The use of the title "architect" (or any derivation thereof) is legally protected in the United States, Canada, and other countries.
The Intern Development Program (IDP) is a national program, developed and administered by NCARB, in the United States designed to provide structured training for Intern Architects to ensure that they are exposed to most aspects of the architectural profession prior to attaining professional licensure.
The program prescribes the minimum experience hours required in various activities pertaining to practice in architecture before attaining professional licensure.
In total, interns must complete 5600 hours of reported experience before attaining professional licensure.
[2] The IAP was established by the Committee of Canadian Architectural Councils (CCAC), which has representatives from each of the ten provincial associations of architects.