Resolution 05-01 – Health, Safety, and Welfare of the Public, Profession, and Institute, sponsored by AIA California Council, AIA Massachusetts and the Boston Society of Architects, called on the AIA to:

• work collaboratively with NCARB and directly with individual state boards to conduct a comprehensive survey of the number of newly licensed architects over the past ten years, to be updated annually in the future; and
• [provide] a preliminary report of the aforementioned survey of newly licensed architects be completed for review and reference by the time of the 2005 Internship Conference, this September; and
• initiate a parallel study to assess and measure the short- and long-term impact (if any) related to the decline in the number of newly licensed architects on the advocacy efforts, financial health, membership structure, and overall governance of the Institute; and
• [report the] results of both studies to the AIA 2006 National Convention delegates, during the annual business session. 

In response, the AIA national component hired temporary staff to gather comprehensive data on the number of newly licensed architects, pass rates, and total number of licensed architects over the past 10 years. The AIA worked with NCARB and the state boards.

The AIA prepared a preliminary report of this research, which was presented at the 2005 Internship Conference.

The AIA contracted with a consultant, Guideline, to conduct a study using the data collected from NCARB and state registration boards as well as other environmental data to assess and measure the short- and long-term impact (if any) related to the decline in the number of newly licensed architects on the advocacy efforts, financial health, membership structure, and overall governance of the Institute.

Download the full report: An Assessment of Population, Construction, and Alternative Professions and Their Relationship to Architect Licensure and Registration Levels [PDF, 617 kb]

Through the collateral-wide data collection study, the AIA is actively working on guidelines and procedures for the collection and dissemination of data about newly licensed architects for 2006 and beyond. The AIA will work with NCARB and the other collateral organizations to maintain a database of information to be updated regularly in the future.