The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) said on the 26th that it will overhaul the architect licensing system starting in 2032 into a comprehensive competency assessment that combines written and practical exams, aiming to cultivate future architecture experts with global competitiveness.
Beginning in 2027, only those who have completed a five-year architecture program or graduate school accredited by the Korea Architectural Accrediting Board and who have received at least three years of practical training at an architectural firm may sit for the qualifying exam. Until this year, those who graduated from architecture-related departments at high schools or two- to four-year universities could also apply through a special track after passing a preliminary architect exam and accumulating five years of practical experience.
The qualifying exam will also be reorganized from 2032 from the current practical-focused format into one that combines written and practical exams. The written exam will introduce multiple-choice and descriptive questions assessing building codes, related technologies, and structure and safety.
The practical exam will reduce the existing five tasks to two tasks and shrink the answer sheet from A3 to B4 size. Grid lines will be applied so that drawings can be made without a drafting board or ruler.
The exam subjects will be restructured in connection with field practice. Assessments of related regulations, construction supervision and safety, green building, and building management will be added, while evaluations of specialized technologies such as structure and equipment will be strengthened to verify comprehensive coordination ability.
The number of exams will be reverted from twice a year to once a year (early March each year) starting in 2027. The period during which subject-pass holders are exempted from those subjects in subsequent exams will be readjusted from the current "five times within five years" to "three times within three years."
