The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), the governing body for much of the architectural profession in the US, is taking steps to take “intern” out of architectural vocabulary. In a press statement, NCARB president Dale McKinney, FAIA, NCARB, said that in the future, NCARB will only encourage regulatory language for post-licensure individuals

“Architects are those who have met all the requirements to become licensed in states and jurisdictions throughout the United States,” McKinney said. “Everyone else is not an architect. But their status also doesn’t need a regulatory title such as ‘intern’ or any similar reference. This has become a term that has been perceived as negative by many in the architecture community and a term that really does not fully value the work that aspiring architects bring to the profession.”

In 2014, McKinney formed the Future Title Task Force to begin a discussion on the importance of titles and guidelines for assigning them as the architecture profession expands to encompass new roles. This group, made up of architects and interns alike, examined a wide variety of information including the implications of the term, and the potential ramifications of regulating titles for non-licensed individuals.

Based on recommendations from the Future Title Task Force, NCARB has decided to recommend that non-licensed architecture practitioners find descriptive titles that reflect the roles they fill in their jobs. “The new term? There isn’t one. Just don’t use ‘intern,’” states NCARB in a press release. The plan’s impacts on licensure requirements are still unclear, but NCARB acknowledges that the change in title would likely require a change to the name of the Intern Development Program.

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