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The program that I graduated from (UIUC) has always advocated for pursuit of licensure among its students. This attitude was integrated into our everyday discussions. In both 4th and 5th year design studios, we were given a sketch problem that mimicked the ARE design graphic (12 hour) division of the exam, so we could get a taste of what it would be like to actually take that part of the exam. I sense that there is a general philosophy that has crept into some schools of architecture that they are not preparing students for a career in professional practice, but for a broader range of possible jobs in other related fields. This is a chicken and egg problem: which feeds the other? Some would say it is a natural trend in the profession, but we are probably unwittingly creating that trend by curricular design. 4-year pre-professional degree programs are less "intense" than 5-year or M. Arch. degree programs. They include many more courses taught outside of the architectural school, and therefore blunt the message of pursuit of professional credentials, which in turn, carries on beyond graduation. Another change that I have seen is that students see the long IDP and ARE process as a very steep hill to climb, with little chance of being accomplished within a reasonable time. It used to be that one could count on 8 years after high school graduation to achieving licensure. Today it could be 10 or 12 years. NCARB is making a concerted effort to shorten this time frame in changing their ercommended rules to allow completion of the ARE befoer IDP. This will help. ------------------------------------------- Frank Heitzman AIA Architect Heitzman Architects Oak Park IL -------------------------------------------
Show Original Message
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-30-2012 09:58
From: Brian Szymanik
Subject: Question #2: Advocating for Practice + Licensure in Education
A recurring theme in many of the discussions we've had over the past few weeks has been the disconnect between an initial desire to become registered for many students beginning architecture school and declining rates of architects earning their licenses in practice. Anecdotal evidence has suggested that upwards of 80% of students starting school intend to get their licenses, yet the number of graduates achieving licensure is 40% if we are lucky.
Some have suggested that the reasons behind this trend include inaccessibility given the employment landscape, diminishing rewards for achieving this milestone, or a general lack of desire to pursue a license.
So, the question is:
Should we begin to advocate for practice and licensure in the academy? If so, how? If not, why not?
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Brian Szymanik AIA
Brian Szymanik Architects
Philadelphia PA
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