First new-style degrees set for accreditation in major milestone for ARB’s education reforms

The Architects Registration Board (ARB) has reached a major milestone in its reforms to architects’ training and education in the UK. At its most recent meeting on Wednesday 9th April, ARB’s Accreditation Committee discussed and agreed to approve three new Master’s level qualifications by the University of Leeds, two of which take an innovative integrated format. The Accreditation Committee’s decision will be finalised after a statutory consultation ARB must hold with relevant professional bodies, and ARB has today (Monday 14th April) written to those bodies to start the consultation process.

This is the first time that a new-style architectural qualification that meets ARB’s new Competency Outcomes has reached this stage of the accreditation process. It marks a significant step forward in implementing the new regulatory framework for architectural education, which was introduced to better align how architects are trained with contemporary practice, widen access to the profession, and ensure architects are equipped with the skills needed to meet future challenges.

Alan Kershaw, Chair of the Architects Registration Board, said:

“We’re thrilled to see the first new-style degrees reach this stage of the accreditation process, including two integrated qualifications that will take students from their undergraduate degree through to a Master’s that meets our Academic Outcomes. This represents real progress in our work to modernise architectural education and training, and shows how innovative learning providers can make the most of the flexibility opened up by ARB’s education reforms.”

Justin Lunn, Architecture Lead at the University of Leeds, said:

“The University of Leeds’ new integrated programmes, which will provide accredited Master’s level qualifications in architecture as well as structural and building services engineering, are the realisation of a long-held vision to create a unified approach to education with a goal to produce graduates who have expertise across disciplines, allowing them to be more effective and collaborative professionals from the beginning of their career. We’d been at an advanced stage of planning for Part 2 as an addition to our Part 1 course when ARB’s education reforms were announced and we realised that they were an opportunity to implement an improved offer.”

ARB anticipates that more qualifications will be approved for consultation under the new accreditation framework in the coming months as institutions continue to adapt existing courses and submit proposals for new programmes for accreditation.

Updates on these qualifications will be published on ARB’s website following the statutory consultation.

Notes to editors

Useful links

• Accreditation Committee membership
• Accreditation Committee terms of reference
• Consultations on new qualifications – FAQs
• Competency Outcomes

About ARB

ARB is an independent professional regulator, established by Parliament as a statutory body, through the Architects Act, in 1997. We are accountable to government.

The law gives us a number of core functions:

• To ensure only those who are suitably competent are allowed to practise as architects. We do this by approving the architecture qualifications required to join the Register of architects.
• We maintain a publicly available Register of architects so anyone using the services of an architect can be confident that they are suitably qualified and are fit to practise.
• We set the standards of conduct and practice the profession must meet and take action when any architect falls below the required standards of conduct or competence.
• We set requirements for and monitor the continuous professional development that architects must undertake, to provide assurance to the public about the continuing competence of the profession.
• We protect the legally restricted title ‘architect’.

Consultation on new qualifications

Before accrediting a new qualification (i.e. recognising a qualification for the first time), Section 4(3) of the Architects Act 1997 requires ARB to consult bodies representative of architects that are incorporated by royal charter and other professional and educational bodies as it thinks appropriate.