Architects.
Work Settings
Note: The minimum training hours in each category do not add up to 5,600. You must earn 1,880 elective training hours to complete the IDP.