Frequently Asked Questions by participants in the IDP program
Q1. Who must meet the Architectural Experience Program (AXP) requirements in Illinois?
A. All candidates for licensure in Illinois. The only
exception is an architect who has already received a license to practice in
another state when that state's licensing requirements were the same or more
stringent than Illinois' requirements at the time the other state's license
was received - for instance, if an architect was licensed in Michigan prior
to June 27, 1994, that architect can be licensed in Illinois "by endorsement"
(reciprocity) without going through the AXP process because neither Illinois
nor Michigan required AXP at that time.
Q2. How do I begin to establish my NCARB Record?
A. You can start an NCARB Record online https://my.ncarb.org/Home/Account/Register
Q3. What type of an academic degree must I obtain to be eligible to take the Architectural Registration Examination in Illinois?
A. You must have a professional
NAAB-accredited degree in architecture -- B. Arch. or M. Arch. Q4. How much does it cost to establish an NCARB Record?
A. $100.00 one time up-front fee paid to NCARB now to establish
your NCARB Record, plus $85.00 per
year after the first three year until you are licensed in one state.
Q5. How long will it take to complete my internship under AXP?
A. The AXP will take 3,740 Experience Hours, or a little less than
2 years.
Since there is no distinction between overtime hours spent to accumulate
training hours, the actual duration of training could be somewhat shortened
by working overtime. AIA-approved or sponsored seminars and workshops could also be done
after hours or on weekends to apply toward some of the required training hours. In reality,
due to the diversity of experiences you will need to acquire in the AXP, most
candidates take about three years. Q6. When can I start my NCARB Record?
A. You can start counting training hours in your NCARB Record after graduation from high school.
A. Yes. A. Yes. Q9. Do I have to work only in an "architectural firm?"
A. No, but you must work at least 1,860 hours under the "direct supervision" of a licensed architect in firms
that are legally practicing architecture (Experience Setting "A)
. If you are working in Illinois, a legal architectural firm is one that meets one of the following two requirements:
Q7. Does my summer experience count?
Q8. Does part time work count?
1. A "sole proprietorship" solely owned by an Illinois licensed architect, structural engineer or professional engineer. The name of the firm must be the name of the sole proprietor. If the name of the firm is not the same as the proprietor, the firm must be registered with the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation as a "Professional Design Firm."
2. A corporation, professional service corporation, partnership, limited liability company, limited liability partnership registered with the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation as a "Professional Design Firm." The person having responsibility for the architectural services must be a General Partner in a Partnership or Director of the firm if it is a Corporation, that person must be licensed in Illinois, and two thirds of all the Partners or Directors must be licensed architects, structural engineers or professional engineers licensed in any state.
"Direct supervision" means regular contact with your supervisor who also is working in the same firm, although he or she may not necessarily be located in the same office as you are. Under Illinois law, if the company you work for does not have an architect or engineer on its full time staff, but simply hires a consulting architect or engineer to provide them with professional services, the time you spend working in that situation will not count toward your AXP training. Be aware of the fact that outside consulting architects who come into the firm to review your work and apply their license seal to drawings that you have prepared are not legally practicing architecture in Illinois and most other states, and are subject to suspension or termination of their license by the Department of Professional Regulation.
You may earn up to 1,860 Experience Hours of your training in non-architectural firms that provide "in-house" architectural services (i.e., not to the general public), such as governmental bodies that have architectural departments (park districts, school districts, the Capitol Development Board of the State of Illinois, or municipal governments) or corporations (like Walgreens or McDonalds), as long as you are performing architectural duties under the direct supervision of a licensed architect (Experience Setting "O").
You may earn up to 1,860 Experience Hours in firms which provide some but not necessarily a full range of architectural services, as long as you are performing architectural duties under the direct supervision of a licensed architect. These types of firms may be interior design firms, space planning firms, developers, construction management firms, building contractors, engineering firms, lighting design firms, acoustical design firms, or urban planners (Experience Setting "O").
