Hi Chris,
I too have had similar experiences with the NYS Office of Professions regarding professional experience requirements. I’ve found them to be very rigid with the experience gained under “allied professions”. My situtation was similar in that I worked for years under the direct supervision of a registered landscape architect, but within an architecture firm. That firm was not licensed to practice landscape architecture (to qualify as a multidisciplinary firm a partner must be registered to practice LA). Upon applying for the CE portions of the exam, I was denied in the same manner as yourself.
In all my wranglings with the state, I’ve found them to be completely unwavering in their experience requirements. I also have yet to hear of a sucessful petition for waiver of experience in NYS. While I understand their reasoning behind the strict requirements, to regulate landscape architecture as a profession, it fails in practice especially in this tough economy. Looking at licensing statistics for LAs in NYS, it’s extremely difficult to gain their required experience due to the small number of licenses (let alone availability of work).
So, unfortunately there is no recourse for us. However, be sure to spin this positively when interviewing, that you’ve successfully completed ABD and within 6 months you would be eligible to sit for CE. With your experience level and drive for professional advancement, I would think that prospective employers would understand the difficult position you’re in.
-Mark
