As the title suggests, I applied for the dual degree program of MBA/M.Arch 3.5+ Track, and I have been accepted to SUNY at Buffalo/University of Kansas/University of Colorado at Denver and still waiting on ASU decision.
The Dual Degree program is not offered in many universities, let alone the MBA/M.Arch 3.5 track, the reason I am keen on getting the M.Arch degree because I have a small real estate business that has been running well and I see a great potential in opening a consultancy/construction branch to be able to provide real estate development solutions to the clients/potential investors and take my business to the next level. However in order to do so I have to have a professional Arch/Civil Eng degree, and seeing how I was an amature designer, I loved the idea of studying Masters of Architecture, so I pursued it and got accepted to the programs I mentioned earlier after an exhausting and extremely lengthy application process.
Making a decision would have been much easier if I resided near the US, however I am from Oman (Middle East) and thus could not make the arrangements to visit the schools and get a first hand taste, so I will be depending on the intensive research I have done on the schools and your guys recommendation, seeing how this is one of the largest and brightest Architecture boards.
Some basic information:
Age/Sex/Ethnicity: 29/Male/Middle Eastern
Undergraduate Degree: Accounting
Work Experience: 3 Years Accounting / 3 Years Real Estate
What I am looking for: I am single and plan to live on campus to save the commute time, since I will be in the school for the next 4 years, I would like to live somewhere lively where I can have fun, meet people and party when I am not studying hard. A Safe place too, so a medium city size would be ideal for me.
I also planning to apply as a transfer to Yale/WU St Louis, next year once I improve my GMAT/GRE and have another shot at the ivy league.
Your guys advice and recommendation would be highly appreciated !!!
backbay
Apr 16, 14 10:49 pm
put this thing in the academia tab
BAZ007
Apr 17, 14 3:57 am
Could MODs please put the thread under Academia tab.
Thanks
Beepbeep
Apr 17, 14 9:22 am
Denver is a nice City and Colorado is great sunny almost everyday and not cold in the winter compared to lets say Buffalo. The school is not bad, but not the best, I think the MBA program is okay. Buffalo seems like a decent program as well probably along the same quality as CU, You could also look into DU they have a master in Real Estate and Constriction Management if you go to Colorado.
Roshi
Apr 17, 14 11:12 am
UPenn has something called a Certificate in Real Estate Development, that a lot of M.Archs apply for and work towards in conjunction with their 2 or 3 year program.
raskol
Apr 17, 14 11:28 am
I was born in Kansas. I have an MArch from KU. I live in Denver.
KU is in a very small city in Kansas. Lawrence, KS is a 40 minute drive from Kansas City (Missouri). UCD is right in downtown Denver. Lawrence is the most enlightened town in Kansas for sure, but it's small. So you can party but it's perfectly safe place for other ethnicity. However, once you are out of Lawrence, you will be in a conservative American midwest environment. Example: As a middle eastern man, if your car breaks down between Lawrence and St. Louis, avoid ANYONE in a pickup truck or junky car offering to help you. Wait for AAA or the Police. Travel with friends. (I drove from Lawrence to St. Louis and back one day to see Zaha Hadid at WU.)
The weather is terrible in Buffalo. The weather is very nice in Denver. Kansas has typical midwest weather. The nice thing about Kansas is there is a lack of distraction. There isn't much to do there so you can focus on studying. I find Colorado to be full of people who are distracted by other hobbies; lacking focus. There are far more things to do in Colorado than Kansas. Hope that helps.
BAZ007
Apr 17, 14 3:29 pm
Raskol, Roshi and Beepeep, thanks for your comments.
But if we are to talk about quality of education, what would be the order or the perception in the nation for the alumnus of those schools?
Anyone also lived/studied in UB would shed some light of the experience compared to the other places?
raskol
Apr 17, 14 11:05 pm
My time there was too long ago to be of much use to you. The high point of KU was Studio 804 for me. http://studio804.com That's work!
Joseph Wassell
Apr 18, 14 12:26 am
I graduated from UB recently, so maybe I can answer some questions on that front (and feel free to message me privately, or email me, too). To preface, I've heard good things about all of these schools, and something that may be worth keeping in mind, is that they each have solid regional reputations. If there is any long term plan on staying in the vicinity of any of these schools, that may be something worth factoring in.
The biggest criticism of UB's dual degree for MBA/M.Arch is that the two programs are not inherently integrated together very well. In order for them to compliment each other well, it will take initiative on your part to make it happen. It would seem that this could be the case at any of these dual degree programs, given the curriculum of each department independently. That said, I would consider both programs independently to be of a high quality (Again, the idea of a regional reputation may be applicable).
Winters can be harsh. That is true. I'm actually surprised by the focus on weather and "distractions" in the thread thus far. You should probably consider the environment in terms of architectural heritage and culture.. I wouldn't consider the lack of distractions in Kansas a good thing, personally. The surrounding environment can be as valuable, if not more so, as what is going on inside the school.
Buffalo has buildings by Richardson, Sullivan, Saarinen, FLW... and the park system was done by Olmstead. There are quality museums and a great art scene.. Denver is also wonderful, I visited briefly, and loved every minute I spent there.. some notable buildings by Libeskind, Johnson, and Graves to name a few. I don't know much about the school, but I've heard good things overall... I can't really speak to Kansas. My experience was driving through miles upon miles of corn fields and seeing signs for a ball of twine, but I'm sure that state has more to offer. I like Dan Rockhill and Studio 804. That type of design-build might translate well considering the real estate end of your current situation.
