Old BEA Process
Final submission deadline - 1 December 2011
The following BEA Program information is for the former, two-part process and will remain on our web site until all applicants who submitted in this process (before the 1 December 2011 deadline) have gone through the process. All other applicants please refer to the current BEA Process.
The BEA Program is a multi-step process. Except for the EESA-NCARB Education Evaluation, required only if you have 64 or more semester credit hours of post-secondary education, all steps are required. Many factors, including the time you need to prepare and submit your dossier and the time required by NCARB to review your dossier, determine the time needed to complete the program.
Step 1 - NCARB Record (all applicants)
You are required to establish an NCARB Record before initiating an EESA-NCARB Education Evaluation (if required) and before beginning the BEA Program. If you hold an NCARB Record you must confirm with NCARB Customer Service that it is active and provide any required information. Your Record must be evaluated by NCARB to determine that you have satisfied other certification requirements and are eligible for the BEA Program. You are required to maintain an active NCARB Record throughout the BEA Program.
Step 2 - EESA-NCARB Education Evaluation (if required)
If you have completed 64 or more semester credit hours of post-secondary education you are required to obtain an EESA-NCARB Education Evaluation (if you have less than 64 semester credit hours you are not required to obtain an evaluation). NAAB’s Education Evaluation Services for Architects (EESA) determines your education deficiencies by comparing your post-secondary education with the NCARB Education Standard, an approximation of a professional degree from a NAAB-accredited program.
NAAB is an independent organization and is not affiliated with any architectural registration board. For EESA-NCARB Education Evaluation-related questions, please contact eesa@naab.org.
Part 1 - BEA Education Dossier
Step 3 - BEA Education Dossier (all applicants)
The education dossier allows you to demonstrate learning through experience as a registered architect to meet the requirements of the NCARB Education Standard. You must include descriptions and documentation of your learning through experience in relation to your specific education deficiencies.
You are required to demonstrate learning through experience only in subject areas in which you have education deficiencies—either the subject areas identified in your EESA-NCARB Education Evaluation or all of the following subject areas if you were not required to obtain an evaluation.
- General Education (including English)
- History, Human Behavior, & Environment
- Technical Systems
- Practice
- Design
If you have a baccalaureate degree from a regionally-accredited institution you are not required to address the general education subject area. Electives are waived for all BEA applicants.
Although you may have completed the minimum number of years of practice to be eligible for the BEA Program, you must demonstrate learning through experience in relation to specific areas of professional education. Only practice experience that is relevant to subject areas of the NCARB Education Standard in which you have education deficiencies may be included in your dossier.
Please note the dossier is not a portfolio of your professional qualifications and achievements. These may fulfill eligibility requirements; however, they are not the focus of the dossier. [more]
Step 4 - BEA Education Dossier Format Review (all applicants)
Prior to review by the committee, your dossier will be reviewed by NCARB to determine if it conforms to format and submission requirements. This review is not an evaluation of dossier content for demonstration of learning through experience.
Step 5 - BEA Education Dossier Review (all applicants)
If your dossier conform to format and submission requirements it will be reviewed by the BEA Committee. The purpose of the dossier review is to verify that you have gained the required learning through experience as a registered architect to satisfy education deficiencies as an alternate to the education requirement for NCARB certification. You do not participate in the dossier review.
If the committee determines that you have demonstrated learning through experience, you will be invited for an interview. If the committee determines that you have not demonstrated learning through experience, an interview will not be scheduled (see Options for Unsuccessful Applicants).
Part 2 - BEA Interview
Step 6 - Interview
The purpose of the interview is to verify information in your dossiers and your responsibility and authorship in projects in your dossiers. In preparing your dossiers, it is important to select projects for which you were personally responsible and through which you gained learning through experience in relation to your deficient subject areas.
Interviews are held at BEA committee meetings in major U.S. cities. An interview location and date will be provided within four weeks of your Dossier Review; further information is provided in advance of the interview to allow time for you to make travel and hotel reservations. Schedules are established in advance and requests for schedule changes will not be accommodated.
Step 7 - Final Record Evaluation and Certification (all applicants)
A final evaluation of your NCARB Record is required to ensure that you have provided all required information before your NCARB Certificate may be issued. This process may take up to four weeks to complete. Please contact NCARB Customer Service for any questions related to your NCARB Record and final record evaluation.
Dossier Review/Interview Results
You will be notified by letter (and e-mail) of dossier review or interview results no later than four weeks after the committee meeting at which the dossier review or interview was held. Results are not conveyed by telephone. The Education Directorate is available to clarify questions you may have regarding the results of the dossier review or interview; however, it is your responsibility to ensure that your dossier meets all program requirements. Direct communication with the BEA Committee is not permitted at any time. There is no appeal process for the BEA Program.
Options for Unsuccessful Applicants
Learn your options if you are unsuccessful with this process. [more]