The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards has released its annual report on architects, professionals working toward licensure, and diversity in the profession in 2016.
The report finds that the number of architects working in the United States held steady.
Meanwhile, the number of new students enrolled in an accredited architecture program has increased 4 percent since the 2014-2015 school year, even as the number of graduates has dropped 5 percent. Time to licensure has decreased. It now takes 12.5 years to become an architect from the time a student enrolls in school, 9.6 months less than in 2015. 58 percent of students are enrolled in Bachelor of Architecture programs, 42 percent in Masters programs, and less than 1 percent in doctoral programs.
Also promising, for the first time since NCARB began collecting demographic data, gender equity improved along every career stage.
In Texas, there is a 59 percent success rate on the ARE, below the national average of 62 percent. Texas residents complete the ARE in 2.1 years, right on track with the national average, and complete the IDP in 4.2 years, also equal to the national average.
Read more from this year’s report here.