BAZ007
Apr 18, 14 4:59 am
@Joseph, thanks for the input man, I will PM you with some other questions if you dont mind.
Greetings all,
As the title suggests, I applied for the dual degree program of MBA/M.Arch 3.5+ Track, and I have been accepted to SUNY at Buffalo/University of Kansas/University of Colorado at Denver and still waiting on ASU decision.
The Dual Degree program is not offered in many universities, let alone the MBA/M.Arch 3.5 track, the reason I am keen on getting the M.Arch degree because I have a small real estate business that has been running well and I see a great potential in opening a consultancy/construction branch to be able to provide real estate development solutions to the clients/potential investors and take my business to the next level. However in order to do so I have to have a professional Arch/Civil Eng degree, and seeing how I was an amature designer, I loved the idea of studying Masters of Architecture, so I pursued it and got accepted to the programs I mentioned earlier after an exhausting and extremely lengthy application process.
Making a decision would have been much easier if I resided near the US, however I am from Oman (Middle East) and thus could not make the arrangements to visit the schools and get a first hand taste, so I will be depending on the intensive research I have done on the schools and your guys recommendation, seeing how this is one of the largest and brightest Architecture boards.
Some basic information:
Age/Sex/Ethnicity: 29/Male/Middle Eastern
Undergraduate Degree: Accounting
Work Experience: 3 Years Accounting / 3 Years Real Estate
What I am looking for: I am single and plan to live on campus to save the commute time, since I will be in the school for the next 4 years, I would like to live somewhere lively where I can have fun, meet people and party when I am not studying hard. A Safe place too, so a medium city size would be ideal for me.
I also planning to apply as a transfer to Yale/WU St Louis, next year once I improve my GMAT/GRE and have another shot at the ivy league.
Your guys advice and recommendation would be highly appreciated !!!
put this thing in the academia tab
Could MODs please put the thread under Academia tab. Thanks
Denver is a nice City and Colorado is great sunny almost everyday and not cold in the winter compared to lets say Buffalo. The school is not bad, but not the best, I think the MBA program is okay. Buffalo seems like a decent program as well probably along the same quality as CU, You could also look into DU they have a master in Real Estate and Constriction Management if you go to Colorado.
UPenn has something called a Certificate in Real Estate Development, that a lot of M.Archs apply for and work towards in conjunction with their 2 or 3 year program.
I was born in Kansas. I have an MArch from KU. I live in Denver.
KU is in a very small city in Kansas. Lawrence, KS is a 40 minute drive from Kansas City (Missouri). UCD is right in downtown Denver. Lawrence is the most enlightened town in Kansas for sure, but it's small. So you can party but it's perfectly safe place for other ethnicity. However, once you are out of Lawrence, you will be in a conservative American midwest environment. Example: As a middle eastern man, if your car breaks down between Lawrence and St. Louis, avoid ANYONE in a pickup truck or junky car offering to help you. Wait for AAA or the Police. Travel with friends. (I drove from Lawrence to St. Louis and back one day to see Zaha Hadid at WU.)
The weather is terrible in Buffalo. The weather is very nice in Denver. Kansas has typical midwest weather. The nice thing about Kansas is there is a lack of distraction. There isn't much to do there so you can focus on studying. I find Colorado to be full of people who are distracted by other hobbies; lacking focus. There are far more things to do in Colorado than Kansas. Hope that helps.
Raskol, Roshi and Beepeep, thanks for your comments.
But if we are to talk about quality of education, what would be the order or the perception in the nation for the alumnus of those schools?
Anyone also lived/studied in UB would shed some light of the experience compared to the other places?
My time there was too long ago to be of much use to you. The high point of KU was Studio 804 for me. http://studio804.com That's work!
I graduated from UB recently, so maybe I can answer some questions on that front (and feel free to message me privately, or email me, too). To preface, I've heard good things about all of these schools, and something that may be worth keeping in mind, is that they each have solid regional reputations. If there is any long term plan on staying in the vicinity of any of these schools, that may be something worth factoring in.
The biggest criticism of UB's dual degree for MBA/M.Arch is that the two programs are not inherently integrated together very well. In order for them to compliment each other well, it will take initiative on your part to make it happen. It would seem that this could be the case at any of these dual degree programs, given the curriculum of each department independently. That said, I would consider both programs independently to be of a high quality (Again, the idea of a regional reputation may be applicable).
Winters can be harsh. That is true. I'm actually surprised by the focus on weather and "distractions" in the thread thus far. You should probably consider the environment in terms of architectural heritage and culture.. I wouldn't consider the lack of distractions in Kansas a good thing, personally. The surrounding environment can be as valuable, if not more so, as what is going on inside the school.
Buffalo has buildings by Richardson, Sullivan, Saarinen, FLW... and the park system was done by Olmstead. There are quality museums and a great art scene.. Denver is also wonderful, I visited briefly, and loved every minute I spent there.. some notable buildings by Libeskind, Johnson, and Graves to name a few. I don't know much about the school, but I've heard good things overall... I can't really speak to Kansas. My experience was driving through miles upon miles of corn fields and seeing signs for a ball of twine, but I'm sure that state has more to offer. I like Dan Rockhill and Studio 804. That type of design-build might translate well considering the real estate end of your current situation.
@Joseph, thanks for the input man, I will PM you with some other questions if you dont mind.