Currently, the national average timeline from the beginning of architectural education to architectural licensure is 13 years. Thomas Jefferson University’s Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL) program, offers students the opportunity to become licensed in 6 years, effectively gaining a 7-year head start to their career. With the opportunity to gain more experience and complete all licensure requirements while in school, Jefferson’s IPAL program positions graduates not as entry level employees, but as professional leaders.
The Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL) is Jefferson’s 6-year professional dual degree program that combines the BS in Architectural Studies with the Master of Architecture. The IPAL program offers students who are looking to become a licensed architect a shorter path to licensure. Learn more at ncarb.org/earn-a-degree/ipal.
The program is structured as a six-year professional dual degree certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). These credentials allow students to gain experience through the Architectural Experience Program (AXP) and complete theArchitectural Registration Exam (ARE) while in school. As a dual-degree program, students earn a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies after their first four years and a professional Master of Architecture degree after their final two years. This advanced degree offers students greater opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration while in school, and diversifies career opportunities.
As architecture rapidly evolves to face society’s greatest challenges, the IPAL program at Jefferson is designed to push that evolution. With a pedagogical focus on improving personal, public and global health, students receive an immersive, trans-disciplinary education.
The curriculum builds on the foundations of design which grow into advanced interdisciplinary projects of increasing complexity and scope. Students learn established, emerging and collaborative skills with courses focused on emerging technologies and theories spanning many disciplines including sustainable design, urban design, landscape architecture, historic preservation, interior architecture, and real estate development. Instruction goes beyond the classroom with multiple scales and forms of immersive learning from direct industry partnerships, community engagement projects, study abroad, and global experience opportunities.
As a transformative path in professional education, the IPAL program at Jefferson gives students the opportunities, knowledge and abilities to significantly advance the built environment. Graduates are poised to become immediate leaders in designing and building a better world.
IPAL at Jefferson is a 6-year professional dual degree providing opportunities to think and design for the future of the built environment. It is a NAAB-accredited and NCARB certified program with a comprehensive, studio-based curriculum. Consistent collaboration across disciplines, coupled with diverse forms of immersive learning, create opportunities for engaging architecture and its impact on personal, public and global health.
Dec. 28, 2023: The College of Architecture & the Built Environment achieved a significant milestone with the recent approval of its application to participate in the Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL) program.