As adjustments are made to national architecture licensing requirements, Connecticut professionals say they are concerned with how the quality of aspiring architects will be affected.
The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) has proposed new regulations that shorten the time it takes to become a licensed architect. The licensing exam is also getting a reboot, including modified content that reflects more real-world scenarios.
Connecticut architects say the new adjustments could boost retention in the field at a time when fewer people are entering the industry. But they’re also concerned that lessening the amount of exposure architects-in-training have in the field prior to gaining their license could be an issue.
“There’s no replacement for exposure to real-life projects,” said Ted Cutler, president of Hartford’s Tecton Architects. “It’s best to practice once you get out of school and learn how to navigate the challenges of the business.”
Prior to taking the exam, current regulations require 5,600 hours of internship experience that individuals must complete after receiving a master’s degree. The new adjustments will allow students to begin those hours after they graduate high school.
Shortening the time it takes for architects to be eligible for a license will decrease the amount of exposure they have in the field, Cutler said, and individuals may struggle to properly prepare for the exam.
“It takes an individual’s own motivation to accomplish taking the exam,” said Cutler. “It sounds like a shortcut to boost the young folks in the industry, but I think it might have some consequences.”
The new adjustments will also change the way individuals are tested, focusing more on overall skill set. Richard Connell, a principal at S/L/A/M Collaborative in Glastonbury, said there are certain parts of the current exam such as the engineering component that architects don’t come across on a day-to-day basis.
“Anything they do to modify the process or shorten it and make it more relevant to the way we practice is certainly going to encourage people to stay in the profession,” Connell said. “The current version of the exam is not as connected to the way we practice, so individuals put it off. I’m excited about the fact that they are trying to pattern the exam to the way we practice as opposed to isolated pieces of knowledge.”
Fewer people have been entering the architecture profession since the recession, and shortening the process it takes for an architect to gain a license may encourage retention in the field, said Pat O’Brien, American Institute of Architects membership manager of the Connecticut chapter.
“We want the exams to be beneficial to the profession,” said O’Brien. “It’s really not making it harder or easier to get licensed. It will just be a shorter process.”
The requirements for becoming a licensed architect are different in each state. Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection is responsible for licensing architects in the state, although DCP requires all architects to have a NCARB accredited degree and meet the NCARB training requirements.
The number of licensed architects in Connecticut has not gone down significantly since 2008, according to DCP and the agency believes the new licensing adjustments will not have a significant impact on those numbers.
The current architecture licensing test is a seven-part exam that individuals can begin after completing their internship hours. The new exam will consist of only six parts.
Individuals who already began taking the current test are eligible to receive credit for the portions of the exam they’ve passed. The current version will still be available for 18 months after the new version is released. Interns who already started the old exam, however, have the option of transitioning over to the new version once it launches.
Cutler said becoming a licensed architect is based on individual drive, and changing the licensing process will not necessarily affect who does or doesn’t reach their goal.
“Plenty of individuals come out of school with a good attitude and a balanced expectation and realize they have a lot they need to learn,” said Cutler. “When we see people who aren’t happy with waiting to go through a process to earn a license, they aren’t fit for the field.”
