Only if your college accepts it, and the arrangement still meets the practical-training requirements. The Council of Architecture’s regulation places compulsory B.Arch practical training in an approved architect’s office, or an allied organisation’s, and does not expressly provide for online training. Get your college’s acceptance in writing before you start.
What the Council’s regulation says
The relevant rule is in the Council of Architecture (Minimum Standards of Architectural Education) Regulations, 2020, in force since 1 November 2020.
For compulsory B.Arch practical training, it specifies:
- It takes place in the 8th or 9th semester and lasts one semester, approximately 16 working weeks.
- It is undertaken in the office of an architect, or an organisation operating in an allied field of practice or research, duly approved by the institution.
- The student works under the mentorship of an architect with at least five years’ experience.
- The mentoring architect assesses the student’s work periodically, followed by an end-semester viva.
- The training must be completed before the architectural design thesis begins.
The regulation does not say that training must be in person, and it does not provide for fully online training. It specifies an approved office and an architect as mentor. Whether a remote arrangement is acceptable is a question for your institution.
How long that semester must be, and what three or six months covers, is the subject of the next article.
What your college decides
Your college approves the office, ideally before you join, and it may impose additional requirements. Some institutions ask for a mentor with more than five years’ experience. Typical college requirements include:
- A log book.
- A signed and stamped completion certificate.
- A training report with prints of the work completed.
Some also specify attendance, site exposure or a minimum number of weeks spent physically in an office. Your college conducts the viva, where you account for your work during the semester.
So, does online training count? The regulation gives no blanket permission for fully online compulsory practical training, so your institution’s position decides. You will usually find it in its practical-training rules or the opening pages of its log book. If those rules specify an office, do not assume an online arrangement is acceptable. Ask the person authorised to approve practical training, and get the answer in writing.
Questions to ask your college before accepting an online internship
- Does fully online work count towards compulsory practical training?
- Is there a minimum number of weeks physically spent in an office?
- What experience must the mentoring architect have?
- Must the office be approved before I join?
- What must the certificate, log book and report contain?
- Will remote weeks be recorded separately from office weeks?
Ask by email, so the answer exists in writing when you need it during your viva.
Who an online internship is for
There are four different situations.
If your curriculum includes an internship other than compulsory practical training: Your curriculum’s rules decide whether online work counts, and your institution may require prior approval.
If you want professional experience outside your curriculum: You do not normally need academic approval simply to undertake an internship. This applies to architecture and interior design students alike. The Council’s compulsory practical-training provisions concern B.Arch education; they do not govern every internship undertaken by every design student.
If you want an online internship to count as compulsory B.Arch practical training: Your institution must accept the arrangement, and the requirements concerning the approved office, mentoring architect, assessment and viva must still be addressed. Obtain written confirmation before you start, not before your viva.
If you study outside India and want to intern in India: Your home university decides whether it recognises the Indian placement towards your course. Ask it about approval, supervision and documentation before joining. The Council’s regulations set minimum standards for B.Arch education in India; they do not decide whether a foreign university gives academic credit for an internship.
The studio athenos internship accepts online interns on this basis: as professional experience, or as practical training where the student’s institution accepts it.
Documentation to obtain
Whichever office you choose, online or in-office, agree on the documentation before you start:
- A certificate stating duration, work done and completion.
- Whatever your college’s training report requires from the office.
- A log book or weekly record, if your college uses one.
- Remote weeks shown separately from office weeks, if your college asks for it.
At studio athenos, interns receive an internship certificate stating duration, work done and completion. Every intern also publishes an account of their work under their own name on studioathenos.in. No office can promise that your college will accept the training.
Sources
- Council of Architecture, Minimum Standards of Architectural Education Regulations, 2020. Published in the Gazette of India on 11 August 2020; in force from 1 November 2020. https://coa.gov.in/app/myauth/notification/COA_Minimum_Standards_of_Architectural_Education_Regulations_2020.pdf