This information is being provided as a resource and is intended for AIA purposes only. It should not be shared or otherwise distributed outside AIA.
Accreditation Requirements
Requirement 1: Deliver continuing education to members:
- Deliver at least eighteen (18) LU course hours per year, of which at least twelve (12) are Health/Safety/Welfare (HSW) hours. Up to fourteen (14) of these eighteen (18) hours may be part of a collaborative education plan with any other CES Provider.
- Of the eighteen (18) course hours mentioned above, deliver at least four (4) credit hours of LU or HSW content by curating (which means directly creating, facilitating or customizing) that content to foster high-quality, relevant courses. These four (4) credit hours are to be created and managed in the component’s own CES Provider account.
- If a component does not curate four (4) LUs on its own but actively works with another AIA component to co-create educational content for members, they may satisfy the above four (4) credit hour requirement by demonstrating how they meaningfully contributed to creating that co-created content. If more than two components worked together to co-curate a course, they may each add the course to their partner form in this manner.
- (NOTE: These educational items are among the requirements that components will report in their annual accreditation “check-up.”
Documentation: AIA will verify component CES Provider course records.
AIA will verify that at least four credit hours were filed using the component’s own CES Provider account.
Components with fewer than 18 AIA LU/12 HSW course hours on their Provider account will provide a CES partnership form. This form shows how the component partnered with another CES provider to create educational courses.
Components that worked with other components to co-curate their four (4) hours of content will also describe on the CES partnership form specifically how they played a meaningful role in curating that content, even though it resides on another component’s account.
Primary resources:
CES partner form
Continuing education provider toolkit
Secondary resources:
AIAU
How to use AIAU
AIA and state requirements for continuing education
Webinar Recording: Core Service- Education
Live Action for Climate Action
Requirement 2: Comply with requirements outlined in the CES Provider Toolkit to assure a basic level of quality and member service.
Documentation: AIA will verify that key requirements in the CES Provider Toolkit are being observed;
specifically, submitting courses and updating member transcripts in a timely manner.
Primary resource:
Standards for continuing education programs
Requirement 3: Provide career information and mentoring opportunities for emerging professionals to engage members early in their careers. Provide ARE preparation support to those on the path to licensure.
Documentation: Provide documentation of at least one of the component’s AXP-related activities, ARE preparation activities, career support, or mentoring activities. Such support may be provided in collaboration with other components in the state. (Such documentation might include a member communication, event notice, or designated webpage URL.)
Primary resource:
AIA’s Center for Emerging Professionals
AXP resources
ARE prep
Secondary resources:
Archiprep
Leadership Education
AIA Kansas City ARE Success Teams
AIA Charlotte’s Mentorship Exchange program
Requirement 4: State components only: Appoint a state Architect Licensing Advisor, who serves as a resource to AXP participants. Inform all components in the state and AXP participants on how to reach the licensing advisor in their state.
Documentation: Provide a link to the component webpage showing how AXP participants may reach the state Architect Licensing Advisor.
Primary resource:
Architectural Experience Program (AXP)