The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards is streamlining its continuing education requirements for architects across 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. territories. Revisions to the council’s Model Laws and Model Regulation legislation reflect the new requirements calling for 12 hours annually of training in health, safety, and welfare subjects. Additionally, the continuing education reporting period must be separated by one calendar year from the date of license renewal. The changes were voted on by 52 of the council’s 54 member boards at their annual meeting and conference in Washington, D.C., last month.
This comes as an attempt by the council’s member boards to standardize the continuing education process across its jurisdictions by improving content while facilitating certification for architects licensed in multiple locales. “Last year revealed a grassroots desire to bring order out of the chaos related to the widely varied and convoluted continuing education requirements that presently exist,” said Kenneth J. Naylor, AIA, past president of NCARB’s board of directors.
The trick now, the council says, is to ensure that these new standards are incorporated into member boards’ practices. Prior to the revisions, 46 member jurisdictions had different continuing education requirements for license renewal. Of these, more than two-thirds already required 12 hours of credit but differed on their related license renewal date. Many required fewer than 12 hours annually and some divided the required time over a two-year period. To view the required continuing education hours for U.S. states and territories, visit ncarb.org.
Read a summary of the updated legislation here.
