Contents --> Prescription of Qualifications

Foreword
Introduction
The Procedures for Prescription
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Appendix 4

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Foreword

The Architects Act, 1997 gives the Architects Registration Board the duty of determining who has the legal right to practise as an architect in the UK. Most are registered by the Board because they have a qualification and practical experience that the Board has prescribed (see section 4(1)(a) of the Act). The Board therefore has a statutory duty to set the standards required of some one who wishes to be registered. The Act thus makes the prescription of qualifications central to the Board's work and it cannot be left, still less delegated, to any other body.

In 2002 the ARB published criteria which set out the minimum levels of awareness, knowledge, understanding and ability that students of architecture must acquire at key stages in the process of qualifying as an architect. These criteria therefore form the basis upon which ARB makes decisions as to whether or not qualifications can be prescribed. Before ARB prescribes a qualification it has to be satisfied that any person to whom it is awarded has and will have met all its criteria.

The procedures set out in this publication describe how from September 2003 universities, schools of architecture, and other institutions that award an architectural degree, diploma, or the like, may apply for and obtain the decision of the ARB as to whether it will be recognised as a prescribed qualification. They replace (from that time) the previous “Procedures for Validation” published by the ARB (and the RIBA) in August 2000. The new procedures have been drawn up on the basis of extensive consultation with the universities, schools of architecture, the Standing Conference of Heads of Schools of Architecture, the RIBA and other bodies. The Board is grateful to all who helped it to arrive at these procedures.

They are intended to be simple to operate both from the point of view of the applicant institution and of the ARB. They give the institution freedom to decide what will best support its application. They enable the institution to get a decision in good time before prescription may start and to meet the ARB before submitting its application to discuss the procedure. They provide a number of occasions on which the institution may be informed, before the final decision is taken, if points arise on the material submitted. They are also reasonably flexible in order to accommodate the position of individual applicants and, if needed, to allow for adjustments which may particularly be needed in the early years. The Board will keep the procedures under review (in consultation with those affected) and will make changes if required. The Board's staff will also be happy to provide guidance about them.

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1. Introduction

The Architects Act 1997 states in section 4(1) that a person is entitled to be registered if:

“(a) he holds such qualifications and has gained such practical experience as may be prescribed;
or
(b) he has a standard of competence which, in the opinion of the Board, is equivalent to that demonstrated by satisfying paragraph (a)”.

The Act places on the Architects Registration Board (the Board or ARB) the responsibility for prescribing the qualifications and practical training experience required for entry to the UK Register of Architects. The prescription of qualifications is one of the keys to the Board's dual mandate, to protect the consumer and to safeguard the reputation of architects. The Board publishes criteria, which set out the minimum levels of awareness, knowledge, understanding and ability that students of architecture must acquire at key stages in the process of qualifying as an architect.

The underlying framework for the criteria is to be found in Articles 3 and 4 of European Union Council Directive 85/384/EEC, the Architects' Directive. That Directive sets minimum requirements for the length and core areas of study for architectural qualifications across the European Union. It facilitates mutual recognition of those qualifications and the right of establishment and freedom to provide services across the European Union. The Board is the Competent Body for the Directive in the UK and as such has responsibility for ensuring that all UK qualifications for the practice of architecture comply with the requirements of the Directive.

These Procedures, which are rules pursuant to section 23(1) of the Architects Act 1997, set out what a university, institution or college must do in order to maintain the prescription of a qualification or examination recognised by the Board. In addition they deal with the procedure leading to the prescription for the first time of a qualification or examination (or if there is to be a significant change in the qualification or examination). In such cases the Board has a duty under section 4(3) of the Architects Act to consult the bodies representative of architects which are incorporated by royal charter and such other professional and educational bodies as it thinks appropriate. The Board cannot delegate its duties under the Act to prescribe qualifications.

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2. The Procedures for Prescription

Unless the context otherwise requires -

“Application” includes material submitted in support of it.

“The Board” may include authorised members of the Architects Registration Board and its officers.

