What most of you came to this website for:

Licensure in the architectural profession is the pinnacle of success for many aspiring architects such as yourselves. Anyone who does not earn an architectural license cannot call themselves an architect legally. Those who do want to get licensed someday must fulfill the requirements imposed by the state in which they wish to practice. Each one has its own Architectural Registration Board and its own different rules, and they change frequently.

The varying rules can be grouped into three basic headings - THE THREE E's:


• Get an Education:
That usually means a B. Arch., M. Arch., or D. Arch (a B. S. Arch. or B. A. Arch alone doesn't qualify) from a school accredited by the NAAB (National Architectural Accreditation Board). Some states allow architects without such degrees to become licensed but no current students are likely to qualify under those rules.

• Get Experience:
That means a certain number of years working in the profession.

• Pass an Exam:
That means the ARE (Architect Registration Exam) administered by NCARB (the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards). The ARE can be accomplished before, during, or after you've completed your Experience, depending on the state. It's the same exam no matter where you want to be licensed, although some states have supplemental requirements.

Prometric officiates the examinations and if after five years, not all parts have been passed, the intern must retake all of the parts. If an individual part is failed, the intern must wait three months before re-taking that specific examination.

• Establish an NCARB Record. Click here>

Current Job Postings

   - Career Services Office of the Catholic University of America
   - AIA Career Center>
   - For more, including recruiter website links, see "Experience: Finding a Job"