執照是成為建筑師的漫長道路上的最后一步。國家建筑認證委員會 (NCARB) 委員會的認證代表了對專業能力的官方認可，并開辟了重要的職業機會。在這方面，建筑師執照類似于法律、醫學和心理學等其他領域。

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然而，不穩定的就業和低工資會導致高流失率并影響建筑中的種族和社會公平。一個最近的NCARB報告顯示，建筑師的只是63％下榻的道路上執照，并略微超過半數合格建筑師注冊考試（ARE）。按種族劃分，存在顯著差異——66% 的白人候選人仍然在獲得執照的道路上，而黑人候選人的這一比例為 46%，西班牙裔候選人的這一比例為 57%。NCARB 主席 Alfred Vidaurri Jr.、FAIA、NCARB、AICP 將這種差異描述為“不可接受的”。?

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為了獲得許可，NCARB 概述了五項要求。

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*從國家建筑認證委員會 (NAAB) 認可的計劃中獲得建筑學位

*在該領域有文件證明的工作經驗

*通過 ARE

*滿足任何額外的當地要求

*將您的 NCARB 記錄發送到當地司法管轄區

每一步都有其自身的經濟負擔。州外本科建筑學位的平均費用接近 180,000 美元，不包括額外的 50-100,000 美元的碩士學位。從建筑學校畢業的第一年尤其困難，因為建筑師試圖在一個眾所周知的低薪領域獲得工作經驗，并且必須開始償還學生貸款債務。鑒于經驗是獲得執照的必要條件，雇主可能會認為向剛畢業的學生提供工作經驗是在給予幫助，而不是一份工作。?

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考試準備是另一個昂貴的障礙。在對屬于基線 由NCARB和發布的研究民族建筑師的全國組織（NOMA）在 2021 年透露，多名考生在 ARE 的準備材料上花費了超過 500 美元。作為回應，NCARB 正在開發將于 2022 年發布的免費材料?？荚嚤旧碛闪鶄€部分組成——實踐管理、項目管理、編程和分析、項目規劃和設計、項目開發和文檔以及構建和評估。綜合起來，考試的考試時間超過 24 小時，總費用為 1,410 美元。重考或單獨部分考試的費用為 235 美元。由于通過率為 54%，重考通常是該過程的必要步驟，占所有考試管理的 35%。

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尼基起重機，副教授。AIA 和 Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects 的設計師對考試費用如何經常落在個人身上表示擔憂，并在沒有公司支持的情況下為建筑師帶來了不可逾越的障礙。“這些測試太貴了，如果我的公司不幫我支付費用，我自己負擔不起 6 次測試，這只是測試，不包括準備測試。我已經（個人）在材料和學習計劃上花費了大約 150 美元，但我只完成了一半。”?

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對于 Crane 來說，職業的改變“從我們開始”。為了產生影響，“我們應該在當地倡導改變我們城市/州的這些數字的方法。開始在我們的 AIA 新興專業團體中進行這些對話。如果有辦法幫助使這條道路更加公平，我們可以與新興和潛入的同事合作?！?/span>

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組織無疑是創造持久變革的重要一步，但結構性障礙令人生畏，需要重大的社會和經濟轉變。在Baseline on Belonging 中，一位候選人評論道：“在 2008 年經濟衰退期間失去了一份建筑工作，讓 [他們] 無法及時獲得相關經驗。” 由于建筑特別容易受到建筑繁榮和蕭條周期的影響，因此必須考慮確保在經濟衰退期間獲得工作經驗的公平補償機會，以降低人員流失率。

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NCAR B 已承諾進一步調查許可和審查過程中的不公平現象，新上任的 NCARB 主席 Vidaurri 誓言要“分析、理解和解決這些差異……一個關鍵焦點”。作為這項工作的一部分，NCARB 正在邀請建筑師分享有關許可的演變對話的想法。

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英文版

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Licensure is the final step in the long road of becoming an architect. Certification by the National Council of Architectural Certification Boards (NCARB) represents an official endorsement of professional capacity and opens up important career opportunities. In this regard, licensure for architects is akin to other fields such as law, medicine and psychology.

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However, precarious employment and low pay create a high attrition rate and impact racial and social equity in architecture. A recent NCARB report revealed that just 63 percent of architects stayed on the path to licensure and slightly over half passed the Architect Registration Examination (ARE). Broken down by race, there are significant disparities — 66 percent of White candidates remained on the licensure path compared to 46 percent of Black candidates and 57 percent of Hispanic candidates. NCARB President Alfred Vidaurri Jr., FAIA, NCARB, AICP described the disparity as “unacceptable.”?

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To achieve licensure, there are five requirements as outlined by the NCARB.

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*Obtaining an architecture degree from a National Architecture Accrediting Board (NAAB)-accredited program

*Documented work experience in the field

*Passing the ARE

*Fulfilling any additional local requirements

*Sending your NCARB record to local jurisdiction

Each step comes with its own financial burden. The average cost of an undergraduate architecture degree out of state is almost $180,000, not including an additional $50-100,000 for a Masters degree. The first years out of architecture school are particularly difficult as architects attempt to gain work experience in a notoriously low-paying field and must begin paying student loan debt. Given that experience is a requirement for licensure, employers may feel that by offering work experience to newly graduated students they are giving a favor, rather than a job.?

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Test preparation is another expensive hurdle. The Baseline on Belonging study released by the NCARB and National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) in 2021 revealed that a plurality of test takers spend over $500 on preparation materials for the ARE. In response, NCARB is developing free materials to be released in 2022. The exam itself consists of six sections — practice management, project management, programming and analysis, project planning and design, project development and documentation, and construction and evaluation. Combined, the sitting time for the exam is over 24 hours with a total cost of $1,410. Retakes or an individual portion of the exam costs $235. As the pass rate is 54 percent, retakes are often a necessary step of the process and account for 35 percent of all exam administrations.

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Nikki Crane, Assoc. AIA and Designer at Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects, voiced concern on how the cost of exams often falls on individuals and presents an insurmountable barrier to architects without the support of a firm. “These tests are so expensive and if my firm wasn’t helping me pay for them, I couldn’t afford 6 tests on my own, and that’s just the tests, not including preparing to test. I’ve spent (personally) around $1.5k on materials and study programs and I’ve only made it halfway through.”?

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For Crane, change in the profession “starts with us.” In order to make an impact, “We should be advocating locally on ways to change these numbers in our cities/states. Start having these conversations in our AIA emerging professional groups. We can collaborate with our emerging and submerging colleagues on if there is a way to help make this path more equitable.”

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Organizing is undoubtedly an important step to creating lasting change, but the structural barriers are daunting and require major social and economic shifts. In Baseline on Belonging, a candidate remarked on how, “Losing an architecture job during the 2008 recession prevented [them] from gaining relevant experience in a timely manner.” As architecture is particularly susceptible to boom and bust building cycles, ensuring fairly compensated opportunities to gain work experience during recessions must be considered to combat attrition rates.

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The NCARB has pledged to further investigate inequity in the licensure and examination process, with newly inducted NCARB President Vidaurri vowing to make “analyzing, understanding, and addressing these disparities…a key focus.” As part of this effort, the NCARB is inviting architects to share thoughts on the evolving conversation on licensure. Feedback and comments to the NCARB can be submitted here.

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