Is it possible to have a career in arch + design minus the architectural degree?
At the end of spring I'll be graduating with an Art History degree from the University of California at Davis. I've also been admitted to UC Berkeley's IN[ARCH] Summer Institute at the College of Environmental Design.
I've been looking at a Masters in Arch, however, they seem highly competitive and many of them I do not qualify for because I didn't take advanced math courses. Could a Masters in Design be an option?
Basically, I'm wondering can I still pursue this passion?
ferdasyn
Apr 24, 14 12:21 am
Hey, so I was just browsing this site when I noticed your question—I actually quickly created an account simply to respond to you. First, I'm sure that there are many individuals on archinect that will be much more informed than I about what options are available for someone in your position. However, I would argue that you might find it prudent to simply revisit this question after you complete Berkeley's summer program. This way, you can make a more informed decision about whether you want to take the time and effort necessary to pursue an M.arch.
I wouldn't be too concerned about the various prerequisites for most programs (e.g. calculus and physics), as these can generally be satisfied at any college, junior or otherwise. Again, attending the summer session will be a wonderful opportunity to more fully assess this question: you may develop an absolute love for architecture, and therefore find the modest hurdles involved with entry to be trivial, or conversely, you might decide that the field simply is not to your liking. Of course, much of this depends on what sort of career ambitions you might have. Figure out where you want to end up, and work backwards from there.
(By the way, I met you in Sadler's office—hence, why I decided to respond to your question.)
ferdasyn
Apr 24, 14 12:24 am
With that said, while I'm sure that you can find some worthwhile advice on this forum, if you ever want to have a quick chat on campus, let me know.
accesskb
Apr 24, 14 7:11 am
I won't get into whether you should attend Masters or not because I think ferdasyn has answered it. However, I'm sure its possible depending on what exactly you want to do in this profession. Do you want to be involved directly with design or other aspects of a project like management, consultation etc? I don't personally know anyone who works on designing projects without an architectural education but it is possible if you can prove you have what it takes with your work. Employees will want to see proof of your work and design abilities. Which school you attended or whether you went to school for architecture comes secondary to what work you can produce I think. A classmate of mine had a co-worker with no architectural background but was a graphic designer instead. However, she was heavily involved in design of facades etc at an early stage because she had a good eye.
There are architects around the world who did not have an architecture education, most notably, Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier and the most recently the Pritzker prize winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando. All are self-taught architects, educated themselves by reading books, traveling the world to experience architecture and most importantly practicing architecture. I'm sure anyone could do it if they have the passion and drive. It will be much tougher but anything is possible. :)
Volunteer
Apr 24, 14 8:44 am
Alternate paths to license in the various states should be clearly spelled out. Maybe the AIA or NCARB could do this between trips to the bank to deposit members' fees?
There are 15 states you can get licensed in without a professional degree. Those states are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington State, and Wisconsin.
Some states, like my home state of Tennessee, have residency requirements. Others, like California, require an extra portion of the ARE. I suggest you do your research: visit the linked website above to start. Once you have an idea of where you want to be licensed, check out that state's website. Once again, the NCARB link I gave you above will assist in finding those URLs. I should mention, you can not get NCARB certified with out a professional degree. But those 15 states listed above will allow you to practice and stamp drawings and give you the title of, "Architects."
I do not have a M Arch. either. So I will be pursuing a license in my home state and I will try expand from there, by applying to other states that have minimum requirements. I am a big believer in not dumping money I do not have into another degree. I may go back some for my M Arch. some time later; but not now.
gwharton
Apr 24, 14 1:16 pm
The B.Arch professional degree is the same thing as the M.Arch professional degree, only it takes one less year to acquire. I always recommend going that route, since an M.Arch as a professional degree is more expensive and time-consuming for no marginal gain. Only get an M.Arch as a post-professional specialization, and even then it's generally a bad idea unless you intend to teach.
As noted above, there are some states that still have a non-NAAB degree path to licensure. You could try to do that.
And there are plenty of firms that hire non-professional-degreed designers because they've got talent. Architecture is one of the few professions left that has not been completely wrecked by credentialism. If you've got a great portfolio, you will get hired no matter what your educational background might be. Talent and skill trump everything else. We had a Senior Designer for many years who had no architectural background at all and as I remember never completed any higher-ed degree (dropped out). But he is one of the most talented designers I've ever met, and has never had trouble finding work.
batman
Apr 25, 14 12:43 am
first of all , go through the program and see if you can handle the work and really like architecture,
2. keep in mind that since its only a summer program, it's only a small glimpse of what the entire program can be. Doing the summer is great tho, it gets you acquainted with the software, ideas/concepts, architectural vernacular and all the fluff.
if you like it, go to city college or something and fullfill those math requirements. math may seen like a nightmare for people, but if you really like the summer program/architecture lifestyle, then work your ass for it.
