NCARB will resolve "Intern Architect" title debate at AIA National Convention

2015-05-05T20:48:00-04:00

Back in August of 2014, NCARB began reevaluating whether the title "Intern Architect" was an appropriate label for those pursuing licensure. Currently used to call an architect experienced enough to be working towards licensure, but not yet licensed, "Intern Architect" is fraught by the associations around the status of an "intern" in most professional cultures, as someone not inherently experienced and near the absolute bottom of an employment hierarchy.

Now, NCARB aims to settle the debate over the title in an announcement formally made at the AIA National Convention next week in Atlanta, Georgia. Culminating the efforts by NCARB's "Future Title Task Force" devoted to this issue, the announcement will not only mark changes in titling for the architecture profession, it will also set out new guidelines for US licensing boards.

If you plan on attending the AIA National Convention, NCARB CEO Michael Armstrong will address these issues on May 14 at 2pm (booth #2145), at the Georgia Worl...

NCARB revises "Intern Architect" title for architects pursuing licensure

2014-09-04T21:25:00-04:00

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) convened its new Future Title Task Force, which is comprised of interns and architects from across the country, to discuss the profession’s title debate. The task force is charged with discussing the terminology used for those who are candidates for licensure and those who are architects.

The word "intern" contains a minefield of professional connotations. The job-title is often associated with a position that is unpaid, undervalued, or disposable, flying in the face of employment laws and professional ethics. And in some ways, it's no different in the architecture industry: it's deplorably and repeatedly the case that unpaid internships play an integral role in professional practice. It seems strange then, that the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) uses the title "Intern Architect" as the official term for those educated enough to pursue licensure. Under this definition, the babe in the woods can have the same title as a seasoned vet.

This disconcerting overlap of meanings has led NCARB to reconsider the term used to describe practicing professionals seeking licensure. NCARB's newly formed Future Title Task Force met late last August to outline the issues of this sticky naming-debate, eventually to determine what architects, before and aft...

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NCARB will resolve "Intern Architect" title debate at AIA National Convention

NCARB revises "Intern Architect" title for architects pursuing licensure