NCARB Resources
To earn a license and become an architect, you’ll need to document real-world experience through the Architectural Experience Program® (AXP®). Developed by NCARB and required by most U.S. licensing boards, the AXP provides a framework to guide you through earning and reporting your professional experience.
As you progress through the AXP, you’ll build up competency in the skills and tasks you need to practice architecture. With broad experience areas that reflect the current phases of practice, the program prepares you for everything from site design to project management.
How to Earn an Initial Architecture License
As you pursue your initial architecture license, you should check your jurisdiction’s requirements. The process may differ depending on your chosen jurisdiction, but the basics are similar:
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Create your NCARB Record. Your NCARB Record is a verified account of your professional history that demonstrates your qualifications for licensure—learn how to start one. You will use your Record throughout the licensure process to document your education and employment history, document AXP hours, schedule exams, and more.
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Meet your jurisdiction's education requirement. Most jurisdictions require that you earn a degree from an architecture program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) to qualify for an initial license, but 17 jurisdictions offer additional pathways to licensure for those with some other—or no—degree.
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Gain and document the required experience. All 55 U.S. jurisdictions accept the Architectural Experience Program®(AXP®), but some require additional experience. To complete the AXP, you record a variety of tasks related to architecture. At least half of this work must be performed under the supervision of an architect licensed in the U.S.
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Pass the national licensing exam. All 55 U.S. jurisdictions require you to pass the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®). The exam includes six divisions (scheduled separately) with content that aligns to the AXP’s experience areas.
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Meet any extra jurisdictional requirements. Some boards require additional experience or a location-specific supplemental exam before licensure.
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Have your NCARB Record transmitted to the jurisdiction where you would like to be licensed.
What’s NCARB’s Role?
NCARB does not issue architecture licenses. Our role is to develop and recommend national standards for licensure, which many licensing boards choose to adopt. We also assist jurisdictions with the administrative side of the licensure process—for example, by administering the ARE and maintaining licensure candidates’ NCARB Records. Helping with these processes lessens the financial and administrative burden on individual jurisdictions. Learn more about NCARB’s role.
Why Earn a License?
The reasons to earn a license to practice architecture are as varied and personal as the path to get there—here are just a few benefits of licensure:
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Title: Once you’ve earned a license, you can officially call yourself an architect.
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Independence: With a license, you can practice independently.
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Trust: Your license gives firms, clients, and the public confidence in your skills and ability to protect their health, safety, and welfare.
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Skills: Completing your education, experience, and examination requirements helps guide you through continuing your professional growth and development.
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Advancement: Having a license provides you with greater career opportunities.
Experience Requirements
The AXP provides a framework to guide you through earning and recording your professional experience. The program covers everything from site design to project management and prepares you to practice architecture independently. Learn more about the six experience areas that comprise the AXP—and NCARB's requirements for completing each area—below. Want to understand the basics of the AXP? Learn how to get started.
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Experience Areas
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The Architectural Experience Program® (AXP®) identifies 16 competencies that fall into six experience areas. These competencies were informed by the 2022 Analysis of Practice and are defined in the NCARB Competency Standard for Architects, which establishes the foundation of initial licensure requirements for architects. To complete the program, you'll report a total of 3,740 hours across the six areas to demonstrate the core knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors needed at the point of initial licensure. You can start reporting any experience gained after you have graduated from high school (or the equivalent).
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Each experience area aligns with an Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) division, so you can use the AXP to guide your professional growth and exam strategy.
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AXP Experience Area Requirements | Number of Hours |
|---|---|
Total Hours | 3740 |
Construction & Evaluation | 360 |
Project Development & Documentation | 1520 |
Project Planning & Design | 1080 |
Programming & Analysis | 260 |
Project Management | 360 |
Practice Management | 160 |
Each experience area aligns with an Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) division, so you can use the AXP to guide your professional growth and exam strategy.
To record experience hours, you'll need to establish an NCARB Record. Once you've created your Record, you can track your hours and your AXP supervisor will approve them.
Go to My NCARB
The 16 competencies are designed to span several phases of your early career—some are simpler and can be completed right away, while others may require skills and experience that are developed over time. Work with your AXP supervisor to create a strategy to complete the AXP.
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Remember: Each jurisdiction sets its own requirements for initial licensure, and some require additional experience. Check our licensing requirements tool to explore your jurisdiction’s requirements.
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How to Earn Experience
To qualify for the AXP, your work must fall under one of two experience settings. These settings define the type of organization, the work performed, and who verifies your experience. Half of your documented experience (1,860 hours) must be gained while employed by an architecture firm legally practicing architecture and under the supervision of an architect who is licensed in the United States or Canada—this is experience setting A. Up to 1,860 hours can be reported under Setting O, which can be performed outside an architecture firm.
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Setting A: Work performed in an architecture firm
Setting O: Experience that can be performed outside an architecture firm
See the AXP Guidelines for a detailed explanation of the requirements for each experience opportunity.
