Education Requirements for Initial Licensure or Licensure via the NCARB Certificate
Eligibility for initial licensure or licensure via the NCARB Certificate is based on a combination of education and experience for which units of credit are awarded. The credit awarded for education determines the required number of units (years) of experience, where one unit of experience is equal to one year. An applicant's combination of education and experience must total at least 12 units, as determined by the State Education Department (the Department). A professional degree from an NAAB-accredited program is NOT required for licensure in New York.
Units assigned to each educational category below are the maximum which the Department may grant. After evaluating the degree or courses successfully completed, the Department may grant fewer units. Except for Category E, credit in the different categories may not be combined; the highest professional education level attained determines the credit. Category E may be combined with educational categories below if determined applicable by the Department.
Category A:
First professional degree from a program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB)
Maximum credit granted: 9 units
Category B:
First professional degree from a program not NAAB-accredited
Maximum credit granted: 8 units
Category C:
Partial completion of an NAAB-accredited program: 2 units of credit for each year completed (up to a maximum of 7 credits)
A four-year pre-professional degree in architecture (note: not all programs qualify; the program must exist within a School of Architecture/Design that has an NAAB-accredited program and must meet certain criteria as determined by the Department) or the foreign equivalent
Maximum credits granted: 7 units
If full curriculum of an NAAB-accredited program was completed but no degree was granted, a maximum of 8 units may be allowed.
Note: In this and following categories, "one year" means the equivalent of one academic year's full-time attendance.
Category D:
A degree or postsecondary coursework in an architecturally related profession
Maximum credit granted: 5 units
Category E:
Master's degree in architecturally related studies depending on the category of the first degree
Maximum Credit Granted: 1 unit
Category F:
Not Used
Category G:
A degree or postsecondary coursework in a subject unrelated to architecture
Maximum credit granted: 2 units
Category H:
A degree or postsecondary coursework in an architecturally related technical program
Maximum credit granted: 4 units
Foreign Education Only
New York performs its own evaluation of foreign-educated candidates through its Bureau of Comparative Education. New York does not require, nor does it accept, an EESA Evaluation or any outside evaluations of foreign education. All foreign-educated candidates are encouraged to begin the process of education review with our Bureau of Comparative Education as soon as possible.
To review an applicant's foreign education, the candidate must:
- Submit Form 1, New York's Application for Licensure
- Pay the licensure and first registration fee of $377.00
- Send Form 2 to your foreign university to complete and send back to the Department with all required documentation. One of our Bureau of Comparative Education evaluators will assign a value for the education.
Applicants with questions regarding the foreign education review process may contact the Bureau of Comparative Education at: COMPED@nysed.gov