I am going to start studying Architecture very soon. I have been researching on my own information on how to get licensed, etc. Sorry if this post is stupid but I haven't been able to find an answer anywhere. I know that I want to get an ARE license when I graduate so that I am able to have more job opportunities. I know that not might necessarily be true but I have had hard time finding a job with the degree I already have so I am trying to avoid the same situation. The whole system of school-internship-exams-licensing seems very complex but I hope they will tell me more about it at school. That being said, I would like to know beforehand what I'm getting into.
My dilemma is that when I finish my degree I hope to study abroad for a few years. In that case, I don't know what would be best: to do the exams before I go or after I come back. Does the license ever expire or do you have to do the internships before a certain date after you have graduated? Does every student get placed in an internship? Sorry for my ignorance I only know what I have found online.
Thanks for your time.
SneakyPete
Dec 9, 16 6:04 pm
Licenses lapse. You pay the state to renew every year. Many have continuing ed req's.
JeromeS
Dec 9, 16 9:31 pm
What degree do you already have?
Non Sequitur
Dec 9, 16 9:42 pm
Who writes their exams right after school? Most will take several years of work experience before doing so.
Josh Mings
Dec 10, 16 11:47 am
I took my first one about a year out of school and passed them all within 3.
gruen
Dec 10, 16 12:23 pm
1-school (professional degree)
2-internship (IDP with NCARB)
3-ARE exams
4-apply for license in your state
5-you are an architect
Total time roughly 8 years give or take a few.
minniemouse
Dec 10, 16 4:59 pm
Hello everyone,
Thanks for your replies.
@SneakyPete
That seems tough.Then it is probably better to get your license after you get a job right?
@JeromeS
My undergrad degree is in the visual arts. It is still a field that I am greatly interested in but I thought there would be more educational/career development opportunities by going to architecture grad school instead.
@Non Sequitur
It does seem like a difficult task to do the exams without work experience. Is it possible for people to get a job in architecture without a license?
@Josh Mings
That's great! Do you recommend studying through books or getting work experience first?
@gruen
I was looking for an answer like this! After I finish my architecture degree I would like to go study abroad. Should I do the internship before or after that? Is there a time limit?
shellarchitect
Dec 10, 16 9:54 pm
Most study abroad as a part of their arch program, very difficult to do so after as most people have a lot of loans that need to be proud back
shellarchitect
Dec 10, 16 9:56 pm
The process is complex as there are a lot of different ways to do the same thing, but if you are just starting school now, you will have as lot of time to think about it!
Why would you study abroad after receiving your degree? Many programs have a study abroad component within them. Your first internship should be during the summer while you are a student, not after graduation. By then it is a bit late.
Josh Mings
Dec 11, 16 12:44 pm
Yep. Travel while you're in school. That's what I did (combo study abroad program plus research travel fellowship)
minniemouse
Dec 11, 16 4:22 pm
Hello,
Thanks for your replies. Tintt, that's wonderful! I hope my school does that! Is there a list of schools that have joined the program?
My school has some wonderful study abroad programs but the cost is a bit prohibitive because I would have to pay tuition fees+travel fees+study abroad fees+etc... It is like the double of a regular semester. Moreover it doesn't seem to be very academically-focused so I wouldn't like it to hinder my studies. I'm going to try my best so that I don't have a lot of loans after finishing.
For the "study abroad" I would like to apply through a scholarship selection fund sponsored by that country's government. It is actually like 2 or 3 years. I am not sure that I can get it but I have been preparing for it and it is my only hope to do some studying abroad so that I can learn new techniques that I won't be able to learn here and also do post-graduate research.
The thing is I don't want to be unemployed when I come back and become a burden for my family. I have casually mentioned it to them that studying abroad is what I want to do and they don't seem to mind but I am worried that this will have a negative effect on my career. I wouldn't mind working in a museum or in a school or in an office or wherever as long as it is art or architecture-related so I hope that doing post-graduate research (and maybe obtaining a PhD in the process) will lead me to more opportunities and also help me become a better candidate. Of course, for now this is all wishful thinking but I don't want to make any big mistakes and continue being unemployed.
This is not how the profession works. Start by completing the M.arch and learning what the architecture profession is before planning the next 20 years.
Wilma Buttfit
Dec 12, 16 8:50 am
If your daddy is Walt Disney though, you can do it that way.
minniemouse
Dec 12, 16 10:15 pm
@Non Sequitur
I would love to travel the world but that's not my goal. "Ain't nobody got time for that..." Or money. At least for now. I want to go abroad to do research in an arts related field and obtain a PhD while doing so. In the country I'm interested in it is 3 years and you can get other licenses as well.
So my timeline is something like this:
Grad school (3.5 years)>>>Research abroad (3 years+-)>>>Do license/get job in an art field (1 year+-)
That is why I am asking if it would be better to get the license before or after. Thanks.
@tintt
Sadly my school is not on the list.
shellarchitect
Dec 12, 16 10:29 pm
Why do you want a phd? I don't think these are bad questions, I just think they assume everything will go "right.". What if you decide after 2 years that you dont like architecture? 80% of my class did so and I bet a similar percentage of yours will too.
