Big Changes to the Intern Development Program

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This post was written by principal Jody Coleman, AIA. Jody is currently the IDP State Coordinator, served as a member of the Mississippi State Board of Architecture, is a 10-year veteran of the Architect Registration Exam, and is the current Item Writing Chair of the NCARB Architect Registration Exam 5.0. Jody also served as a past ARE 4.0 coordinator for Building Design and Construction Systems.

Big, big changes are happening to the AIA Intern Development Program. Last summer saw a host of major changes to the IDP and its requirements – the most significant in recent years. Created jointly by the AIA and NCARB in 1976, the IDP identifies the required knowledge and experience necessary for the independent practice of architecture. In 1978 Mississippi became the first jurisdiction in the United States to adopt the IDP and make it a requirement for licensure. The Mississippi State Board of Architecture has maintained that the IDP is one of the three major aspects of licensure: education, experience and examination.

Below are the three major changes to the program, with one already in effect and two that will be implemented by NCARB in the very near future.

Experience Reporting, aka 6 Month Rule

In July, NCARB revised the 6-month experience reporting requirement to allow interns the opportunity to earn credit for experiences that occurred up to 5 years ago. Any experience gained beyond the current reporting period of 6 months (plus the two-month grace period) will be valued at 50%. Any experience obtained beyond 5 years will be ineligible. According to NCARB, the change will closely parallel the 5-year rolling clock of the Architect Registration Exam. This change went into effect on July 1, 2014.

NCARB has Approved Streamlining and Overhauling of the IDP

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) has recently voted to approve far reaching changes to the IDP that will streamline and overhaul the Intern Development Program (IDP). Currently, the IDP is required by most states to satisfy experience requirements for licensure as an architect. These changes must be adopted by the Mississippi State Board of Architecture to become applicable to our jurisdiction.

IDP Streamlining

Phase 1 of the new changes to the IDP focuses on the number of experience hours required by intern architects. Currently, the IDP requires 5,600 hours of experience with 3,740 of those hours required in specific areas referred to as “core experience areas.” The remaining 1860 hours are electives, and can be gained in any of the experience areas. Phase 1 streamlines these requirements by eliminating the elective hours and will only require the 3,740 core experience hours. This change is proposed to go into effect midway through 2015.

IDP Overhaul

In addition to focusing on core requirements, NCARB also voted on the realignment of the 17 core experience areas. The framework of the experience requirements will be revised to 6 categories reflective of the 6 general areas of practice identified in the 2012 Practice Analysis of Architecture. These new categories will closely align with the 6 new divisions of the future version of ARE 5.0. The overhauled format should be ready for implementation prior to the 2016 launch of the new ARE.

These changes are slated to go into effect in the near future, however the jurisdictional licensing boards will have to adopt these changes before they become a requirement in Mississippi. If you’re not planning to become licensed in Mississippi, but are planning to become licensed in another jurisdiction, be sure and check the MSBOA website for adoption to review that board’s decision on this change. The IDP guidelines will be updated to reflect these changes, so be sure and stay current on the updated IDP Guidelines to track all changes and implementation dates.

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