I think you will need to finish your degree before becoming eligible. If I remember correctly you need five years of work and/or school experience, and a masters qualifies you for 5 years as does an accredited 5 year undergrad program or a combo of work/school. You can always try to send in the app. and see what happens, I'm sure they'll tell you what is missing. Or call the California Architects Board, they are actually very helpful. you can find their number on the website.

Thanks....I read that an non-accredited degree in architecture actually receives 3.5 year credit. I have half a year of work experience, so that may count as well. However I am not sure any of my current study will count some credit or not.

If you do a non-professional architecture major in a 4-year program that is considered a "4" component of a "4 +2" program (i.e. you get a year of advanced standing in an M.Arch program and complete it in 2 or 2 1/2 years) then you can start counting work experience toward IDP after your third year of the undergrad major.

Go to www.ncarb.org and order the IDP package. This rule is stated in there.

If we get our 5-year proof in school+work before Dec. 31, 2004 in California, can't we still use the old method instead of doing IDP?

My situation is this... Bachelor of Science in Architectural Design (4-year), got accepted this year to SCI-Arc 2.5 year M.Arch 2 program (a 4+2.5 program). I've worked in an architecture firm for 3 years at 25 hrs/week. I've worked doing 2.5 architectural text books with a licensed architect as the author (10 hrs/week for 4+ years). And, did a high school stint with a firm for 6 months (10 hrs/week). If I need to, I can also get some credit for time spent working more than 10 weeks @ 20 hrs/week numerous times for general contractors.

I'm in the process of getting my evals signed before school starts. I'm also hoping to skirt the whole IDP thing, if I get the 5 year thing taken care of before the end of this year. If I'm not mistaken, I can bank on 3.5 years for my Bachelor, 1.875 years for the arch firm, 1 year for the books, and some more time (how much?) for the M.Arch on top of the 3.5 credit for my Bachelor.

Any thoughts?

I must now be out of the loop.
What happens AFTER Dec. 31, 2004 ??...

IDP will be enforced in the state of california!

First. some of your experience sounds a little dicey to actually count towards work experience. I don't know what the California definition of "work experience" is but I can't imagine it's too different from NCARB's. Some of the work you describe wouldn't be considered by NCARB.

Second, why would you get a Master's if you could get licensed without it? I guess I'm confused about your education. You first said that you have an un-accredited 4 year architecture degree and you're in your third year of grad school. They you say that you've just been accepted this year into a grad program. I think I'm missing something. If you haven't started the master's yet and can start the exam, I wouldn't bother with the master's unless you have an independent source of income. I'm making an assumption here - but since you're so anxious to get licensed, that tells me you want to start you're own firm quickly. Not revel in the theories of architecture. Please pardon the sarcasm, but why the rush to get the license?

Third, IDP probably wouldn't hurt you and won't take nearly as long as you think. You can start accruing units after your third year of your 4 year degree. You could probably get most of it signed off now. I also don't think that you'll be able to pull all this together before the end of the year. I was eligible to get licensed in Virginia around the time they were beginning to adopt IDP and they wouldn't grandfather anything in. If I remember correctly, you had to start IDP before they officially adopted it. There was some strange rule they had that forced you into IDP.

You need to contact the California licensing officials and get the necessary information from them. They'll be able to tell you what you need. Call them - don't write. It sounds like you need answers now.

Good luck.

One potential issue with getting registered in CA without IDP and without a professional degree is that you won't be able to get reciprocal registration in about two thirds of the other states. This may be one of your reasons for wanting to do the M.Arch?
Basically any work experience completed after your third year of the 4-year architecture major should count toward IDP as long as: you were directly suprevised by a registered architect AND you worked for at least 10 weeks straight for no less than 35 hours per week, or for at least 6 months for no less than 20 hours per week. The experiences you're describing don't meet the minimum hours per week. NCARB is strict about these rules.

There are some types of work that you can count toward IDP even if you weren't supervised by an architect. For instance you can count a certain number of units from a job with an engineering firm or a construction firm or teaching fulltime in an architecture program. But the minimum hours still apply. No jobs under 20 hours per week count, with the exception of a small number of hours that you can count toward the "community service" requirements of IDP.

How come my topic became another person topic? LOL
I have a question on IDP as well. If I register some of my work experience (full time for six months) with Cab for evaluation now, do I have to report this experiences to the IDP as well for them to count? I wonder other might have the same problem.....thanx

I guess I mixed up yours and V A's post! Sorry!

