Architect: NAAB degree, AXP experience, ARE and a state license
All states require architects to be licensed. The usual path: a NAAB-accredited degree (5-year B.Arch or an M.Arch), about 3 years of paid experience documented in NCARB's AXP, the six-division ARE, then a license from your state board.
For: Creative students who like drawing, design software, math and how buildings work.
Route 1: NAAB degree → AXP → ARE → state license Typical
A NAAB-accredited professional degree meets the education requirement in all 55 U.S. jurisdictions.
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Start here
High school diploma
BLS
Architects — How to Become OneU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH)- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
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5 years
B.Arch, or a 4-year pre-professional degree + M.Arch
NAAB accredits three professional degrees: the 5-year B.Arch, the M.Arch (about 2 years after a pre-professional architecture degree, about 3 after any other subject) and the D.Arch.
NAAB
Prospective Students: NAAB-Accredited ProgramsNational Architectural Accrediting Board- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
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Set up
NCARB Record
Used to document education, AXP hours and exams; $105 application, $105 a year to renew.
NCARB
FeesNational Council of Architectural Registration Boards- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
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3,740 hours
Architectural Experience Program (AXP)
Six experience areas. About half must be in an architecture firm under a U.S. or Canadian licensed architect; up to 1,860 hours can be gained outside a firm. You can report experience gained after high school.
NCARB
AXP Experience RequirementsNational Council of Architectural Registration Boards- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
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Exam gate
Architect Registration Examination (ARE 5.0)
Six divisions, each scheduled and paid separately: $263 per division, $1,578 for all six.
NCARB
FeesNational Council of Architectural Registration Boards- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
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State rules
Extra state requirements
Some boards require more experience or a state supplemental exam (California: the CSE).
NCARB
Earn Your Architecture LicenseNational Council of Architectural Registration Boards- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
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Goal
State architecture license
Your NCARB Record is transmitted to the board where you want the license; NCARB itself does not issue licenses.
Architecture licenseNCARB
Earn Your Architecture LicenseNational Council of Architectural Registration Boards- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
- Internship length
- All state boards require graduates to complete a lengthy paid internship, generally lasting 3 years, before the registration exam.
BLS
Architects — How to Become OneU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH)- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
- When the ARE can start
- Most of the 55 jurisdictions allow candidates to start the ARE before completing the AXP, and some while they are in school.
NCARB
ARE 5.0 Question TypesNational Council of Architectural Registration Boards- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
- Where you test
- Once your board makes you eligible, you can test online, at a test center, or both.
NCARB
Requesting Exam EligibilityNational Council of Architectural Registration Boards- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
Route 2: Integrated Path (IPAL) License sooner
IPAL options at NAAB-accredited programs let students complete experience and exams while earning the degree.
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Start here
High school diploma
NCARB
Earn a DegreeNational Council of Architectural Registration Boards- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
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In school
NAAB program with an IPAL option
Experience and ARE divisions during the degree.
NCARB
Earn a DegreeNational Council of Architectural Registration Boards- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
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Goal
Licensed shortly after graduation
NCARB
Earn a DegreeNational Council of Architectural Registration Boards- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
Route 3: Without a NAAB degree 17 jurisdictions
17 jurisdictions offer additional pathways to initial licensure for applicants with other (or no) college degrees; New York, for example, counts education and experience in units (12 needed).
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Start here
Another degree or none
NCARB
Earn a DegreeNational Council of Architectural Registration Boards- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
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Longer
More documented experience (AXP + state rules)
NYSED OP
General Requirements for ArchitectureNew York State Education Department, Office of the Professions- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
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Exam gate
ARE 5.0
NCARB
ARE Overview: Architect Registration ExaminationNational Council of Architectural Registration Boards- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
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Goal
License in a jurisdiction that allows it
NCARB
Earn Your Architecture LicenseNational Council of Architectural Registration Boards- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
Licenses, registrations and certifications
Each one is marked: a state or federal license is the law, a registration through an employer comes with the job, and a voluntary certification is one employers may ask for.
- NCARB Certificate
NCARB · for licensed architects · Voluntary - Eases licensure in another state: all 55 jurisdictions accept it and many require it. Candidates with an active NCARB Record get the first year of certification free; otherwise $1,415, then $300 a year.
NCARB
FeesNational Council of Architectural Registration Boards- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
Dates and rules to re-check
These change by season or by law. Checked 21 Oct 2026.
- NCARB updated the ARE on 27 April 2026 (12 of 91 exam objectives; division structure, items and testing time unchanged) and the AXP in November 2025 (experience up to a year old earns 100% credit, older experience 75%).
NCARB
Upcoming AXP and ARE UpdatesNational Council of Architectural Registration Boards- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
Where to go next
Every career page in this cluster: entry, license, BLS pay and outlook.
What the job is, BLS pay and job outlook, and how to become one.