You may earn up to 1,860 Experience Hours working in firms under the direct supervision of a licensed structural, civil, mechanical, fire protection or electrical engineer in the field of building design or construction (Experience Setting "O").
You may earn up to 1,860 Experience Hours working in firms
under the direct supervision
of a registered (or licensed) landscape architect (Experience Setting "O").
Q10. Does work in a foreign country get credit?
A. Yes, you can earn up to 1,860 Experience Hours for all work performed in
a foreign country, as long as you work under the direct supervision and control
of an architect who is "credentialed" to practice architecture in that country under their laws, or whose
registration is recognized by that country as being equivalent to their own
(for instance, you may work under the supervision of a British-registered
architect in India or Singapore). Furthermore, if you are working under a
US-licensed architect abroad, all of your experience can count. Q11. I started my NCARB Record in Georgia
and recently moved to Illinois. How do I transfer my Council Record to Illinois?
A. There is no need to do any transfer. You will get full credit for your
AXP training earned in Georgia (or any other state, for that matter), as long
as it is acceptable to NCARB. That is one of the great advantages of AXP -
it is "portable." You only need to let NCARB know you moved so they will be
able to send your record of your experience to your new address. Note that NCARB normally communicates with you via email, so keep them current with your email address. Q12. Who is going to verify that I actually did
what I said I did?
A. Your employer. Under AXP rules, you must have an AXP Supervisor, who
is a person who supervises your work on a daily basis and who periodically
certifies your record of training and supplementary education. AXP Supervisors do
not always have to be architects (for example, in the case where you are working
for an engineer or interior design firm). Obviously, your AXP Supervisor
could change from time to time, as you are assigned other duties in a firm,
move to different cities, or simply change jobs.
Q13. Who else is involved in my training?
A. You may also want to select a Mentor. A Mentor is an architect who meets with you periodically to review your training progress
and discuss your career goals. Your Mentor serves as a traditional "mentor."
For example, Frank Lloyd Wright's "Mentor" was Louis Sullivan, who Mr. Wright
called his "Lieber Meister." He or she may ask before you meet that you write
down and update your short and long-range goals for yourself. You may want
to ask a friend, a former professor, or another architect in your firm to
serve as your Mentor. In a situation where you are not working anywhere, you may have your Mentor verify your Supplemental Experience training hours. Q14. I heard that I can defer repayment of my
student loans if I enroll in the AXP program. Is that true?
A. Yes, but only if the federally insured student loan was granted prior
to July 1, 1993. After that date it is at the discretion of the lender.
There is a form that you can get from your loan company which requires two
signatures to verify that you are enrolled in an official apprenticeship program.
The first signature is the "Program Official," which is your Employer. The
second signature is the Director of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional
Regulation. Call M. David Brim, Design Professions Coordinator, in Springfield,
telephone (217) 785-0877, to obtain this second signature. Q15. My firm has a continuing education program.
How can I get credit for attendance at their seminars?
A. If your firm can establish that their continuing education seminars
are "experience-based," that is, they will significantly involve actual observing
or participating in producing architectural services, you will be able to
claim all the time you spend in that program, just as if you were actually
working and getting those experiences. If, however, your firm's continuing
education program is of an academic nature (lectures, reading materials, tests,
etc.), it must be pre-approved by the AIA under their "CES" (Continuing
Education System) program. Q16. Does the CSI specifications education course
qualify for supplementary education?
A. Yes. Q17. Is it possible to get Experience Hour
credit for attending AIA-sponsored or CSI-sponsored educational seminars?
A. Yes, as long as the seminars and workshops are sponsored by an AIA
Certified Continuing Education System provider, and they will award "Learning
Unit" credit to licensed architects.
When you attend an AIA-approved provider program, you can have your Learning
Unit Hours recorded in the database kept by the AIA. Even
if you are not an AIA member, the AIA will maintain a record of your supplementary
education so that you may apply it toward your AXP Training Hours.
The AIA will record your Continuing Education Supplemental Experience. An AIA transcript documenting completion of AIA-approved courses must be uploaded as proof of completion for the AIA Continuing Education Supplemental Experience. To download the form, go to http://www.aia.org/careerstages/resources/AIAB093040.
