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Student Associate

A student of architecture may apply to the OAA to become a Student Associate, provided that the individual meets the eligibility requirements below. There is no cost to becoming a Student Associate and there are several benefits, including the ability to log experience hours and increased engagement with the OAA.

Eligibility Requirements

An individual must:

  • be enrolled in a Canadian faculty, department, or school of architecture offering a professional degree in architecture accredited by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB); or
  • be enrolled in a U.S. faculty, department, or school of architecture accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB); or
  • be enrolled in the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) Syllabus Program; or
  • be enrolled in a Canadian school of architecture that has candidacy status granted by CACB; or
  • have completed any of the above degrees or courses of study and are awaiting CACB certification; and
  • be a person of good character.

 

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Licensing Changes and Canadian Experience
Recently introduced amendments to the province’s fair registration practices legislation mean new rules that affect the path to becoming licensed as an architect in Ontario.

Application Process

If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can submit a completed Student Associate application to the OAA using the following: 


The approval process typically takes about one week to complete. Once approved, Student Associate status is valid until the end of the calendar year. The Student Associate status must be renewed annually; otherwise, the status will become lapsed.

Experience Hours

Student Associates enrolled in a CACB/NAAB-accredited architecture program may submit up to 760 hours to be credited toward the experience requirements of the IAP, with the following stipulations:

  1. The experience hours were gained after July 1, 2019.

  2. Student hours must be obtained both while the student is enrolled and attending an accredited program of architecture, and while completing the final two years of a CACB/NAAB-accredited Master’s Program.

  3. Student Associates must have their academic institution complete the Declaration form to confirm their status in the M.Arch program of architecture.

  4. Student Associate status is held with the OAA while gaining the experience.

  5. Experience hours are obtained in an architectural practice, under the personal supervision and direction of an architect that otherwise complies with the “Acceptable Employment Situation” set out in the IAP Manual.

  6. The supervising architect signs off on the experience.

  7. Mentor is required while the experience is gained. For more on finding a mentor, click here.

RAIC Syllabus students who are Student Associates of the OAA may log experience toward their internship experience requirements. The OAA permits students in the program to accumulate for review all of the required 3,720 hours of architectural experience gained after enrolment in Part 2 of the program in order to satisfy the experience requirements of the IAP.

Key Documents

Refer to important documents below for more information:




OAA Student Declaration Form 



Canadian Experience Record Book (CERB)
Mentor Confirmation Form
Employment Confirmation Form

Please Note: Student Hours Declaration Forms should be returned to the following contacts:

CARLETON UNIVERSITY
Anne Bordeleau
Director of the Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism
architecturegrad@carleton.ca

LAURENTIAN UNIVERSITY

Tammy Gaber
Associate Professor, Director
tgaber@laurentian.ca

TORONTO METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
Kathleen Sojor Champlin
Administrative Manager
ksojorch@torontomu.ca

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

Heather Huckfield
Programs Coordinator
programs@daniels.utoronto.ca


UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
For graduate students, the contact is as follows:
Tina Davidson
Graduate Program and Research Coordinator
tina.davidson@uwaterloo.ca

For undergraduate students, the contact is as follows:
Nicole Guenther
Coordinator of Graduate Studies and Research
Nicole.guenther@uwaterloo.ca

OUTSIDE ONTARIO
For North American accredited schools of architecture outside of Ontario, contact your Faculty for further information.
Requirements for Licensure

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CONTACT

Lashmi Ollivierre, Administrator, Internship in Architecture Program (IAP)
e:lashmio@oaa.on.ca
t: 416.449.6898 Ext.204

INFORMATION

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Guide to Occupancies
February 2024 Regulatory Notice: Synopsis of Changes to Licence Requirements


REFERENCES

FAQs: Path to Licensure

Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB)

For entry into the architecture profession, CACB provides an assessment of educational qualifications of individuals holding professional degrees or diplomas in architecture.


 

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