Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)
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HELP - UIUC vs UWashington vs USC | M.Arch 2
Hello
I graduated last year from India with a B.Arch degree. My interest lies in sustainable design but I also want to choose a city where there are plenty of job opportunities. I am considering University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, University of Washington Seattle and University of Southern California for M.Arch 2. Listed below is the information I have so far gained about the two programs.
1- University of Washington, Seattle
Cons - It is 7 semesters long. My undergrad was of 5 years 10 semesters long, I am not very inclined to study 7 more semesters.
2- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Cons - Have a high performance building concentration but its not formal - wont be mentioned in the transcript
3- University of Southern California , LA
Cons- extremely expensive
I'm looking for information from recent graduates or current students from either of these three universities on the design studios, real-life project exposure during the program, internship opportunities and job prospects after graduation. Any information regarding this will be very useful to help me make an informed decision.
Thanks!
UIC-UC is not near Chicago - (about 2.5 hour drive) - California has the most job options - have a look at Archinect job boards to get a sense of opportunities that match your interest.
@TED Thank you for helping me out.
Chicago post most of their jobs with the local AIA not Archinect for some reason. https://www.aiachicago.org/resources/jobs/
Have you got admission in these colleges yet? or are you just planning to apply to these?
@underwood_1234 - I've received acceptance from UIUC and have been put on a wait list in UWashington. And I'm waiting USC's result.
I got admitted to USC M.Arch 1 (2yrs) and went I visited from Orlando, FL. I was shocked...in a good way. When I was applying for grad school, I was considering location and professors. I applied at USC,SCI-ARC,Princeton, UT Austin. I got admitted to both schools in LA. Austin and USC were for location, and Princeton and SCI ARC were for professors. You have to do your research on the director [Wes Jones]. After I talked to him, I was very interested in USC, he actually convinced me to go there instead of SCI ARC. He said that USC hasn't been on the map since they started the movement of the "Case Study Houses" but that USC is in a transition to be back on top. They are pulling amazing faculty from all over the world, and almost all of the professors are practicing architects, not just theoretical architects. Since I want to be a practicing architect, I chose USC. It is good to know that I can learn from people that actually know what they are doing, not only in a theoretical sense, which I love theory, but in real life situations. So I strongly suggest you talk to the director because they can fill you in exactly where they are taking the program and see if that aligns with what you want to focus on in grad school.
- Hope this helps
@Leon_ordaz03 Thanks for your insight. USC's location is definitely an advantage. And since I want to work in the sustainable architecture, I believe it is the right place to be as California firms are working extensively in the field. However, the tuition and living cost is extremely high and I am worried about the time it'll take me to repay the education loan.
UIUC is a Huge Program, 2000 students grad and undergrad you will not be the only student from India, UIUC has 40-44 thousand students. I think my class in the March program had 8 folks from India. U of I Urbana Champaign is closely tied to Chicago (but is out in the country) twice daily trains and 70% or more of the students come from Chicago area in the architecture program. The program is big and you have lots of opportunities to chose a specific academic focus. Also in the Same Schools is a respected Landscape Architecture Program.
If you want to double major in construction management or structural engineering UIUC is among the top schools for this.
As rural as the community is it is very progressive or liberal, especially in Urbana one of the two small cities that surround the campus.
Weather can be extreme snow ice and very hot summers. -26 Celsius to 40 Celsius in as little as 3-4 months.
Hope this helps
Peter N
@Peter Normand Thanks for the insight. The specializations offered by UIUC is definitely a plus point. However since the school is not located in a main city, I am unsure of the post-grad opportunities available, especially to an international student. Please correct me if I'm wrong but I was told that Chicago was the architecture hub of the country. And the competition is quite high as students from neighboring states and from all across the country are competing for job opportunities in the city.
Hey @geek,
i went to UIUC as well. left architecture but what i can say is that all my friends that continued with the M.Arch program there have landed some pretty nice jobs. People have gone on to work for design firms like BIG, SOM, Gensler and others have gone on to work for more engineering firms that have taken the optional Structures Track.
Its a great school and the UIUC name holds weight.
Hello @Geek,
I have been admitted to USC and UIUC in M.ARCH 2. I was admitted to other universities as well, but I narrowed it down to these two.
I have the similar problem, I want to choose USC, but am unsure about the expenses and the time I would take to repay the loan. UIUC is cheaper and is an amazing and a very reputed school.
USC has a very good location and its faculty has really good practicing architects.
And I think, USC has just as many Indians on campus as UIUC.
Please let me know what you decide.
Hello @anjalijha
hello.
did you decide upon the college yet?
Hi...I got into five universities out of the 7 i applied to and i have shortlisted two of them.
I am really confused between the Master of Building Science program at USC and the Master of Architecture program at UIUC.
Both are 2-year (4 semester) programs. Confused because both are different programs and both are good schools. And cost wise, both schools would be the same for me as I have got a scholarship in USC.
Could you please give me an insight about these programs and about the schools?
@mdmd
both choices need to be NAAB approved schools and programs. if your goal is to become a licensed architect in the US
http://www.naab.org/architecture-programs/school-search/
As for UIUC University of Illinois at Champaign Urbana not being in Chicago, yes this is true but you should view this as a minor thing as it is culturally and politically closely tied to the city of Chicago. You will have a significant well placed network of alumni and respect from a competent program that was the 4th architecture program in the US to be established in 1870 and was among the first to integrate and admit women. A significant number of senior members of Chicago's top firms went to UIUC so the alumni network is strong.
Don't worry about the distance you will learn to love hate interstate 57 if you do attend.
Good luck with your choices and your soon to begin academia adventure.
Over and OUT
Peter N
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