The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has responded to the Architects Registration Board’s (ARB) consultation on Accreditation Rule 4.2: Degree awarding powers, which closed on 4 November 2024.
The consultation proposes a change in wording from ‘qualification awarding powers’ to ‘degree awarding powers’. This means ARB will require any learning provider who is applying for accreditation of a master’s level or equivalent qualification to have degree awarding powers, or a formal agreement with a body with such powers.
If the proposed change is taken forward, those learning providers who do not hold degree awarding powers or a formal agreement with a body with such powers would immediately be disqualified from ARB accreditation.
RIBA is a provider of architectural education through the RIBA Part 3 and RIBA Studio programme (equivalent level to a Part 1 bachelor’s and Part 2 master’s degree). Since 1837, our Royal Charter has enshrined our ability to award our own qualifications, granting us the independence to award certificates and diplomas in our own right. Our current RIBA Studio diploma is already recognised as a master’s level equivalent qualification and our external examiners recognise this in their reports.
We are pleased to partner with Oxford Brookes University for the management of RIBA Studio, and the terms of our arrangement mean that ARB’s proposed amendment to its Accreditation Rule 4.2 is currently satisfied.
Responding to the consultation, Chair of RIBA Board of Trustees Jack Pringle said: “ARB’s proposal will seriously hamper the development of new pathways into architecture – at a time when the need for more flexible routes to qualification have never been greater. The change risks haemorrhaging talent and threatens the future diversity of our profession.
“We support ARB moving to an outcomes-based approach to education, just as RIBA has always done, to widen access to the profession in a robust and well-regulated way.
“However, this elitist and ill-judged proposal is a barrier to learning providers that supply innovative and diverse routes to the required professional qualifications. Indeed, such alternative routes are welcomed and nurtured in the accountancy and legal professions.
“RIBA Studio is a lifeline for those working in practice with financial, family or other commitments that prevent them from returning to full-time or even part-time university study to become an architect. It has the flexibility to suspend studies when needed, demonstrating the value of different routes to registration.
“We continue to advocate for our members, students and schools of architecture, holding ARB to account on educational reform – and working together to deliver a robust education system for all.”
