After graduation, I intend to open an architectural firm and hire a licensed architect to work for me. Can I earn TUs in that situation?
A. No. Illinois rules prevent you from earning IDP credit as a “principal” in a firm. After all, you are supposed to be in training. (Note that NCARB does accept this in those few states that allow Interns to be “principals” as long as they are “supervised”). Furthermore, in order for your architectural firm to legally practice architecture in Illinois, it must be registered with the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation as a “Professional Design Firm.” In order to qualify for registration, the person having responsibility for the architectural services must be a General Partner in a Partnership organization or must be a Director of the firm if it is organized as a Corporation, and two thirds of the Partners or Directors must be architects, structural engineers or professional engineers licensed in any state. This would not be the case if you had a business in which there were only one architect and you as owners/partners.
