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Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice in Architecture

At its meeting of 2 October 2020, the Board decided that the above qualification should be prescribed for the period 2 October 2020 to 30 September 2024* 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:

a. The University for the Creative Arts’ Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice in Architecture (one year, part-time) qualification should be prescribed for the period from 2 October 2020 to 30 September 2024.*

b. Prescription of the qualification shall be by reference to the Programme Specification – submitted as part of the application on 30 August 2019 – for the Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice in Architecture (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.

c. Annually by 31 January – commencing on 31 January 2021 – the institution will 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 candidates awarded the prescribed qualification;
  • ii. Adequate systems are in place to ensure that all the Board’s Criteria will be met by 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 2.2 and 2.3 of the Procedures continue to be demonstrated, and any conditions of prescription continue to be met.

d. 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.

e. 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.

In addition to the Standard Conditions of prescription, the Board agreed that the following additional condition would be applicable to the qualification:

• The institution must submit to ARB copies of the external examiner reports immediately following the final assessment and Examination Board for each cohort throughout the period of prescription.

 

The Board was confident that:

i. The course proposal – including the educational aims, the intended learning outcomes, the assessments etc – has been designed with the clear aim of ensuring that all those who receive the qualification will have met all the Criteria;

ii. Systems are in place to ensure that all Criteria will be met by all candidates receiving the qualification for the period of prescription; and

iii. The institution has adequate resources to maintain and, where appropriate, increase the achievements of candidates meeting all the Criteria.

Part 3 qualifications are considered to be the ‘gateway to the profession’. The additional condition will provide the Board with further assurance during the early years of prescription that threshold standards have been met by all candidates receiving the Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice in Architecture award, and that the learning outcomes and assessment strategies are appropriate for this purpose.

 

* At its meeting of 27 February 2023, the Board agreed to extend prescription until 31 December 2028.