Your Path to Becoming an Architect:
Experience Requirements

Overview

If you are certified by the CACB, this means you have completed the education requirement, which is Step 1 in the licensing process. Step 2 is to complete the work experience requirement.

To fulfil the experience requirements of the OAA you must apply for appointment as an Intern Architect with the OAA Intern Architect Program (IAP). You must find an architect who agrees to become your mentor.

Step 2

Once you have been certified by the CACB, you must apply for appointment as an Intern Architect with the OAA and purchase the Canadian Handbook of Practice. You will also need to download the Intern Architect Program Manual from the OAA Web site. All Intern Architects in Ontario must complete the IAP to fulfil the work-experience requirements of the OAA. To link to the IAP Manual, click here.

To become an Intern Architect, you must find an architect who agrees to be your mentor, and you must complete the Canadian Experience Record Book.

All architects licensed by the OAA in Ontario are eligible to be mentors. If you need help finding a mentor, please contact the OAA through the OAA Web site or find the mailing address on the Regulatory Bodies page.

Your international work experience may be considered toward the experience requirements. Record all your architectural work experience in countries outside Canada and the USA in the CERB and submit proof of your work experience to be considered toward the experience requirements. Your work experience will be reviewed by the OAA and may be considered for part of the Intern Architect Program requirements.

You must complete 5,600 hours of work experience to fulfil the experience requirement. This must include 940 hours of experience in Ontario under the personal supervision and direction of an architect licensed to engage in the practice of architecture in Ontario within three years of an Application for Licence. At least 2,780 of the 5,600 hours must be under the direct supervision of an architect. You may be eligible for credit for up to 4600 hours of your international work experience.

Related Work Experience

You may work in an architectural office in Ontario without having CACB certification or being appointed as an Intern Architect with the OAA, but only under the personal supervision and direction of an architect licensed to engage in the practice of architecture in Ontario.

However, if you plan to use this work experience to fulfil the OAA experience requirements, you must find a mentor who is an architect, and submit the work experience for review within the time frame outlined in the Intern Architect Program Manual. This experience must be recorded in the Canadian Experience Record Book. Please contact the OAA for a list of architects willing to serve as mentors.

For more detailed information on the IAP, click here.