To request a transcript, go to http://www.aia.org/careerstages/resources/AIAB100977.
Q18. I received a FIDER-accredited degree in Interior Design 3 years ago. After graduating, I worked two years for an architect, doing architectural drawings. Now I am enrolled in graduate school, working on a Masters Degree in Architecture. Does my experience prior to enrolling in graduate school count toward my required AXP training?
A. Yes, however, you will have had to record it on your AXP Record within five years.
Q19. I have a degree in Interior Design and plan on doing free-lance interiors work. Does that work earn Training Units?
A. No. To earn Experience Hours, you must be employed and
work under the direct and daily supervision and control of a qualified interior
designer.
Q20. How do I keep the record of my experience?
A. You keep the record of hours you worked on the online reporting system called "My NCARB." You will go online and fill it out at least every six months,
checking off what kind of work you have done and what category it falls under,
and how many hours you worked in each category. You then email it to NCARB, who will, in turn email it to your supervisor to verify. If you have any
questions about which category your work should be applied to, talk to your
State Architect Licensing Advisor. NCARB will then review your record, check your category assignments,
and send you a "Periodic Assessment Report." NCARB requires you to report all experience within five years after you have earned it.
Q21. Does my previous experience count?
A. All of your experience will count for the last eight months before you report it. Experience earlier than eight months prior to your reporting it will also count up to five years after you earned it, but only at half the number of hours.
Q22. Can I be licensed in Illinois if I am not a U.S. Citizen?
A. Yes.
Q23. I have had a dispute with my boss and he fired me. I need him to sign my AXP verification of employment to get credit for the work I did at his office, and have sent the forms to NCARB and NCARB sent them to him but he refused to sign them. Can I force him to sign?
A. There is no legal risk or cost involved to your former
boss by his verification of your employment. This has been a requirement
of the Illinois Architectural Act nearly since its creation. As a future practicing
professional, you should always strive to maintain good relations with all
members of the construction industry. Your employment and business reputation
are built on good references from past employers. However, if an architect
refuses to verify your NCARB record, your first recourse could be to have your
State Architect Licensing Advisor call your former employer to officially request their cooperation.
If that does not get the job done, you may contact the Illinois Architecture
Licensing Board to speak with your former employer, to inform them that your
request is reasonable, that they have responsibility to sign, and that their
verification of your employment will have no legal or financial impact on their business.
This will normally get you what you need. In a very difficult case, you may
have to take legal action as a last resort.
Q24. I have been working for a small architectural firm for the past year, and have put in many hours of overtime for which I was paid at my regular hourly rate. I have heard that I should have been paid at "time-and-a-half" rate. What is the law on this?
A. "Professional" employees are exempt from the federal wage and labor laws and therefore are not required to be paid at the "time-and-a-half" rate for overtime. However, "trainees" are not classified as professionals under this law, since they are pursuing architectural licensing, they cannot seal drawings for construction, and they must work under the supervision and control of a qualified professional. In order to be classified as a professional under the federal labor law, the employee must make be able to do all of the following:
1. Make independent judgements about her or his work.2. Act without the approval of her or his supervisor.
3. Affect the essential operations of the enterprise without supervisory approval.
Trainees are typically not given that kind of role in their work, and are therefore non-exempt from the wage and labor laws. Courts have determined that non-exempt workers must be paid at the "time-and-a-half" hourly wage rate after working 40 hours in one week. The size of the firm does not matter.
Beginning December 1, 2017, the U.S. labor laws will change to state that all salaried workers who earn up to $47,476 a year must be paid time-and-a-half if they work more than 40 hours during the week.
In 2015, the median annual salary for a first-year non-licensed aspiring architect was $42,000, and $46,000 for a second-year aspiring architect, according to a survey by the American Institute of Architects. To comply with the revised law after December 1, firms will have to give aspiring architects raises, start paying overtime, or scale back hours.