“Criteria” mean the Board’s criteria current at the relevant time (which may include criteria to come into force during the period of prescription).

“Institution” refers to the university, college or other body that is responsible for a course leading to a qualification.

“Notice” and “notify” means a notice in writing and includes a notice sent electronically.

“Prescribed Qualification” means a qualification prescribed by the Board under section 4(1)(a) of the Architects Act and “prescribe” has the same meaning as that used in the Act. “Prescription” includes the process by which qualifications are prescribed by the Board (the prescription of qualifications) and the result, namely that which a qualification obtains if it is prescribed by the Board under the Architects Act 1997 (thus a qualification ‘has’, ‘gains’ or ‘loses’ prescription).

“The Profession” refers to those on the Register of Architects.

“Programme specification”, as defined by the Quality Assurance Agency, is a concise description of the intended outcomes of learning from a higher education programme, and the means by which these outcomes are achieved and demonstrated. These typically include the educational aims of the programme; the intended learning outcomes; strategies for teaching; learning and assessment; and an outline of the structure of the course.

“Qualification” includes an examination or assessment and, where appropriate, refers to first degrees, second degrees and diplomas, and professional practice examinations designated as Parts 1, 2 and 3 in the Board’s criteria for the prescription of qualifications. “School” refers to the academic unit within an institution that is responsible to it for the conduct of the course. A school may be an institution.

2.2 Principles

The procedure is based on these cardinal principles:

(a) The Board will make its decision on the basis of the material submitted with the application (and such other material that the institution or school supplies at the request of the Board);

(b) The institution is free to decide what material it considers justifies its application.

The Board will provide guidelines as to what material it expects to be provided (see paragraph 2.6 below and appendices). Once the application has been submitted no further material may be provided (unless in exceptional circumstances the Chief Executive of the Board gives specific written permission).

2.3 Notifying the Board of an intention to apply

An institution which intends to apply for the prescription of a qualification may request in writing a meeting with the Board in order to plan the steps that are to be taken by it prior to the submission of the application. The meeting will take place within 1 month of the receipt of the request or as soon thereafter as practicable. At that meeting the institution must be represented by all those who are responsible for the preparation and submission of the application and for the assembly of material to support it. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the procedure to be followed by the institution before submitting its application for prescription. The Board will not provide advice or guidance on the content of the application or of any supporting material as these are solely for the institution to decide (see paragraphs 2.2.1 (b) above, 2.6.1 below and Appendix 1). The meeting shall be informal and nothing, whether discussed at this meeting or not, shall be used thereafter by either the institution or the Board to vitiate the procedures for prescription.

An institution shall notify the Board of its intention to apply for the prescription of a qualification

• either not less than 12 months

• or (and in any event) no longer than 18 months

before the date when the validity of any qualification previously prescribed by the Board expires or, in the case of a new or modified qualification, the date from which it is to commence. The notice shall give the name of the qualification and, in the case of a new or modified qualification, a programme specification.

2.4 Submitting the application

The institution shall submit its application to the Board within 2 months of the date of the notice given under paragraph 2.3.2 above. A school may submit an application on behalf of an institution provided that it is accompanied by written authorisation from the institution. The application shall be in writing but the material relied on by the institution to justify it may be submitted electronically in a form acceptable to the Board provided that the application clearly identifies such material and its purpose. Amongst other things, the institution must state in its application the date proposed for the annual submission of information (see paragraph 2.11.1 (c) below).

2.5 Objectives

An institution should bear in mind that, in order for the Board to prescribe a qualification that has previously been prescribed, the institution and the Board must be confident that:

All students/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 students/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;

The institution's future plans and commitment are such that the institution will maintain its ability to ensure that all students/candidates awarded the qualification meet all the criteria.

When considering such an application for prescription the Board will consider whether certain factors are demonstrated in the application. These may include the following, or may include any other which the institution suggests, and the Board agrees, should be considered in support of its application:

That explicit strategies and mechanisms for assessing students/candidates have existed to ensure that the relevant criteria have been achieved.