A phd is only usefully if you want to teach
shellarchitect
Dec 12, 16 10:34 pm
get your license before anything else. It's extremily time consuming and every year that it gets put off it becomes even harder. I personally know a ton of people who will prob never get licensed because they've been out of school for years and have family/work obligations.
Non Sequitur
Dec 12, 16 10:56 pm
Minnie, so why architecture at all then?
See the second part of my previous post as well as Shell's above.
minniemouse
Dec 15, 16 5:27 pm
Hello,
You’re right. I don’t know whether my plans will come true because there are too many factors involved.
I don’t think there is a big advantage in going for an MFA. Moreover, it is not possible for me right now to go straight into a PhD program. Then I thought arch school would suit me better and push me out of my comfort zone. I think that in arch school I might receive a better design education than otherwise and I will learn new things. But I still want to make art a part of my career, hence why I want to do research on that after I finish. I just don’t want to abandon it. I want to learn new techniques, maybe even go into writing or museum work.
Anyway, I need to have a plan of attack. I think I might do the licensing stuff first but I am scared that I’ll go and come back and they’ll be like “You have to do it again!” because the guidelines might have changed and then I would have wasted time and money.
Non Sequitur
Dec 15, 16 8:56 pm
Probably best to stick with MFA. Architecture school is as about about design as it is about the technical detailing of buildings. It takes several years of full time work to acquire the experience to get to a point where you're actually designing and doing real architecture. It's far more difficult and demanding than simple "license stuff".
Sounds more like you prefer the safety of academia.
TheGreatEscape
Dec 18, 16 11:38 am
Start the IDP while you are in college, get a professional mentor if you can (licensed and practicing) that can help guide you along the way, sign off on IDP credit hours etc.
minniemouse
Dec 22, 16 6:24 pm
Thanks for the input guys! I will take everything into consideration.
gruen
Dec 23, 16 7:59 am
MFA and PhD are for people who do NOT want to be licensed architects. MArch is what you want for your license.
ArchNyen
Dec 25, 16 8:55 am
Why are you even trying to get lincens? You do not need a lincens to write a book or do museum work? Sounds like you don't know what you want to do for a living but more of gong ho planning on getting fancy papers and cirtificates. Slow down grass hopper finish your first degree before considering Phd. And know a little bit about the architecture profession before jumping into arch school.
mxwll1
Apr 17, 17 8:16 am
I "retired" seven or eight years ago and am now finding that I need to go back to work. I let my license lapse unfortunately, as I did not plan on returning to work. I also never needed to establish a NCARB record. Most states are requiring NCARB certification and/or a record in place before one can be relicensed w/o retaking the exam. Does anyone know of a state that will accept my test results and the 30+ years of experience? Thanks! Jim
Hello,
I am going to start studying Architecture very soon. I have been researching on my own information on how to get licensed, etc. Sorry if this post is stupid but I haven't been able to find an answer anywhere. I know that I want to get an ARE license when I graduate so that I am able to have more job opportunities. I know that not might necessarily be true but I have had hard time finding a job with the degree I already have so I am trying to avoid the same situation. The whole system of school-internship-exams-licensing seems very complex but I hope they will tell me more about it at school. That being said, I would like to know beforehand what I'm getting into.
My dilemma is that when I finish my degree I hope to study abroad for a few years. In that case, I don't know what would be best: to do the exams before I go or after I come back. Does the license ever expire or do you have to do the internships before a certain date after you have graduated? Does every student get placed in an internship? Sorry for my ignorance I only know what I have found online.
Thanks for your time.
Licenses lapse. You pay the state to renew every year. Many have continuing ed req's.
What degree do you already have?
Who writes their exams right after school? Most will take several years of work experience before doing so.
I took my first one about a year out of school and passed them all within 3.
1-school (professional degree)
2-internship (IDP with NCARB)
3-ARE exams
4-apply for license in your state
5-you are an architect
Total time roughly 8 years give or take a few.
Hello everyone,
Thanks for your replies.
@SneakyPete
That seems tough.Then it is probably better to get your license after you get a job right?
@JeromeS
My undergrad degree is in the visual arts. It is still a field that I am greatly interested in but I thought there would be more educational/career development opportunities by going to architecture grad school instead.
@Non Sequitur
It does seem like a difficult task to do the exams without work experience. Is it possible for people to get a job in architecture without a license?
@Josh Mings
That's great! Do you recommend studying through books or getting work experience first?
@gruen
I was looking for an answer like this! After I finish my architecture degree I would like to go study abroad. Should I do the internship before or after that? Is there a time limit?
Most study abroad as a part of their arch program, very difficult to do so after as most people have a lot of loans that need to be proud back
The process is complex as there are a lot of different ways to do the same thing, but if you are just starting school now, you will have as lot of time to think about it!