If you
want to pursue the issue with your firm, you should seek counsel of an attorney
specializing in labor law.
Q25. I am a freshman in an architectural program and plan on working construction during the summer break. Can I get Experience Hour credit for work under the AXP guidelines?
A. Yes, up to 320 hours doing construction work.
Q26. I have a pre-professional B.S. degree in architecture, and am currently enrolled in a 3 year M. Arch. degree program. I took a year off between graduating and enrolling in the Masters degree program and worked for an architect during that time. Does that year's experience count?
A. Yes. But you need to fill out a your online report in a timely fashion. NCARB requires you to report all experience within five years after you have earned it.
Q27. I work full time (37.5 hours per week) for one architectural firm and also work part time (3 or 4 hours per week ) for another firm. Does the part time work count toward my Experience Hour requirements?
A. Yes. All the experience time counts. But you need to fill out your online report in a timely fashion. NCARB requires you to report all experience within five years after you have earned it. Q28. I am volunteering for Habitat
for Humanity about 8 hours per month as a construction worker, and would like
to get credit for that time. Can I do that?
A. Yes. You can credit your volunteer
service under the one of the Experience Categories directly related to the practice of architecture up to 320 hours. Construction work experience is limited to 80 hours. The charitable organization must have been pre-approved by NCARB as a Community-based Design Center/Collaborative.
Q29. Where can I go to fulfill volunteer leadeship and service requirements?
A. As of July, 2016, volunteer leadership and service is no longer required.
Q30. I am working in a design-build firm where
my supervisor is a licensed engineer. I am doing document checking and coordination
work and construction observation work. In which
category do I record my experience?
A. You record all of your experience in Experience Setting O (Other). Note that there is a maximum
of 1,860 Training Hours applied to your AXP training in this experience setting.
Q31. After graduation, I intend to open an architectural firm and hire a licensed architect to work for me. Can I earn Training Hours in that situation?
A. No. Illinois rules prevent you from earning Experience Hours credit
as a "principal" in a firm. After all, you are supposed to be in training.
(Note that NCARB does accept this in those few states that allow trainees to
be "principals" as long as they are "supervised"). Furthermore, in order for
your architectural firm to legally practice architecture in Illinois, it must
be registered with the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation as a
"Professional Design Firm." In order to qualify for registration, the person
having responsibility for the architectural services must be a General Partner
in a Partnership organization or must be a Director of the firm if it is organized
as a Corporation, and two thirds of the Partners or Directors must be architects,
structural engineers or professional engineers licensed in any state. This
would not be the case if you had a business in which there were only one architect
and you as owners/partners.
Q32. I work as an independent contractor for an architect an average of 40 hours per week. Can I receive Training Hour credit for that experience?
A. Yes, as long as the firm you are providing these services to has established an AXP Supervisor who has direct supervision of your work.
Q33. I work for a temporary employment placement agency and am sent to firms to work on a specific project, but I am paid only by the temp agency. Can I receive Training Unit credit for that experience?
A. Yes. However, the architectural firm
in which you are temporarily placed will need to assign someone to be your AXP Supervisor and verify your Training Hours. Although your NCARB Record requires that your AXP Supervisor verify that you have been "employed"
by them during the time period for which you are recording your Training Hours,
the word "employed" in this context will not get them into trouble or hold
them responsible for later paying further benefits to you. Your temp agency
cannot verify your NCARB Record, because they do not know what you are doing for the
architectural firm. If your AXP Supervisor is hesitant to verify your employment, please
have him or her speak with Frank Heitzman, AIA, at (708) 848-8844.
Q35. I have a degree in architecture from a foreign country. Can I earn Experience Hours towards my required AXP requirements and become eligible to take the Architecture Registration Examination?
