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Professional Diploma in Designing Architecture

At its meeting of 20 November 2020, the Board decided that the above qualification should continue to be prescribed until 31 March 2026* 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. London Metropolitan University’s**/the London School of Architecture’s Professional Diploma in Designing Architecture (two years, full-time) qualification should be prescribed for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2026.*
  2. Prescription of the qualification shall be by reference to the Programme Specification – submitted with the application on 31 January 2020 – for the Professional Diploma in Designing Architecture (two years, full-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.
  3. Annually by 31 January – commencing on 31 January 2022 – 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: 
    1. 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 awarded the prescribed qualification; 
    2. Adequate systems are in place to ensure that all the Board’s Criteria will be met by students for the period of prescription; 
    3. The institution’s resources remain as set out in its application and are adequate; and 
    4. 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 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 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 award.

In addition to the Standard Conditions of prescription, the Board agreed that the following additional condition would be applicable to the qualification under Section 13.2 of the Board’s Procedures:

  • The institution is required to submit explicit statements from the external examiners every year confirming whether they were satisfied or not that all graduating students receiving the qualification had met all the Criteria at Part 2 level.

 

The Board was confident that:

  1. All students awarded the qualification since the qualification was prescribed or last renewed had met all the Criteria;  
  1. The systems used by the institution to ensure that all students 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
  1. The institution’s future plans and commitment are such that the institution will maintain its ability to ensure that all students awarded the qualification have met all the Criteria.

External examiners submit their reports using London Metropolitan’s** university-wide external examiner report template.  In the event that the external examiners do not make explicit reference to passing students meeting ARB’s Criteria in their annual reports, the confirmations required by the recommended additional condition will provide assurance of this to the Board.

 

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

 

** At its meeting on 1 December 2021, the Board approved a change of awarding body – awards conferred by London Metropolitan University until 30 September 2021,*** and awards conferred by the University of Liverpool from 1 October 2021.

*** On 6 June 2022, the Board agreed to extend prescription of the award conferred by London Metropolitan University to 30 September 2023.