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Final Examination in Professional Practice

At its meeting of 27 July 2022, the Board decided that the above qualification should continue to be prescribed to 30 September 2027* 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:

1. The University of Portsmouth’s Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Architecture (three years, full-time); Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Architecture (Degree Apprenticeship) (four years, part-time apprenticeship); Master of Architecture (two years, full-time; three years, part-time apprenticeship; four years, part-time); Master of Architecture and Professional Practice (Degree Apprenticeship) (one year, part-time apprenticeship); Final Examination in Professional Practice (one year, part-time); and International Professional Practice (one year, part-time) qualifications should be prescribed for the period 30 September 2022 to 30 September 2027.*
2. Prescription of the qualifications shall be by reference to the Programme Specifications – submitted as part of the application on 30 November 2021 – for the Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Architecture (three years, full-time); Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Architecture (Degree Apprenticeship) (four years, part-time apprenticeship); Master of Architecture (two years, full-time; three years, part-time apprenticeship; four years, part-time); Master of Architecture and Professional Practice (Degree Apprenticeship) (one year, part-time apprenticeship); Final Examination in Professional Practice (one year, part-time); and International Professional Practice (one year, part-time) qualifications. 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.
3. Annually by 30 March – commencing on 30 March 2023 – the institution shall be required to provide the Board with information of the nature set out in Appendix 2 of its Procedures to enable the Board to see that:
   i. All its Criteria and the relevant requirements set out in Article 46 (or Article 47) of the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive [2005/36/EC] have been attained by all students/candidates awarded the prescribed qualifications;
   ii. Adequate systems are in place to ensure that all the Board’s Criteria will be met by students/candidates for the period of prescription;
   iii. The institution’s resources remain as set out in the application and are adequate; and
   iv. 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.
4. The institution will ensure that appropriate procedures will be maintained so that all students/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 student/candidate lacks a required antecedent qualification, e.g. Part 2 without Part 1.
5. 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 awards.

The Board was confident that:

1. All students/candidates awarded the qualifications since the qualifications were prescribed or last renewed have met all the Criteria;
2. The systems used by the institution to ensure that all students/candidates awarded the qualifications have met all the Criteria are adequate, and will continue to ensure that the Criteria are met for the future period of prescription; and
3. The institution’s plans and commitment are such that the institution will maintain its ability to ensure that all students/candidates awarded the qualifications meet all the Criteria.

* At its meeting of 27 February 2023, the Board agreed to extend prescription until 31 December 2028.  At its meeting of 22 July 2024, the Accreditation Committee agreed that the prescription expiry date of the Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Architecture and Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Architecture (Degree Apprenticeship) should be updated to 31 December 2027 to reflect ARB’s published schedule for transition to accreditation.