Throughout the year, NCARB’s Board of Directors, volunteers, and staff have worked diligently in collaboration with licensing boards to continue to push the profession of architecture beyond. Expanding outreach efforts through global collaboration and finding innovative methods to ensure that regulation aligns with the fast-paced environmental and societal changes that continue to affect us worldwide is only part of the work that NCARB has achieved in 2023. We have continued to pursue our vision of ensuring safe places and spaces for all communities through promoting accessibility; supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion; and exploring new pathways to practice. Explore last year’s highlights as we prepare to go further in 2024!
Retired the Rolling Clock Policy
NCARB’s Board of Directors unanimously decided to retire the Architect Registration Examination’s® (ARE®) rolling clock policy, effective April 30, 2023. The Board replaced it with a new, more equitable score validity policy that bases the validity of passed ARE divisions on exam versions, such as ARE 4.0 or ARE 5.0, rather than a set time frame—reinstating previously expired divisions of ARE 4.0 for candidates seeking licensure from jurisdictions that do not have a rolling clock requirement.
When NCARB initially announced the new score validity policy, 14 jurisdictions had a five-year rolling clock policy written into their legal requirements. Since then, half of those jurisdictions have been able to update their requirements to adopt NCARB’s new score validity policy, with those remaining hoping to align with the score validity policy in 2024.
Launched a new mutual reciprocity agreement
In April, NCARB and its counterpart, the Architects Registration Board (ARB), implemented a new Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) to expand international practice opportunities for architects.
The agreement results from over five years of research and negotiation, which identified similar architecture licensing standards in the two countries. The US-UK MRA has created a new path for eligible architects to obtain licensure and expand their practice on a global scale. To learn more about the MRA and how to advance in your global opportunities, visit https://ncarb-uk.org/.
Expanded our outreach to schools, firms, and organizations
NCARB hosted over 150 outreach events to support schools, firms, and organizations throughout the year. These engagements allow staff to promote architectural career paths, share updates on core programs, and provide personalized assistance to community members.
Curated conversations with our communities
NCARB staff members and experts held several webinars throughout 2023 to ensure our community has access to the latest information about NCARB’s programs and initiatives. These webinars allow staff to dive deeper into various topics while candidates and architects can have their questions answered live. Webinar topics this year have covered major highlights and program improvements, such as our recent webinar with information about our MRA with the United Kingdom. Stay updated with our webinars on our YouTube channel—we hope to see you at one of our upcoming webinars!
Teamed up with innovative partners
NCARB has partnered with NOMA since 2020 in a joint Baseline on Belonging study exploring the experiences of underrepresented groups in the early stages of an architecture career. Throughout the years, NCARB and NOMA have released four in-depth reports on the survey’s findings and explored ways to address barriers that disproportionately affect women and people of color on their path to licensure.
In 2023, NCARB and NOMA released an action plan that features a variety of solutions to address some of the impediments identified in the study—including accessibility to licensure, awareness of requirements, and more. Many of these action items are already underway, and NCARB and NOMA will provide updates as we progress on the items in the action plan. Subscribe to our newsletters to receive emails about the latest news!
We are proud of the work we have achieved throughout the year and are thankful to the many members of our communities, volunteers, staff, and Board of Directors. Stay in the loop with our blog and YouTube to see what’s coming in 2024!