FAQ: The Path to Licensure

No, although you will eventually need to be employed to log your experience hours as part of the internship requirements. Once you are employed, you must submit a confirmation letter signed by your Supervising Architect to the OAA. 

See Appendix B: Ontario Specific Requirements to the IAP for examples of acceptable work arrangements.

Every Intern Architect completing the IAP is required to have a mentor in order to submit hours. The OAA has launched a new Mentor Directory (login required) to allow OAA Interns and Students to search for a compatible mentor.

Each applicant must submit a completed online application. Following acceptance, you will receive a confirmation letter indicating your official Intern Architect acceptance date and other important information.

National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB) record holders transferring from the United States may obtain credit for previously approved experience gained while enrolled in the Intern Development Program (IDP). NCARB record holders will need to re-record the post-graduate IDP experience in the Canadian Experience Record Book (CERB), signed by the previous Supervising Architect(s) at the respective place(s) of employment and OAA Mentor. Proof of enrollment in the IDP (i.e. IDP summary reports) will be required.

Contact iap@oaa.on.ca  for more information.

Any individual who was previously enrolled as an Intern Architect or Student Associate with the OAA may complete the Intern Architect/Student Associate reapplication and the accompanied payment (fees applicable to Intern Architects only).

The Internship in Architecture Program is one pathway to licensure. Depending on your level of education and experience, you may also be eligible for alternative routes to licensure, including the Broadly Experienced Foreign Architect Program (BEFA). You can also review the list of Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) and their eligibility requirements.

For more information, email iap@oaa.on.ca. For inquiries related to BEFA, contact the Canadian Architecture Certification Board (CACB). 

Student Associate status with the OAA is free. Refer to the eligibility requirements on the OAA Website, from which students can also access the online application form. The approval process typically takes about one week to complete. Once approved, Student Associate status is valid until the end of the calendar year and should be renewed annually. 

Refer to the CACB website for the most current list of accredited Canadian and American schools of architecture.

No backlogging of experience is accepted once you become an Intern Architect with the OAA. 

The following are instances where pre-internship work experience with the OAA will be considered:

1. You had logged hours as an Intern Architect with another jurisdiction in Canada; 
2. You had logged hours via the Architectural Experience Program/ Intern Development Program (IDP/AXP) in the United States; or
3. You had logged hours via post-graduate international experience gained prior to becoming an Intern Architect with the OAA. (Such experience is subject to an Experience  Requirements Committee [ERC] interview upon application for licence.)

For more information, refer to Appendix B: Ontario Specific IAP Requirements.

An individual may record and submit post-graduate international architectural experience gained outside of Canada while not enrolled as an Intern Architect in the IAP. This experience must be signed by the Supervising Architect(s) at the respective place(s) of employment and by an Ontario Mentor. The OAA must receive proof of licensure of the Supervising Architect(s) in the respective jurisdiction(s). All licence applicants must comply with the Ontario requirements for currency of 940 hours of experience in Ontario.

Refer to Appendix B: Ontario Specific IAP Requirements for more details.

An Intern Architect whose experience submission contains architectural experience gained outside of Canada while not enrolled in the IAP will be required to attend an interview with the Experience Requirements Committee at the time of application for licence.

You can register for the OAA Admission Course online within the OAA Website. The Admission Course is offered in three formats, designed to accommodate different needs:

The Online Admission Course is administered by the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. The online format offers all course modules and is available during the Fall, Winter, and Spring/Summer semesters. Each session is approximately two months in duration.

Conference Admission Course Modules is offered in an in-person format during the annual OAA conference. Each year, the OAA usually offers four out of eight course modules, which collectively account for two full days of learning.

The In-House Admission Course provides traditional face-to-face delivery format and is traditionally available in the fall every year.

The Admission Course schedule is currently under review due to the COVID-19 pandemic.