Would-be architects, rejoice!

Austin Oakley works in the studio spaces at the NewSchool of Architecture and Design downtown.

Architectural students, your time in the trenches may be coming to a quicker end.

A new plan has been endorsed by key industry groups to give students a license to practice architecture when they graduate from college -- not years later after interning at architectural firms.

Architecture grads have to earn a certain number of hours practicing in the field before they can take a state exam and apply for a license.

Architecture students typically study for five years to gain a bachelor or master's degree and then intern for two or three years to gain enough experience to take the exams. Some states have reciprocal agreements to honor each other's licenses. Others require out-of-state licensed architects to take certain exams that deal with design issues specific to their states before they can practice locally.

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards -- NCARB -- endorsed the fast track to licensing after the National Architectural Accrediting Board, American Institute of Architects and other industry organizations studied the concept.

A task force plans to identify schools interested in participating and start an approval process later this year.

NCARB spokesman Chris Sullivan said the new system would integrate internships with academic work and make it possible for students to take their state architectural licensing exams at graduation.

He said several universities and states already operate this way. NCARB provides guidance to states on the regulation of architectural practice..

"A lot of architecture students want this," he said. "They want to be an architect when they get out of school - it's an expensive degree. This is an idea that groups have considered for a long time but never pursued it. It's a big shift for a conservative organization."

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Would-be architects, rejoice!