§ 201 - Qualifications - Vermont Statutes

§ 201. Qualifications

(a) To qualify for licensure as an architect in this state, an applicant shall have attained the age of majority and shall have graduated from an approved four year high school course or must have equivalent training. Additionally, an applicant shall have had:

(1) Satisfactory training in a school or college of architecture approved by the board, with graduation therefrom as evidenced by a diploma setting forth a satisfactory degree in an accredited architectural program, and three years of practical architectural experience under the supervision of a practicing architect or architects who have been licensed for more than three years; or

(2) A total of nine years of diversified practical architectural experience under the supervision of a practicing architect or architects who have been licensed for more than three years. Credits from an accredited postsecondary educational institution may be substituted for up to four years of the experience requirement; or

(3) Training equivalent to that required herein.

(b) An applicant shall pass written examinations under a syllabus selected or prepared by the board, in such technical and professional subjects as may be prescribed by the board. Examinations may be taken before the applicant completes the experience requirements established by this chapter, provided that the applicant has completed all but the final year of required practical experience. Notification of the results of such examinations shall be mailed to each candidate within 30 days of the date the results are received by the board. A candidate failing to pass the examinations may apply for re-examination and may sit for any regularly scheduled examination as many times as the candidate chooses to do so. If an applicant does not pass the entire examination, the applicant shall not be required to retake any section of an examination which the applicant previously passed.

(c) Upon application for licensure, the applicant shall file a report to the board certifying the practical experience requirements completed. The supervisor shall certify that to the best of the supervisor's knowledge, the report is correct.

(d) The board may conduct a personal interview of an applicant. A personal interview shall be for the limited purposes of assisting the applicant to obtain licensure and to verify the applicant's educational qualifications and that the applicant completed the practical architectural experience requirements for licensure. A personal interview shall not serve directly or indirectly as an oral examination of the applicant's substantive knowledge of architecture. An interview conducted under this section shall be taped and, at the request of the applicant, shall be transcribed. An applicant who is denied licensure shall be informed in writing of his or her right to have the interview transcribed free of charge. At least one of the public members of the board shall be present at any personal interview.

(e) When the board intends to deny an application for licensure, the director of the office of professional regulation shall send the applicant written notice of preliminary decision by certified mail, return receipt requested. The notice shall include a specific statement of the reasons for the action. Within 30 days of the date that an applicant receives such notice, the applicant may file a petition with the board for review of its preliminary action. In cases where denial is based upon failure to pass the examination, the applicant may request and shall receive, within 30 days from the date of receipt of the request, further and more specific information on the content of questions which were answered incorrectly, and as to what the correct answers should have been. Such information shall be provided in the manner prescribed by the testing service. At the hearing to review the preliminary decision, which, if the applicant chooses, may not take place until the board has responded to inquiries about the questions and answers, the burden shall be on the applicant to show that licensure should be granted. After the hearing, the board shall affirm or reverse the preliminary denial. The applicant may appeal a final denial by the board to the appeals panel.

(f) The board may establish by rule intern development program training requirements for the purpose of providing a structured transition between formal education and architectural licensure. Completion of the program shall be a condition of eligibility for licensure under this chapter. (Amended 1959, No. 160, § 4; 1969, No. 121, eff. April 22, 1969; 1971, No. 184 (Adj. Sess.), § 11, eff. March 29, 1972; 1985, No. 248 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 1989, No. 250 (Adj. Sess.), § 4(d); 1997, No. 145 (Adj. Sess.), § 10.)