Practical Training Requirements

A professional studies adviser (PSA) is someone who has responsibility for monitoring individuals who are undertaking professional experience post-Part 1, post-Part 2 and/or during Part 3.  They are often also responsible for the teaching of professional studies within the schools of architecture and involved in the research of matters related to professional education. 

Nearly all are architects (ARB registered) and many are working in practice at the same time as teaching and mentoring students in practice.   Your Part 3 institution should be able to tell you who your PSA is and their contact details.

During your year out between Parts 1 and 2, you will usually work with the PSA attached to your Part 1 institution. 

If you studied for your Part 1 overseas or you do not have a link to a university for some other reason, you could seek advice from the institution where you intend to take your Part 2 or Part 3 (depending where you are in the qualifying process).  They may offer a PSA monitoring and mentoring service (for which there is likely to be a fee).  If not, the RIBA offers a PEDR monitoring service (there is a fee for this).

You should work for at least 12 months in the UK, a member state of the EEA, Switzerland, Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.  The remaining period may be undertaken anywhere in the world.

As the Part 3 examination will be testing your knowledge and skills in relation to UK practice, it is recommended that at least 12 months of your experience is undertaken in the UK (ideally while preparing for the Part 3 examination).

In most cases the location of your practice will determine the location of your experience.  However, if you are supervised by a UK/EEA architect and are working on UK/EEA projects, then it is possible that this could be counted as UK/EEA experience.  You should discuss this with your PSA, particularly if you are only working for part of the time on the UK/EEA projects.

The experience should consist of activities that would typically be undertaken by an architect in practice.  This covers a wide range of areas but you will find reference to the Part 3 Criteria and PEDR website helpful in setting out the skills and knowledge you will be assessed against.

The ARB/RIBA Rule states that at least 12 of the (minimum) 24 months’ experience should have been undertaken within the two years immediately before taking your Part 3 exam.  Therefore, it would be permissible to include up to 12 months of experience undertaken before you started your Part 1.

However, it will be for your school to decide whether such experience is acceptable to them for the purposes of the professional practice examination and you are advised to discuss this with your PSA.

If you have not recorded this experience, your PSA will need to know the type of work you were doing and the level at which you were working, and they will most likely want to see references and/or other supporting evidence.

Yes, this would be acceptable under the ARB/RIBA Rule.  However, many schools prefer students to have some practical experience before starting their Part 2 qualification and you would need to check this with your PSA or admissions tutor at the institution where you intend to study.

It will depend where you are studying.  ARB/RIBA policy does not permit you to ‘double count’ – that is to use time spent in practice which contributes to the achievement of academic credits for prescribed qualifications to also satisfy part of the practical experience requirement.

If your placement does not contribute to the achievement of academic credits for your qualifications it is likely that you would be able to include it.

Your course tutor or PSA should be able to advise you of the position for your specific qualification.  As a general guide, in order for you to be able to include some/all of your placement experience your course must be longer than the typical three years for a Part 1 qualification and two years for a Part 2 qualification.  If in doubt you should check with your PSA or contact the Accreditation team (Qualifications@arb.org.uk).

If the course is officially designated a part-time course and you are working for at least 20 hours a week, you should be able to include some or all of it provided the other requirements are met. 

If you are working for less than 20 hours a week you will have to complete a correspondingly longer period of experience.

Remember that the experience must also be ‘recent’ - i.e. 12 of the 24 months must be during the two years immediately preceding the Part 3 exam, so it is likely that only part of the period could be included.

If you are on a full-time course you may not include experience gained during the academic term.  You may be able to count experience gained during the holidays – see Q12 below.

The ARB/RIBA Rule does not set any minimum limits for periods of experience but your PSA will want to see evidence of reasonable involvement in the practice and in the projects you are working on.  For this reason, schools typically prefer you to spend at least three months in any placement to count it towards the experience requirement.

You are advised to discuss with your PSA what periods of experience can be counted.

ARB Rules don’t specify a particular format but your school or PSA may require you to use their own recording system or the RIBA Professional Education and Development Resource (PEDR) for example.  You should check with your PSA.

No.  Your PSA will sign it off and use it to help you plan your experience and guide you in deciding when you are ready to sit the Part 3 exam.

Your professional practice (Part 3) examiner will assess the content and quality of your experience as part of your professional practice exam.  (ARB ensures that schools do this to a standard that meets its requirements as part of its prescription process.)

ARB rules would permit this, however you should speak to your PSA because each school sets their own requirements regarding this.

Your PSA will provide guidance as to whether your experience is of an appropriate nature in terms of content, length, location etc to meet the ARB Rules and will assist you in deciding if you are ready to take the Part 3 examination.

At the Part 3 examination, the examiner will assess the content and quality of your experience and if you have gained the appropriate knowledge and skills to fulfil the joint ARB/RIBA Criteria at Part 3 level.

It is possible that a student may appear to have met all the requirements but is not able to satisfy the examiners that they have met the required standard in the Part 3 examination.

The supervising professional should have responsibility for and control over the work being undertaken.  Typically, the candidate and supervisor will be employed by the same organisation but where the relationship is not typical, for example where a candidate is self-employed, they will need to satisfy their PSA that the level and type of supervision is appropriate.

In support of your case, your PSA may want to see evidence of an agreement between you and your supervisor, setting out how the arrangement will work, how regularly you will meet and what the ‘supervision’ will consist of.  Whatever the circumstances, your supervisor is expected to have a close and structured working relationship with you.

You should also be aware that candidates who are self-employed may be exposed to more limited experience with little scope for getting involved in an appropriate range of projects at different stages.  They may also be putting themselves in a vulnerable position, particularly in terms of liability.  As an alternative it might be helpful to work in collaboration with another architect who would have a strong professional interest in maintaining close supervision of your work and ensuring that you are working at the right level.

You should certainly discuss this with your PSA and perhaps consider other options if possible.

In the first instance, you should consult your PSA.  ARB does not require that candidates are in employment whilst undertaking their Part 3 so long as the experience requirements have been met (particular note should be made of the requirement for 12 of the 24 months’ experience having been undertaken in the two years immediately before taking the Part 3 exam).  Therefore, subject to your prior experience and Part 3 course provider regulations, you may find that you are able to remain enrolled on and complete your Part 3.

While at least 12 months should be under the supervision of an architect, the ARB Rule permits up to 12 months’ experience to be supervised by any professional working within the construction industry.

If you are working for a multi-disciplinary practice or are employed by an organisation other than an architectural practice and the work you are doing is architectural in nature (see Q4), your supervisor may be any professional as defined above providing they have knowledge and experience of the area within which you are working.

If your supervisor is not an architect, you may also find it helpful to seek guidance and support from an architect working in another practice.

While ARB/RIBA rules would not prevent this, as good practice you should see if anyone else in the practice may be able to take on the role of supervisor.  Your PSA should be able to advise you whether in your particular circumstances this is likely to create any problems.

In the first instance you should discuss this with your PSA who will be able to advise you whether your experience is likely to meet ARB/RIBA requirements and whether it will be adequate to assist you in meeting the Part 3 Criteria.  If you need further information or have any additional questions please contact ARB or the RIBA.

It is possible that while you might satisfy the Rule in terms of length of training and location, the breadth or quality of that experience may not be sufficient to enable you to meet the Part 3 Criteria. In this instance, your PSA may well advise you to get some more experience before taking your exam.

The 24 months stated in the Rule is the minimum required and many candidates will need longer than this to acquire the required range and level of skills and knowledge for examination.