Path to licensure: NAAB education, AXP experience, ARE exam, and state board authority

One-line orientation

Becoming a licensed architect requires three things — education, experience, and examination — but the license itself comes from the state board, not NCARB; NCARB’s role is standardization, exam delivery, and enabling reciprocity across jurisdictions.

Key points

• Three requirements for licensure (the “three Es”):
  1. Education — degree from a NAAB-accredited institution (or an equivalent recognized by the jurisdiction).
  2. Experience — completion of NCARB’s Architectural Experience Program (AXP), which records qualifying work across defined experience areas. Current NCARB rules determine which settings and supervisors qualify. Some states may have additional or alternative experience requirements.
  3. Examination — passing all divisions of the ARE (Architect Registration Examination), administered by NCARB. Some jurisdictions may require additional state-specific exams.
• NCARB’s role:
  • Administers the ARE.
  • Maintains the NCARB Record — a consolidated, portable documentation of education, experience, and exam records.
  • Issues the NCARB Certificate — a credential recognized by most jurisdictions to streamline reciprocal licensure.
  • Publishes the Model Law and Regulations — a framework each jurisdiction adapts for its own laws. Not directly enforceable by NCARB.
  • Does not grant or revoke licenses. That authority belongs to state boards.
• State / jurisdiction boards:
  • Grant, suspend, and revoke architectural licenses.
  • Set jurisdiction-specific requirements (may exceed NCARB minimums).
  • Each U.S. licensing jurisdiction—including the states, the District of Columbia, and participating territories—issues its own architecture license. NCARB does not issue the license.
  • A license in one jurisdiction does not automatically authorize practice in another.
• “Architect” is a title-protected term. Unlicensed practitioners are typically titled “designer,” “architectural designer,” or similar. Using “architect” without a valid license in the jurisdiction carries legal penalties.
• Reciprocity: holding an NCARB Certificate makes it substantially easier to obtain licensure in additional jurisdictions without repeating documentation. Individual boards still formally issue each additional license.

Confusions / comparison

Body	Role	Authority
NAAB	Accredits professional architecture degree programs	Determines which degrees satisfy the education requirement
NCARB	Administers the ARE; maintains records; issues NCARB Certificate; publishes Model Law	No licensing authority — standardizes and facilitates; cannot grant or revoke a license
State / jurisdiction board	Reviews applications; issues, suspends, and revokes licenses	The only body that can grant or revoke a license
AIA	Professional society; publishes Code of Ethics; advocates for the profession	No licensing authority; can only impose membership penalties

Related

→ pp-ncarb-rules-vs-aia-ethics (this module): the conduct rules that govern practice once licensed → pp-stamp-seal-responsible-control (this module): what “responsible control” means for the licensed architect → pp-aia-ethics-structure (this module): AIA Code structure and Rule 5.201 on AXP supervision obligations