That these strategies and mechanisms of assessment have been subject to both internal and external periodic review and audit and been found to be adequate.

That assessments have been rigorously monitored for consistency and benchmarked for comparability with other institutions offering prescribed qualifications and been found to be adequate (e.g. by external examiners).

That the institution has appropriately responded to problems identified by benchmarking, review and audit processes.

That internal and external review and audit processes have been rigorous and that, in their implementation, steps have been taken to ensure that they take account of the vocational, as well as the academic, aspect of the qualification.

That appropriate mechanisms exist to ensure that the appointment, development and leadership of staff and examiners (including external examiners) has taken account of the vocational, as well as the academic, aspect of the qualification.

That the vocational aspects of the qualification are accepted as satisfactory by architects in practice.

That the institution has adequate resources and during the future period of prescription will continue to have adequate resources.

That the institution is committed to maintaining and, where appropriate, enhancing its provision relating to the matters listed above for the future period of prescription.

2.6 The material to be submitted with an application

It is the responsibility of institutions to provide the Board with the relevant evidence to justify prescription. Appendix 1 gives a guide as to the basic material that the Board will ordinarily expect to receive for a qualification that has previously been prescribed. The material must be the latest available. Student portfolios or other student work should not be submitted with an application. Appendix 3 sets out the basic material where the application is for a new or modified qualification.

The material submitted must take account of the factors set out in paragraph 2.5.2 above as they will inform the Board's consideration of and decision on the application. In considering the above factors, the Board will not undertake an audit of an institution's systems and processes. However, it will take into account audits undertaken by other bodies. The guidance given by the appendices is not intended to fetter the institution's initiative and discretion to present any material which it considers will help the Board to have confidence that students awarded the qualification have achieved, and will continue to achieve, all the criteria and that the institution will continue to be able to do so. When providing reports from examiners, agencies and advisers as evidence, institutions should also provide details of the procedures, methodologies, criteria and personnel underpinning the reports (where these are not given as part of the material already provided), so that the Board can give such reports due weight and relevance.

Where an institution commences the procedure earlier than a year ahead and as a result the application does not contain information which would have been available had the application been made at the latest time permitted, the institution must so indicate in its application under paragraph 2.4.1 and seek the permission in writing of the Board's Chief Executive to submit material at a later date. If permitted the institution must provide that material as soon as it is available, and not later than both the later time permitted and the scheduled meeting of the Committee which is to consider the application. The Board will not be obliged to reach a decision on the application until the information is available.

2.7 School approval of the application

The application must be addressed to the Chief Executive of the Board and must be submitted by or on behalf of the institution in the Board's form. If the application is not submitted by the school responsible for the course leading to the qualification the school must certify that the application and all supporting material has been seen and approved by the head of that school. If the application is submitted by a school on behalf of the institution an address for communication must be provided as thereafter the Board will only communicate with that body who shall be deemed to have complete authority on behalf of the institution to act on its behalf for all purposes connected with the application and the qualification.

2.8 Initial Scrutiny

The application will first be considered by the staff of the Board who will examine it to see that the Board has all the information and material that the institution intended it to have. If the Board then discovers or believes that anything is missing it will notify the institution within 3 weeks. Within 2 weeks thereafter the institution must then supply what is missing or must notify the Board that it does not intend to do so and explain why. The Board will not otherwise at this stage be scrutinising the application for content. Neither at this nor at any other stage will the Board owe any duty to notify the institution of anything that is lacking in the application or that is unclear in it.

2.9 The Board’s committee and other matters

The Board will establish a committee to oversee the stages of this procedure up to submission to the Board of which not less than 5 members of the committee will be members of the Board. The committee will however not be required to make any recommendation since the Board alone decides applications.

Within eight weeks of the receipt of an application the committee will decide whether the application should be considered by the Board or whether, before it is submitted to the Board, there are any aspects of the application or the material in support upon which further explanation is required from the institution or advice is needed.

If an explanation is required the committee will notify the institution of the points upon which an explanation is required. Any explanation must be provided in writing within three weeks. Student portfolios or other student work must not be submitted with an explanation unless the committee (or the Board at any later stage) has specifically required them and then only to the extent specified.

