KU to bring architecture internship, examinations into curricula

LAWRENCE — The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) has announced that the University of Kansas Department of Architecture has been accepted into its Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure Initiative (IPI). It is a pilot program that will enable students to complete requirements for architectural licensure while in school.

KU is one of 14 programs from across the U.S. selected for IPI from 38 architecture schools that applied for the program and the only one in the Midwest. There are 154 architecture programs in the nation.

“The architecture faculty at the School of Architecture, Design & Planning at the University of Kansas is excited to be part of NCARB’s integrated path to architectural licensure,” said Paola Sanguinetti, department chair.

“Our mission is to provide our graduates with the educational foundation for exemplary professional practice and to prepare them to be critical thinkers and problem solvers who will serve their communities,” Sanguinetti said. “This initiative will galvanize our partnership with the profession to help our students excel in their education and profession.”

The NCARB is made up of architectural registration boards in 54 U.S. jurisdictions that grant individuals licenses to practice architecture. The requirements for licensure are rigorous, requiring the completion of an Intern Development Program (IDP), which documents experience in specific areas of architectural practice, and the Architectural Registration Exam (ARE).

The rigor of IDP and ARE help assure that individuals have all the skills they need to practice architecture independently. Most states require that before one can start taking exams they must have already graduated from a school of architecture, such as KU’s, that is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board.

IPI would allow state registration boards to permit these programs to offer a pre-graduation integration of education, experience requirements including the opportunity to take each of the six divisions of the ARE.

The initiative began in 2013 as a way to provide students with the flexibility to pursue licensure while strengthening the relationship between academia and practice. The NCARB’s Licensure Task Force, a special committee composed of licensing board members, professional organizations, practitioners, aspiring architects, educators and members of the public, chose KU and the other schools.