According to the latest data from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), over 125,000 individuals now hold an NCARB Record, an all-time high.

The proliferation of AI use in practice is raising legitimate questions about how the responsibility and accountability of the architect might be altered by this technological wave.

The updated agreement is pivotal to NCARB’s effort to expand pathways to practice now recognizing all NCARB Certificate holders, including those who achieved licensure through non-traditional paths.

The updated agreement recognizes the level of competency established through each country’s initial licensure/registration processes and removes several post-licensure barriers to eligibility.

Intended to help bridge the gap between architectural education and practice, the Workforce Readiness Report provides a framework for incorporating the top skills recent graduates need into all types of architectural education.

The new agreement recognizes the level of competency established through each country’s initial licensure processes, acknowledging the value of the various pathways to licensure within each country.

The latest edition of the annual NCARB by the Numbers is now available. The report includes sections on the state of licensure, demographics, building competency, examination, and updated jurisdictional breakdowns.

Last spring, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards decided to retire a restrictive exam expiration policy known as the ‘rolling clock’ and has since reinstated 6,658 Architect Registration Examination credits. Over 3,000 candidates had at least one ARE 5.0. credit reinstated.  

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and the National Organization of Minority Architects announced the next phase of their joint study: Building on Belonging, a series of surveys and action items following up on initial findings from Baseline on Belonging and identifying additional opportunities to make the architecture profession more equitable.

While the majority of architects get licensed via a degree from a program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), roughly 15% of current architects, over 18,000 in total, achieved licensure through other pathways.