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No Recognised Qualifications
If you wish to
become registered as an architect in Australia and if you do not have a
formal qualification in architecture or your qualification has not been assessed
as equivalent to an accredited qualification, but you have substantial
skill and experience in the architectural profession, you may apply to
undertake the National Program of Assessment (NPrA). The NPrA is recognised
by all Australian registration authorities as an alternative to successful
completion of an accredited professional Australian qualification in
architecture.
Following success
in the NPrA you will be required to successfully undertake the
Architectural Practice Examination (APE) before applying to a State and
Territory registration board to become registered as an architect.
The National Program of Assessment
(NPrA)
The Program takes
the form of a complex Project, the responses to which must address particular
competencies in the context of the National Competency Standards in
Architecture - NCSA and be in the form of a report and companion
drawings.
NPrA candidates
are required to demonstrate the possession of skills (competencies) taken
specifically from NCSA.
The National
Program of Assessment is centrally co-ordinated by AACA. Currently one
program is offered per year. Candidates accepted into the program are
required to complete their project submission within 6 months of the date
of commencement.
The National Competency Standards
in Architecture
The National
Competency Standards in Architecture - NCSA is issued by the AACA. A
copy of the NCSA and further information is available in NCSA/GC
- A Guide for Applicants. Please refer to the "Publications" page
of this website for details on these booklets.
Application
Period
Applications
for the NPrA 16 for 2010 will be accepted only between 30th
November and 12 noon 11th December 2009. Applications will
not be accepted outside this period.
Eligibility
To enrol for the National
Program of Assessment, a Candidate must satisfy academic, English language,
work experience and residency requirements as follows:
(a) Academic requirement - Pass in Year 12 or
accepted equivalent OR minimum of Year 10 plus a minimum of two years full
time (or part time equivalent) tertiary study.
(b) English Language Requirement - Year 12
standard or accepted equivalent (ie an overall score of 6.5 on the IELTS
scale or other recognised equivalent, eg TOEFL).
(c) Work experience - Minimum of 7 years work
experience in the last 10 years (architectural,
planning, building or other related fields); 3 of the 7 years must be in an architect's office. A minimum 1 year of the 3 must be in an architect's
office in Australia.
A partially completed qualification
is not recognised as work experience.
(d)
Australian Citizenship or
Permanent Resident of Australia and residence in Australia throughout the Program.
Where
candidature is refused on the grounds of eligibility, a review of the
determination may be sought upon the submission of additional evidence.
Quota
The
number of candidates is generally limited to 20, admitted in order of
receipt of application.
Fee
The
fee for the Program is $4,500.
Applications
To apply for the NPrA for 2010, you need
to download and complete the NPrA 16 Application
Form (Adobe Acrobat PDF) and the Attachment A
(Microsoft Excel). (A sample Attachment A may be downloaded by clicking here). Information about
the documentation you need to provide in support of your application is
included on the NPrA 16 Application Form.
Additional
notes on the NPrA
- Admission
to the Program cannot be taken as an indication of a successful
outcome of the assessment process.
- Before
embarking on the Program, you should carefully assess the abilities
and knowledge you have gained during your eligibility period and make
a judgement as to their appropriateness as background to complete what
is a demanding and rigorous task.
- The
current NPrA success rate is less than 50% of the total number of
candidates admitted to the Program
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