Now that our bills proposing an Alternate Path to the Education Requirements pursuant to architectural registration have passed, we are ready for the next steps. The legislation directs the Department of Occupational Regulation (DPOR), and more specifically the Virginia Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA) – our composite regulatory board – to “develop and adopt regulations establishing work and education experience equivalencies that provide an alternative to the requirement of a professional degree in architecture from a program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB)”.
At its most recent meeting, APELSCIDLA appointed a workgroup that includes APELSCIDLA Board members Tim Colley, AIA, Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, Erik Bootsma, RA, and Justina Vasquez, Citizen Member, along with myself (Paul R Battaglia, AIA) to do just that; to develop specifics for the process and the requirements.
That work will soon be underway. And we will look to existing models (in jurisdictions like California and especially Maryland) as we develop those specifics. It will take some time to develop that process and to have it fully approved.
Note that while we are adding an alternate path (an additional lane), we are doing nothing to effect, disrupt, or dismantle the conventional path achieved through the NAAB degree.
It should also be noted that this effort affords an alternative to the educational requirement, which is but one of the three requirements for architectural licensure. Regardless of how they meet the educational requirement, all candidates for licensure will continue to be required to complete NCARB’s Architectural Experience Program (the AXP) and to pass the Architect Registration Examination (the ARE).
There has been a lot of interest in this effort – especially from those who will benefit from this alternative path. Hearing from them has been satisfying, validating, and inspiring. We suspected and we anticipated that this proposal would have an impact. It is rewarding to have that confirmed.
So what do we know of the benefit for those who await the impact? When can they begin to apply for this new path? Honestly, we don’t know exactly. The development and approval process will take some time. But those concerned can be assured that the legislation further requires that “the Board shall evaluate any past work or education experience of any applicant in meeting the requirements of the first enactment of this act.” And “[t]hat the second enactment of this act shall expire on July 1, 2028.” Meaning, there will be a period commencing when the process is fully incorporated and ending no earlier than 1 July 2028, when applicants can submit any and all of their qualifications towards the stipulated requirements and have them considered by the Board for approval. This will be an opportunity for candidates to submit appropriately documented experience in its entirety when they first apply, and, if approved, receive full credit towards the educational requirement.
We will keep you posted.