How
to Become Licensed
to
Practice Architecture
in
Illinois
Frank E. Heitzman, AIA, IDP Coordinator
- You are eligible to begin IDP as soon as you earn a high school diploma.
- Fill out the application for your NCARB Record online and submit to the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) with your credit card payment of $350.00 (or $100.00 if you are still in school or have graduated within the past 6 months). Your eligibility date must be confirmed either by your employer or, if you are in school, by your IDP Educator Coordintor at your school.
- Start working for an architect or other for employers in other related fields, part time or full time, and keep track of the number of hours you spend working in the 16 IDP Training Areas listed in the IDP Guidelines. Your current employer now becomes your IDP Supervisor under IDP Guidelines and the Illinois Architecture Practice Act/Rules. Note that you can get some internship training by working for a contractor, an engineer, an interior designer, a landscape architect or a planner.
- Complete your Degree in Architecture. Upon completion of a professional degree in architecture (B.Arch. or M.Arch.) and concurrent enrollment in IDP you become eligible to take the Architect Registration Examination (the “ARE”). Note that if you have not received a professional degree, you will need to complete IDP prior to taking the ARE. As of January 1, 2014, you must have a professional degree in architecture to become a licensed architect in Illinois.
- Pass all seven divisions of the Architectural Registration Examination. You must pass all divisions within a five year time period (the so-called "rolling clock").
- Complete the required number of "IDP Training Hours" depending on which degree you have or will receive. Record your experience on your online NCARB Record and submit it to NCARB on a monthly basis. NCARB will check it and submit it to your employer for their electronic signature and verification. You must submit your experience on your NCARB Record to NCARB no more than six months after the experience.
5,600 hours with an NAAB-Accredited B. Arch. or M. Arch. degree
9,360 hours with a Pre-professional degree in Architecture (B.A. or B.S. degree which is approved by the Illinois Architecture Licensing Board) Note that on or after January 1, 2014, you must have a professional degree in Architecture (B. Arch. or M. Arch.) to become a licensed architect in Illinois.
- Pay NCARB the remainder of the NCARB Record application fee ($250.00 if you just paid $100.00 up front). If you are in the IDP program longer than three years from when you enrolled, pay a $75.00 yearly maintenance fee to NCARB.
- Apply for and receive your license to practice architecture in Illinois. Note that this must be done within one year after passing the exam.
You will need to fill out the "Licensure by Acceptance of Examination form" posted on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation web site. The form can be found at: http://www.idfpr.com/renewals/apply/forms/ar-ac.pdf . You will also need to have your IDP Council Record transmitted to Illinois, complete the "Work History" form attached to the application for licensure form (this is different from the IDP Council Record), complete a "Verification of Employment" since you completed your IDP Council Record, prepare and sign an affidavit on your own letterhead stating that you have read and understand the Illinois Architecture Practice Act and Administrative Rules, and submit a $100.00 fee in the form of a certified check or money order made payable to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. This is the last hoop to jump through! If you have a 4-year B.A. or B.S. in Architectural Studies (an Illinois-approved pre-professional degree) you must submit your application for licensure in Illinois no later than December 31, 2013 (postmark on your letter if mailed to the Board must be on or before that date).
- Once you are licensed in Illinois, you should do the following:
A book by Lee Waldrep, Ph.D. (formerly of IIT) titled Becoming and Architect will provide insight into the process of becoming an architect. Using the three Es of becoming an architect -- a) Education, b) Experience, and c) Exam, the book will provide the reader a detailed outline of graduating with an accredited professional degree in architecture, the "experience" or internship component, and the exam, the Architect Registration Examination (ARE). In addition, an introduction will help the reader answer -- do you want to be an architect? – Scattered throughout the text will be career profiles of those within the profession highlighting the many careers in architecture. Go to http://www.wiley.com/go/youngarchitect for more info.
Note that there is an NCARB "Blackout" on taking the ARE between July 1, 2013 and late August, 2013 because they are updating their database.
No exam appointments may be scheduled for on or after July 1, 2013, until the blackout ends in late-August 2013.
There will be no exams administered during this time.
The last day to take an exam before the blackout will be June 30, 2013.
Staff at our state board will not have access to the candidate database during the blackout so it will not be able to enter or create exam eligibilities or update your name or address information during this time.
State IDP Coordinator Frank
E. Heitzman, AIA (708) 848-8844
Central Illinois IDP Coordinator Eric L. Cluver, AIA, LEED-AP (309) 663-8436