If advice is needed it shall be sought from people who are impartial and suitably qualified to advise the Board. The person's advice and terms of reference shall be in writing. The advice shall be given to the Board within three weeks of it being sought. If the institution has any comments on the advice or if, in the light of the advice, it wishes to explain or supplement its application with additional material it must submit such comments and material within three weeks of receiving the advice.

The committee may in exceptional circumstances seek further explanations or advice (but only on one further occasion) in which case the above procedure shall be repeated, except that the committee may shorten any period.

Within three weeks of receiving all explanations or advice the committee shall refer the application to the Board. The Board shall not be required to consider any application unless it has been referred to it by the committee at least three weeks prior to its next meeting.

2.10 The Board’s decision

On receipt of the application (and any explanations, advice and comments, and, in the case of any new or modified qualification, subject to consultation as required by section 4(3) of the Act) the Board will consider the application. The Board shall decide either:

(a) to accept the application in whole or in part and to prescribe the qualification or qualifications sought (or any part of it) for four years (or such other period as it thinks fit); or

(b) to reject the application in whole or in part.

In considering and in making decisions, the Board (and any committee) is bound by its Code of Best Practice outlined in its Handbook. This includes provisions relating to confidentiality, conflicts of interest, public service values and individual responsibilities including the Seven Principles of Public Life.

If the Board is minded to reject the application in whole or in part or to prescribe for a period of less than four years (or both), and/or to apply a special condition or conditions under paragraph 2.11.5 below, it shall not do so without first giving the institution an opportunity of making representations in writing to the Board. The Board's reasons shall be given to the institution (and to any body that might be consulted under section 4(3) of the Act). Any representations must be received by the Board within four weeks or any longer period fixed by the Board.

On receipt of such representations the Board will reach a decision as provided above. If the application is rejected in whole or in part or if it is accepted subject to a period of prescription of less than four years or to special conditions the Board will within three weeks of its meeting notify the institution of its reasons for its decision. Where appropriate, the Board's reasons will indicate which of its criteria have not been or may not be met but they will not include any advice on any remedial or other action that should be taken as the applicant has to decide what it should do before another application is submitted.

A decision to accept or reject any application in whole or in part shall be final (including any decision on any period or condition), and there shall be no appeal. In case of rejection the institution may make another application in accordance with this procedure. In addition, in exceptional circumstances, the Board shall be entitled to reconsider any decision to reject an application or, where it prescribed a qualification, as to the period or conditions applicable, should it become aware of any material which was not available to it at the date of its decision. The Board will determine the procedure to be adopted in order to consider such material and to reconsider its decision. Unless and until the decision is reconsidered the Board's decision shall be unaffected and shall remain binding.

2.11 Standard Conditions of Prescription

Prescription shall be subject to the following standard conditions:

(a) The period of prescription shall commence on a date to be decided by the Board at the beginning of the academic year which follows the meeting of the Board at which it was decided to prescribe the qualification.

(b) Prescription of a qualification shall be by reference to a programme specification. No change may be made to the title of any course or qualification or substantial 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 and by a date to be set by the Board, the institution will be required to provide the Board with information of the nature set out in Appendix 2 to enable the Board to see that all its criteria are being attained by students who have been awarded the qualification prescribed and the institution's resources remain as set out in its application and are adequate. If the institution has not stated a date in its application (see paragraph 2.4.1 above) the Board will be free to set the date without reference to the institution.

