The traditional route to qualification is in three parts:
University exposes students to the breadth of architecture and the built environment as a subject and allows them to develop their own propositions, free from the constraints of practice. Students are imparted with a knowledge of design, an understanding of building types within the context and theory of architecture.
Practical experience in practice familiarises students with the process of designing a building. This culminates in studying for professional exams that test knowledge of the design process, together with the legal and contractural aspects of an architect’s practice. Only when students have passed all three stages, are they admitted to the architect’s register.