September 22, 2015

Our Architecture Program is among the first 13 programs in the country to be accepted into a new initiative spearheaded by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). The Integrated Path Initiative will give students the opportunity to achieve licensure before graduation—an important innovation affording Drexel architecture students the chance to jumpstart their careers through a curriculum of education, work experience, and licensure examinations. Our Architecture program is in a select group of twelve other accredited Architecture programs including the University of Southern California, the University of Cincinnati, Savannah College of Art and Design, and Boston Architectural College.

We successfully submitted a curriculum proposal to the National Council of Architectural Registration (NCARB) Boards that inventively combined flexible coursework with professional experiences.  "The programs in this inaugural class exhibited a high degree of creativity and are focused on strengthening the relationship between schools, the practice community, and licensing boards," said Licensure Task Force Chair Ron Blitch, FAIA, a Louisiana architect who is a former NCARB President and current member of the NAAB Board of Directors and the Louisiana State Board of Architectural Examiners. "Each program took a slightly different approach, and many built upon already existing requirements for internship through exposure to practice prior to graduation. We are especially pleased that the Integrated Path participants are striving to negate any increased costs to students through paid internships and minimizing additional tuition. This effort will reach a subset of students who are hyper-focused on achieving licensure in a more concentrated and structured manner. This will occur without sacrificing any of the rigor obtained through accredited education… " Blitch said. For more information on Drexel’s Integrated Paths Initiative, please contact  Program Director Rachel Schade at schadesr@drexel.edu.