If as a result of the information provided under (c) above or from any other source the Board considers that either

(a) the application or any of the material relied on by the institution in support (including explanations given) was

(i) untrue and/or

(ii) was misleading in a material respect as a result of which the Board might not have accepted the application; or

(b) criteria are not being met by students awarded the prescribed qualification; or

(c) the institution does not have the resources stated in its application and/or its resources are not adequate; or

(d) the institution has not complied with any of the conditions set out in paragraph 2.11.1 (b) and (c) above or any other condition made under paragraph 2.11.5 below, then the Board may notify the institution that it is of the opinion that the prescription should be suspended or revoked in whole or in part, together with its reasons for that opinion. The institution shall within three weeks (or such varied period as the Board may allow) make any representation in writing to the Board as to why it should not so act. On receipt of such representations (and taking account of any representations submitted to it by any other body, whether or not the Board shall be obliged in law to consult it) the Board shall decide within four weeks whether or not to suspend or revoke the prescription of the qualification in whole or in part. If it does so the suspension or revocation shall not affect the validity of the qualification awarded prior to the occurrence of the relevant event. The institution may thereafter apply for the suspension to be lifted or may make an application in accordance with this Procedure for prescription of the qualification whose prescription has been revoked.

The above provisions shall not prevent the Board from entering into discussions with the institution or any other interested party (including conciliation and mediation) in order to avert the need for a decision to suspend or revoke prescription. In such event the Board and the institution may agree without prejudice to their respective positions that any of the steps set out above shall be suspended for a defined period.

Where any of the events set out in paragraph 2.11.2 (a) to (d) above have occurred or are present and the circumstances require urgent action to prevent irremediable damage the Board may by notice to the institution suspend or revoke the prescription with immediate effect.

Where in the opinion of the Board it is appropriate, the Board may vary any of the standard conditions and may make prescription of a qualification subject to other conditions.

2.12 General

The period or time within which, under these procedures or as fixed by the Board, any act is to be done or step taken may be varied by the Board for good cause either on a written application by the institution or by the Board if it is in consequence of anything done or not done by an institution or otherwise, whether or not the institution has made an application for an extension of time. No variation of period or time shall affect the application of standard condition (a) in paragraph 2.11.1 above (date when prescription is to start). A variation may include the shortening of any period or fixing an earlier time.

These procedures come into force (and are deemed to have come into force) on 28 November 2002. They apply to all qualifications for which prescription is sought or needed for the academic years commencing in or after 2003, except that applications that may be made in respect of any qualification previously prescribed by the Board shall be made in accordance with the table in Appendix 4

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Appendix 1

The Board will not carry out an audit of an institution's procedures and systems, nor does the Board wish to see student portfolios or other student work. Such material must not be submitted with an application. In making its decision, the Board will take into account the documentation outlined below in relation to the factors outlined in paragraph 2.5.2:

Programme specifications, including intended learning outcomes, assessment strategies, processes, criteria etc. referenced to ARB's criteria

The pass, failure and exit rates for students for the last three years

Documents relating to the institution's quality assurance procedures, including:-

• CV's of internal examiners

• Requirements for the threshold standard and protocols on moderation, compensation, referrals and the like

• External Examiners reports, analysis of the findings and actions taken

• CV's of External Examiners

• A report based on one or more visits by a body which includes professionals from both architectural education and practice and lay persons*. The report must state whether all ARB's criteria have been met by those who have received the qualification

• Reports of subsequent dialogue between the institution and the body arising from a visit or visits (as above) and any action taken or not taken in response

• Executive summary QAA institutional audit reports

• Full subject level review reports (when available)

• Relevant reports from other external agencies, independent advisers or assessors

• Analysis of student feedback

• The institution's quality assurance documentation, outlining appointment conditions of external examiners and arrangements for internal quality audit and review. Statistical information on human resources, including staff-student ratios Details of provisions for staff development Details of physical resources

Statistical information on human resources, including staff-student ratios

Details of provisions for staff development

Details of physical resources

Details of information resources

Information on financial resources, including institutional and departmental plans to show that the course will be adequately resourced and funded during the period of prescription

Details of entry requirements and qualifications

Evidence of an engagement with the profession

* such as an RIBA Visiting Board Report

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Appendix 2

The Board needs to be assured, through the period of prescription, that students who are awarded the prescribed qualification have met all the criteria, that the institution's resources are as set out in the application, and that any changes to the programme specification reflect normal course development and have not radically altered the content of the course.