A. You may be able to do this if your degree is shown to be the equivalent
of an architectural degree in this country. To find out whether it is or
not you must complete an "Educational Evaluation Service for Architects (EESA)
NCARB Evaluation Report." For information regarding EESA/NCARB evaluations
please email NAAB at (eesa@naab.org) or
call at (202) 638-3372 . To download
an application form for an EESA/NCARB evaluation click here. It takes about
2 months to complete and costs $2,055.00 or $990.00 for signatories of the Camberra Accord (Australia, Canada, Korea, China, and some schools in Mexico, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka). Note that only
an EESA Evaluation report is accepted by NCARB. Since Illinois defers its
judgement on this issue to NCARB, no appeal to the Illinois Licensing Board
of NCARB's decision is permitted. Another approach woudl be to become licensed in your country and then apply for NCARB Certification under the Broadly Experienced Foreign Architect process.
Q36. I am enrolled in an architectural program which requires me to work in an architectural firm prior to my senior year in college. I am getting college credit for this internship. Can I also get Experience Hour credit for the time spent working?
A. Yes, but you must be working either for an Architect (the "A" work setting) or related professional firm such as an engineer or interior designer (the "O" work setting) and you must be paid for your work.
Q37. I work for an architectural firm which has put me on "temporary loan" to another firm for a period of several weeks. Who will verify my employment and sign for the training unit credit for the firm in which I am temporarily placed?
A. In this situation, the supervisor in the firm in which you are temporarily
working becomes your "AXP Supervisor" and will verify that you were working in their
offices on your NCARB Record. The firm which pays you
and which lent you out does not have to do anything during this period, since
they are not supervising you.
Q38. I have been working for an architectural firm that only designs single family homes. Can I get all of my Experience Hours in that firm?
A. Yes.
Q39. I have begun to take the Architectural Registration Examination in another state which does not require completion AXP prior to taking the ARE. Will Illinois accept the results of the divisions I have already passed?
A. Yes, as long as you have an NAAB-accredited B. Arch. or M. Arch degree.
Q40. How are Architects regulated in other countries?
A. Not as much as in the USA and Canada. According to Garry Stevens, author of The Favored Circle: The Social Foundations of Architectureal Distinction, MIT Press, 1998 (web site http://www.archsoc.com/kcas/RegulatingArchitects.html ), paraphrased as follows: "One of the striking things about architecture is the tremendous variety of ways in which different countries have decided to regulate it (or not). Some countries, such as the United Kingdom, Turkey, New Zealand, The Netherlands and Australia, will let anyone do the work of the architect, and only restrict the title of architect.
A very few places have even tighter restrictions. In Austria, not only do you have to have a degree from an Austrian university, but you must also be an Austrian citizen to practice. No foreigner can be an architect in Austria.
How you acquire the title is also quite variable. In many countries anyone with a degree in architecture is entitled to call themselves an architect, even if they have never laid a pen to paper: Belgium, France, Egypt and Peru do it this way. The Japanese, on the other hand, require no degree, and only ask for a few years training in an architectural office, followed by an examination. In Korea you don't even have to finish high school, but you must complete 14 years of practical experience. Graduate with an architecture degree, though, and this reduces to five years.
What you need to know varies from nation to nation. Australian architects would be considered defective in those countries whose education imparts a lot of structural engineering knowledge to the architect. Spanish architects deal with highly technical buildings, such as industrial plants, that English-speaking architects tend to leave to engineers. Similarly, architects in the Benelux countries produce technical drawings that would be handled by engineers in Australia. Norwegian architects also invariably handle town-planning.
Finally, in quite a few countries there are neither any restrictions on who can use the title architect nor on the sort of work that people can do. In Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway and Sweden, they have decided that as long as the buildings accord with building regulations, they don't really care who designs them. "
Q41. I have a degree in architecture from a Canadian University. Can I become licensed in Illinois?
A. Yes. But you must complete an "Educational Evaluation Service for Architects (EESA)
NCARB Evaluation Report," complete AXP and the ARE and become NCARB Certified.
Q42. I have worked in Canada and earned internship credit under the IAP program. Can this experience transfer to Illinois?
A. Yes. The Canadian IAP has been accepted by NCARB as equivalent to the AXP. You simply need to submit your IAP records to NCARB to get an NCARB Record. To find out more about how to become registerd with a Canadian license, go to http://www.ncarb.org/Certification-and-Reciprocity/Reciprocity-Overview/Reciprocity-Between-the-United-States-and-Canda.aspx .