IDP is the old term, it is now called AXP. Also, you might like to know that some schools are now offering a license with graduation. http://www.ncarb.org/News-and-Events/News/2015/Aug-IntegratedPath.aspx
NCARB's website should be able to help you out. http://www.ncarb.org/Becoming-an-Architect/Architecture-Basics.aspx
Why would you study abroad after receiving your degree? Many programs have a study abroad component within them. Your first internship should be during the summer while you are a student, not after graduation. By then it is a bit late.
Yep. Travel while you're in school. That's what I did (combo study abroad program plus research travel fellowship)
Hello,
Thanks for your replies. Tintt, that's wonderful! I hope my school does that! Is there a list of schools that have joined the program?
My school has some wonderful study abroad programs but the cost is a bit prohibitive because I would have to pay tuition fees+travel fees+study abroad fees+etc... It is like the double of a regular semester. Moreover it doesn't seem to be very academically-focused so I wouldn't like it to hinder my studies. I'm going to try my best so that I don't have a lot of loans after finishing.
For the "study abroad" I would like to apply through a scholarship selection fund sponsored by that country's government. It is actually like 2 or 3 years. I am not sure that I can get it but I have been preparing for it and it is my only hope to do some studying abroad so that I can learn new techniques that I won't be able to learn here and also do post-graduate research.
The thing is I don't want to be unemployed when I come back and become a burden for my family. I have casually mentioned it to them that studying abroad is what I want to do and they don't seem to mind but I am worried that this will have a negative effect on my career. I wouldn't mind working in a museum or in a school or in an office or wherever as long as it is art or architecture-related so I hope that doing post-graduate research (and maybe obtaining a PhD in the process) will lead me to more opportunities and also help me become a better candidate. Of course, for now this is all wishful thinking but I don't want to make any big mistakes and continue being unemployed.
minniemouse, there is a list of those schools in this link. http://www.ncarb.org/News-and-Events/News/2015/Aug-IntegratedPathSchools.aspx
So, let me get this time line straight.
Apply for M.arch
Graduate & get license / pass exams?
Then travel the world
Then... maybe find a job, maybe get a phd?
This is not how the profession works. Start by completing the M.arch and learning what the architecture profession is before planning the next 20 years.
If your daddy is Walt Disney though, you can do it that way.
@Non Sequitur
I would love to travel the world but that's not my goal. "Ain't nobody got time for that..." Or money. At least for now. I want to go abroad to do research in an arts related field and obtain a PhD while doing so. In the country I'm interested in it is 3 years and you can get other licenses as well.
So my timeline is something like this:
Grad school (3.5 years)>>>Research abroad (3 years+-)>>>Do license/get job in an art field (1 year+-)
That is why I am asking if it would be better to get the license before or after. Thanks.
@tintt
Sadly my school is not on the list.
Why do you want a phd? I don't think these are bad questions, I just think they assume everything will go "right.". What if you decide after 2 years that you dont like architecture? 80% of my class did so and I bet a similar percentage of yours will too. A phd is only usefully if you want to teach
get your license before anything else. It's extremily time consuming and every year that it gets put off it becomes even harder. I personally know a ton of people who will prob never get licensed because they've been out of school for years and have family/work obligations.
Minnie, so why architecture at all then?
See the second part of my previous post as well as Shell's above.
Hello,
You’re right. I don’t know whether my plans will come true because there are too many factors involved.
I don’t think there is a big advantage in going for an MFA. Moreover, it is not possible for me right now to go straight into a PhD program. Then I thought arch school would suit me better and push me out of my comfort zone. I think that in arch school I might receive a better design education than otherwise and I will learn new things. But I still want to make art a part of my career, hence why I want to do research on that after I finish. I just don’t want to abandon it. I want to learn new techniques, maybe even go into writing or museum work.
Anyway, I need to have a plan of attack. I think I might do the licensing stuff first but I am scared that I’ll go and come back and they’ll be like “You have to do it again!” because the guidelines might have changed and then I would have wasted time and money.
Probably best to stick with MFA. Architecture school is as about about design as it is about the technical detailing of buildings. It takes several years of full time work to acquire the experience to get to a point where you're actually designing and doing real architecture. It's far more difficult and demanding than simple "license stuff".
Sounds more like you prefer the safety of academia.
Start the IDP while you are in college, get a professional mentor if you can (licensed and practicing) that can help guide you along the way, sign off on IDP credit hours etc.
Thanks for the input guys! I will take everything into consideration.
MFA and PhD are for people who do NOT want to be licensed architects. MArch is what you want for your license.
Why are you even trying to get lincens? You do not need a lincens to write a book or do museum work? Sounds like you don't know what you want to do for a living but more of gong ho planning on getting fancy papers and cirtificates. Slow down grass hopper finish your first degree before considering Phd. And know a little bit about the architecture profession before jumping into arch school.
I "retired" seven or eight years ago and am now finding that I need to go back to work. I let my license lapse unfortunately, as I did not plan on returning to work. I also never needed to establish a NCARB record. Most states are requiring NCARB certification and/or a record in place before one can be relicensed w/o retaking the exam. Does anyone know of a state that will accept my test results and the 30+ years of experience? Thanks! Jim
Architects don't retire.