In order for the Board to have such assurance, institutions awarding prescribed qualifications should submit annually, to the Chief Executive of the Board, the following documents:

• external examiners reports and responses;

• any relevant reports from external bodies;

• student progress information.

Any changes, or planned changes, to the programme specification should also be identified in the submission, and the rationale for these changes clearly explained.

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Appendix 3

When applying for a new qualification to be prescribed, an institution should bear in mind that in order for the Board to prescribe a new qualification it must be confident that the course proposal, including the educational aims, the intended learning outcomes, the assessment criteria etc, have been designed with the clear aim of ensuring that all those who receive the qualification meet all the criteria. The Board must also be confident that systems are in place to ensure that all criteria will be met by students/candidates for the period of prescription, and that the institution has adequate resources to maintain, and where appropriate, increase the achievements of students in meeting criteria.

When considering an application for the prescription of a new qualification, the Board will consider whether certain factors are demonstrated in the application. These will include the following:

That explicit strategies and mechanisms for assessing students/candidates are proposed to ensure that the criteria will be achieved

That the institution has appropriately qualified staff to deliver the course and assess students/candidates

That appropriate mechanisms will exist to ensure that the appointment, development and leadership of staff and examiners (including external examiners) takes account of the vocational, as well as the academic, aspect of the qualification

That there will be an engagement with the profession, which will be ongoing during the period of prescription, in the delivery of the course and the assessment of students/candidates

That strategies and mechanisms of assessment will be subject to both internal and external periodic review and audit

That assessments will be rigorously monitored for consistency and benchmarked for comparability with other institutions offering prescribed qualifications

That mechanisms will exist to allow the institution to appropriately respond to problems identified by benchmarking, review and audit processes

That internal and external review and audit processes will be rigorous and that, in their implementation, steps will be taken to ensure that they take account of the vocational, as well as the academic, aspect of the qualification

That the institution will have during the period of prescription adequate resources

That the institution is committed to maintaining and, where appropriate, enhancing its provision relating to the matters listed above for the future period of prescription

The Board will not carry out an audit of an institution's procedures and systems. Nor does the Board wish to see student portfolios or other student work. In making its decision, the Board will take into account the documentation outlined below in relation to the factors outlined above:

Programme specification, including intended learning outcomes, proposed assessment strategies, processes, criteria referenced to ARB's criteria, educational aims, course structure, teaching and learning methods, admission and direct entry arrangements

CV's of proposed internal examiners (CV's of External Examiners should be sent to the Board as soon as they are appointed.)

Evidence of benchmarking with other prescribed qualifications - advisers reports etc

The institution's internal quality audit report

A report based on one or more visits by a body which includes professionals from both architectural education and practice and lay persons*. The report must state whether those who will receive the qualification are likely to meet ARB's criteria.

Reports of subsequent dialogue between the institution and the body arising from a visit or visits (as above) and any action taken or not taken in response

Reports from other external agencies, independent advisers or assessors The institution's Quality Assurance documentation (outlining appointment conditions of external examiners, arrangements for internal quality audit and review etc)

QAA institutional audit reports, and relevant subject level review reports of allied courses (when available)

Information on human resources, including the planned maximum-minimum staff- student ratio

Details of provisions for staff development

Details of physical resources

Details of information resources

Information on financial resources, including institutional and departmental plans to show that the course will be adequately resourced and funded during the period of prescription

Evidence of an engagement with the profession

It is accepted that new courses may be subject to some extensive modification as part of their normal development early on in their existence. Where such modifications are proposed, institutions should take particular note for the procedure below relating to modified courses.

For a modified course, the Board will initially expect to receive the revised programme specification, an outline of the differences between it and the programme specification previously prescribed, the rationale for the changes and any reports supporting the modifications. The Board may request additional information, and if the Board considers that the modification might alter fundamentally the content and thrust of a course, the Board may require that the application be considered under procedures for the prescription of a new qualification.

For new or modified courses prescription may be made subject to special conditions or monitoring provisions.

* such as an RIBA Visiting Board Report

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Appendix 4

ARB Prescription Cycle

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