The Final Examination in Architectural Practice at ARB Part 3 Level
At its meeting of 22 February 2022, the Board decided that the above qualification should continue to be prescribed until 12 February 2025* under Section 4(1)(a) of the Architects Act 1997 for the purposes of entry onto the United Kingdom Register of Architects.
Prescription is subject to the Standard Conditions set out in the Board’s Procedures, namely:
- ARCEX Ltd’s The Final Examination in Architectural Practice at ARB Part 3 Level (one year, part-time) qualification should be prescribed for the period 13 February 2022 to 12 February 2025.*
- Prescription of the qualification shall be by reference to the Programme Specification – submitted as part of the application on 15 September 2021 – for The Final Examination in Architectural Practice at ARB Part 3 Level (one year, part-time) qualification. No change may be made to the title of any qualification, or material change to the content so defined within a programme specification (allowing for normal course development) without first obtaining the written permission of the Board.
- Annually by 31 March – commencing on 31 March 2022 – the institution shall be required to provide the Board with information of the nature set out in Appendix 2 in its Procedures to enable the Board to see that:
- All its Criteria and the relevant requirements set out in Article 46 of the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive [2005/36/EC] have been attained by all candidates awarded the prescribed qualification;
- Adequate systems are in place to ensure that all the Board’s Criteria will be met by candidates for the period of prescription;
- The institution’s resources remain as set out in the application and are adequate; and
- All of the factors referred to in Sections 10.2 and 10.3 of the Procedures continue to be demonstrated, and any conditions of prescription continue to be met.
- The institution will ensure that appropriate procedures will be maintained so that all candidates undertaking a prescribed qualification are fully informed of the extent of the application of that qualification to entitlement to registration as an architect in circumstances in which the candidate lacks a required antecedent qualification, e.g. Part 2 without Part 1.
- Following each and every set of examinations, the institution shall be required to submit to the Board its pass lists of graduating cohorts who have received the prescribed award.
The Board was confident that:
- All candidates awarded the qualification since the qualification was prescribed or last renewed have met all the Criteria;
- The systems used by the institution to ensure that all candidates awarded the qualification have met all the Criteria are adequate, and will continue to ensure that the Criteria are met for the future period of prescription; and
- The institution’s future plans and commitment are such that the institution will maintain its ability to ensure that all candidates awarded the qualification meet all the Criteria.
It was noted that the institution did not inform the Board that the programme has not been run in 2020. The Board also noted that the institution’s 2021 annual monitoring return and 2021 prescription renewal application were submitted after the relevant deadlines. Consequently, the Board agreed that the period of prescription should be reduced by two years.
* At its meeting of 27 February 2023, the Board agreed to extend prescription until 31 December 2028.