Q43. Which states require
a professional degree for licensure?
A. 39 of the 55 NCARB member states and territories require
a professional degree - either a B. Arch. or an M. Arch. degree. They are
the following:
| Alabama | Alaska | Arkansas | Connecticut |
| Delaware | District of Columbia | Florida | Indiana |
| Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana |
| Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi |
| Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Jersey |
| New Mexico | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio |
| Virgin Islands | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Puerto Rico |
| Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Utah |
| Georgia | Guam | Missouri | Texas |
| Virginia | West Virginia | Wyoming | Illinois |
The following 15 states and territories require only a 4-year pre-professional degree (some still even require only a high school diploma) - but remember that you cannot receive NCARB Certification unless you have a professional degree - the NCARB Certification will allow you to be licensed in any state or territory without question:
| Arizona | California | Colorado | Hawaii |
| Idaho | Maine | Maryland | New Hampshire |
| New York | Northern Mariana Islands | Tennessee | Oklahoma |
| Vermont | Washington | Wisconsin |
Go to http://www.ncarb.org/en/Getting-an-Initial-License/Registration-Board-Requirements/Initial-Registration-Requirements.aspx for more information on an individual state's requirements.
Q44. Must I have an NCARB
Certificate in order to be licensed in Illinois through reciprocity (also
called "by endorsement")?
A. No, but if you do have an NCARB Certificate it will
speed the process of becoming licensed in Illinois. In order to receive an
NCARB Certificate you must have all of the following:
1. Have an NAAB-accredited B. Arch. or M.Arch. degree
2. Have completed AXP
3. Have passed all divisions of the ARE
4. Be registered (that is, "licensed") in another state
5. Pay for and receive the NCARB Certificate
Q45. Can I engage in architectural
competitions and use that time to fulfill some of my Experience Hour requirements?
A. Yes, whether or not you are working for an architectural
firm - enter a maximum of 40 hours experience in any of the experience categories.
Q46. I have not completed
all divisions of the ARE but three years have passed. How can I re-enroll
for the exam?
A. You do not have to re-enroll. All candidates who wish to become licensed in Illinois go through the NCARB "Direct Registration Program" where NCARB itself will your application to take the exam. They will send you an admission to test letter. The state of Illinois will not get involved in the process until you have passed the ARE and submit an application for licensure in Illinois. If you take more than three years to pass the ARE, NCARB will send a request for re-authorization to the state licensing board. The licensing board will then determine if you still meet the requirements of the Illinois Architect Licening Act and Administrative Rules and will notify NCARB to re-authorize. It all happens behind the scenes, as far as you are concerned.
Q47. What is this "Rolling Clock" I hear about?
A. You must pass all seven divisions of the ARE within a five year period.
Q49. What is the current Architectural Registration Examination?
A. NCARB is now administrating ARE version 4.0 which consists of seven divisions as follows:
Building Design and Construction Systems (replacing
"Building Design - Materials and Methods" and "Building Technology”)
: 85 multiple choice questions and 3 graphic vignettes "Accessibility
Ramp," "Roof Plan," and "Stair Design"
Building Systems (replacing "Mechanical and
Electrical Systems"): 95 multiple choice questions and 1 graphic vignette
"Mechanical and Electrical Plan"
Construction Documents and Services (same as existing);
100 multiple choice questions and 1 graphic vignette "Building Section"
Programming, Planning & Practice (replacing "Pre-Design"):
85 multiple choice questions and 1 vignette "Site Zoning"
Schematic Design (replacing "Building Planning"):
2 vignettes "Building Layout" and "Interior Layout"
Site Planning and Design (replacing "Site Planning"):
65 multiple choice questions and 2 vignettes "Site Design" and "Site
Grading"
Structural Systems (replacing "General Structures" and "Lateral Forces"): 125 multiple choice questions and 1 vignette "Structural Layout"