This post is brought to you by Woodbury University.

An architecture program should empower students to ask questions, reframe new problems and challenge the status quo. Woodbury School of Architecture (WSoA) is doing this by rethinking the student experience to better prepare our graduates for an ever-evolving professional world. With programs such as the Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL), the Agency for Civic Engagement (ACE), the Real Estate Development (RED) program, and studio partnerships with professional offices, WSoA prepares students for a profession that they themselves will transform.

Programs in WSoA are evolving. So too is the path to professional licensure. Reports show that the average time from graduation to licensure is roughly seven years, and that is the average for candidates who become licensed. What is not shown is the number of architecture graduates who do not become licensed. Given the disparity between the numbers of graduates from professional programs and licensed architects and the time it takes to become licensed, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) proposed an initiative to integrate the path to licensure with education. Universities responded with unique proposals. Both the BArch and MArch programs at Woodbury are among the first 21 professional programs accepted to participate in the NCARB Integrated Path to Licensure (IPAL) initiative and Woodbury is one of only three participating schools in California.

“We are excited to be able to offer an Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure to our graduate students,” said Marc J. Neveu, Associate Dean of Architecture at Woodbury. “This represents an opportunity for our students that is unique to the Southern California region, and we look forward to building relationships with a consortium of firms."

WSoA believes the integrated path to licensure is a transformative experience that has the potential to radically shape future architects. In both programs (BArch and MArch) at Woodbury, students work in paid internships over the summer and then work for an entire year prior to the final academic year, when Architectural Registration Exams (ARE) can be taken. This adds only one additional year to each program making them six (BArch) and four (MArch) years total. To help secure consistent employment, WSoA has created a consortium of firms in Los Angeles and San Diego who have agreed to hire students in support of the IPAL program. The consortium consists of a range of offices – global firms such as NBBJ and influential local offices such as Bestor Architecture and Carrier Johnson + Culture in San Diego. The diversity of offices ensures a mix of experiences for students. To help keep students stay on track with the necessary hours for the Architectural Experience Program (AXP), firms work with our Career Outreach Coordinator, Catherine Roussel, AIA. Participation in the program is competitive. This assures that firms are hiring students who are prepared and committed to working in practice. Students have the opportunity of working at a variety of offices and on a range of project scales.

The IPAL option is generating interest among students to integrate their education with experience. As one student observed, “I really wanted to integrate work into my architectural education. I knew that combining the experience of both would make me stronger and it has.” Architecture chair for Woodbury University’s San Diego campus, Catherine Herbst, agrees that learning is more effective when education and practice are integrated. “It is a better way to learn.” Another student said she chose the IPAL path in order to complete her studies and licensure as soon as possible, because you never know what will happen in the future.

According to Jonathan Ward, of NBBJ, Los Angeles, “the sooner the students begin working in an office, the better. IPAL students, on the licensure track, are inspiring others and having a positive influence. However, one of the challenges has been giving work assignments to students so early in their professional degree program. We are having to rethink our internship program, and are making it stronger as a result.”

Commitment to alternative models of professional engagement is another way that Woodbury is engaging students to question the status quo. The Agency for Civic Engagement (ACE), for example, was founded to empower students to improve underserved communities through public interest design. With projects all around the region, such as the streetscapes project in Watts and outdoor classrooms in Burbank, ACE positions architecture as cultural practice. The work is diverse, ranging from nonprofit business plans to architectural design build projects. Jeanine Centuori, Director of ACE, sees it “as a mechanism by which we can begin to gauge and measure the quantity and quality of civic engagement performed by all of our students.”

Beyond initiatives like ACE and IPAL, Woodbury has developed new coursework to help students excel as leaders and advocates for change.

The Master of Architecture in Real Estate Development (RED) program in San Diego, for example, positions students to go beyond the typical architectural purview to engage with market analysis, partnership agreements, funding proposals and leasing strategies. The RED program is unique to architecture schools in Southern California, offering students a progressive curriculum working alongside notable architects like Ted Smith and Jonathan Segal, FAIA. Catherine Herbst, chair of architecture at Woodbury’s San Diego Campus, echoes this by stating that, “Architecture should be powerful, and the RED program is a force. Outstanding design-driven projects and innovative sustainable strategies have galvanized our citizens to understand and embrace the value of development.” Beyond programs that focus on housing, Woodbury teaches students to think professionally at multiple scales, from national policies to ethical considerations.

Professionals hold both personal and social responsibility. “We cultivate architect-citizens, and what unites our community is the desire to make a difference. Students come here recognizing our optimism and hopefulness about the power and possibilities of design to change the world" said Ingalill Wahlroos-Ritter, AIA, Dean of the School of Architecture, in a recent interview. Understanding the idea of systemic causation and its implications in the built environment, Woodbury offers classes with concentrations like the 2030 Initiative, where students face challenges of designing a zero-carbon future. Here, the university’s education model allows students to bridge ideas of sustainability, development, and social impact with processes of licensure and professional training. Education becomes more than design or construction management; it enables students to be life-long learners and professional advocates. Woodbury’s curriculum reflects this commitment to practice. Opportunities such as Yasushi Ishida’s Gensler-sponsored studio or the Tadashi Shoji studio extend the knowledge base of the profession. Responding to changing conditions, each course instills deep investigation as a means to solve well-formed problems. Exploring the novel use of flexible sheet materials as formwork for concrete or how interior architecture can inform branded retail experience, these studios reinforce connections between the academy and what it means to practice as a professional.

Between hands-on approaches to rethinking education paths and comprehensive strategies to making architecture more inclusive, Woodbury exemplifies how the academy can holistically support both its students and its place. We believe in the power of practice to foster change. By embracing IPAL, we’ve made concrete steps to building professional experiences that better serve both firms and students. We see the IPAL program as a vital opportunity to help students understand the built environment, expand their critical thinking skills, and engage with new design problems. We will continue to learn from our students as they ask their own questions and weigh alternatives. With programs like IPAL, ACE, and RED, Woodbury School of Architecture is transforming academic programs, rethinking professional practice, and educating future leaders.