Ormolu brings up a great point. I hadn't thought about reciprocity.

So as long as someone has a professional degree, even without IDP, they are alright with reciprocity of licensure in other states?

max: no, this is not correct. More than half of the states require an NCARB certificate for reciprocity, with no exceptions. An NCARB certificate requires IDP (except under some very unusual circumstances that usually would involve having been grandfathered under some older rules and starting your record awhile back....)

Also, some of the states that indicate that it is possible to get reciprocity without an NCARB certificate actually mean only in a limited capacity or under certain circumstances.
For instance, if you check with the list on the NCARB site, New York indicates that reciprocity is possible without an NCARB certificate. But, if you check with New York's board you'll find that this is only in the case of a non-resident archiect who wishes to do a SINGLE project in the state - in which case registration in another state plus several architect references plus a fee will get you a one-time-only project-specific registration. But if you want to do multiple projects, or if you want to move there and start up a firm, then you cannot do this without an NCARB certificate.

I am going to graduate school to so I can teach at or above the community college level. As far as IDP, I guess I better prepare for it when I submit my experience. How many years will they give me for 4+2.5 (Non-Accredited B.S.Arch.Design + Accredited M.Arch)? I'd almost want to take my work experience over my Bachelor.

In my micro-economics class, I think they call this "professional protectionism" when states protect a whole occupation. I understand the life and death component, but what a "Good Ol' Boys & Girls Club".

God, this is confusing.

virtual-architect:
In general you need about 3 years of fulltime work experience to earn all your IDP units. In your case you can most likely count work experience that you did AFTER completing your 3rd year of your college architecture major.

Unlike in the California system (where they give you varying amounts of standing for different undergrad and grad degrees) you can't get IDP credit for any degree except for a post-professional M.Arch (one that is earned after completion of a B.Arch) in which case you get about 6 months worth of IDP units for it. It used to be about a year of IDP units for that, but changed in 2002.

Take a look at this if you haven't already. I still think it's worth a phone call. I also still think IDP is the way to go, even if you have already started taking the exam. I think there are only a few states that haven't adopted IDP, but they will, and it's much easier to get reciprocity with the NCARB certificate. IDP is really just more money to NCARB and it's practically unavoidable.

IMO it's purposefully confusing so that NCARB can make you think you got your money's worth after all is said and done.


http://www.ncarb.org/stateboards/regboards.asp?Boardname=California

Without regard to quantity of experience, California allows you to begin taking the exam as soon as you have a professional degree. That said, it sounds like you don't yet have one, so you are probably SOL until you finish up your M.Arch. For the next couple months, if you begin your California Architects Board (CAB) file, you will be able to get licensed (here) without going through the NCARB bullshit. You will, however, have to take the supplemental exam, which is an oral exam focussed on professional practice, liens, and the AIA documents. And if you want to practice elsewhere, eventually you will have to wade neck deep through NCARBs irrational filth.

Check out the website at www.cab.ca.gov.. that's where all this information lives without

Well, i am more confused now. So is it true that if I started a file with (CAB) regardless of I have five years of credit or not that I am not require to go through IDP? I also have the question that do I have to report my work experiences to both (CAB) and (NACARB - IDP). Or I just have to report to (CAB) currently and they will automatic transfer my info to (NACARB - IDP) after jan 2005? Thanks

You can just submit to the CAB (no NCARB, ever) if you are only interested in being licensed in California. You will eventually have to do NCARB if you want reciprocity elsewhere. And you cannot start a CAB record until you have your M.Arch. If that's going to be after this January, you are going to have do IDP (NCARB) no matter what, since that is when they are implementing IDP/CIDP. In a nutshell... you have 137 days left to get your professional degree, send your check, application and transcripts to the CAB, or you are stuck doing IDP through the bullshit NCARB system.

My crazy ass system follows:
What I did was start an NCARB record when I got my M.Arch, start a CAB file so I could begin taking the exams before I had my 3 years of experience, finished all 9 divisions of the ARE, had California submit my exam record to Michigan, (get licensed there first) have NCARB send California my Council Record (with employment history), and sit for the California supplemental exam after being licensed in Michigan.

Why Michigan? Family lives there, and it has the cheapest initial registration fees and annual renewals thereafter.

Sorry - as long as none of your 1.5 years of experience was acheived when you were enrolled in school, you can submit now under the 5 year experience equivalent (with the 3.5 years that you get for a 4 year undergrad B.A. in architecture). Send in the paperwork immediately - it takes a while for everything to make its way through the system.