Could a master of design be an option? not really.
if it were up to me, I would save the money and just work for a firm. your experience working with a firm for x amount of years will probably trump a "master of design" degree. personal opinion though. if you want to do architecture, get a master of architecture.
Is it possible to have a career in arch + design minus the architectural degree?
At the end of spring I'll be graduating with an Art History degree from the University of California at Davis. I've also been admitted to UC Berkeley's IN[ARCH] Summer Institute at the College of Environmental Design.
I've been looking at a Masters in Arch, however, they seem highly competitive and many of them I do not qualify for because I didn't take advanced math courses. Could a Masters in Design be an option?
Basically, I'm wondering can I still pursue this passion?
Hey, so I was just browsing this site when I noticed your question—I actually quickly created an account simply to respond to you. First, I'm sure that there are many individuals on archinect that will be much more informed than I about what options are available for someone in your position. However, I would argue that you might find it prudent to simply revisit this question after you complete Berkeley's summer program. This way, you can make a more informed decision about whether you want to take the time and effort necessary to pursue an M.arch.
I wouldn't be too concerned about the various prerequisites for most programs (e.g. calculus and physics), as these can generally be satisfied at any college, junior or otherwise. Again, attending the summer session will be a wonderful opportunity to more fully assess this question: you may develop an absolute love for architecture, and therefore find the modest hurdles involved with entry to be trivial, or conversely, you might decide that the field simply is not to your liking. Of course, much of this depends on what sort of career ambitions you might have. Figure out where you want to end up, and work backwards from there.
(By the way, I met you in Sadler's office—hence, why I decided to respond to your question.)
With that said, while I'm sure that you can find some worthwhile advice on this forum, if you ever want to have a quick chat on campus, let me know.
I won't get into whether you should attend Masters or not because I think ferdasyn has answered it. However, I'm sure its possible depending on what exactly you want to do in this profession. Do you want to be involved directly with design or other aspects of a project like management, consultation etc? I don't personally know anyone who works on designing projects without an architectural education but it is possible if you can prove you have what it takes with your work. Employees will want to see proof of your work and design abilities. Which school you attended or whether you went to school for architecture comes secondary to what work you can produce I think. A classmate of mine had a co-worker with no architectural background but was a graphic designer instead. However, she was heavily involved in design of facades etc at an early stage because she had a good eye.
There are architects around the world who did not have an architecture education, most notably, Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier and the most recently the Pritzker prize winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando. All are self-taught architects, educated themselves by reading books, traveling the world to experience architecture and most importantly practicing architecture. I'm sure anyone could do it if they have the passion and drive. It will be much tougher but anything is possible. :)
Alternate paths to license in the various states should be clearly spelled out. Maybe the AIA or NCARB could do this between trips to the bank to deposit members' fees?
Here is a useful link:
http://www.ncarb.org/en/Getting-an-Initial-License/Registration-Board-Requirements.aspx
There are 15 states you can get licensed in without a professional degree. Those states are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington State, and Wisconsin.
Some states, like my home state of Tennessee, have residency requirements. Others, like California, require an extra portion of the ARE. I suggest you do your research: visit the linked website above to start. Once you have an idea of where you want to be licensed, check out that state's website. Once again, the NCARB link I gave you above will assist in finding those URLs. I should mention, you can not get NCARB certified with out a professional degree. But those 15 states listed above will allow you to practice and stamp drawings and give you the title of, "Architects."
I do not have a M Arch. either. So I will be pursuing a license in my home state and I will try expand from there, by applying to other states that have minimum requirements. I am a big believer in not dumping money I do not have into another degree. I may go back some for my M Arch. some time later; but not now.
The B.Arch professional degree is the same thing as the M.Arch professional degree, only it takes one less year to acquire. I always recommend going that route, since an M.Arch as a professional degree is more expensive and time-consuming for no marginal gain. Only get an M.Arch as a post-professional specialization, and even then it's generally a bad idea unless you intend to teach.
As noted above, there are some states that still have a non-NAAB degree path to licensure. You could try to do that.
And there are plenty of firms that hire non-professional-degreed designers because they've got talent. Architecture is one of the few professions left that has not been completely wrecked by credentialism. If you've got a great portfolio, you will get hired no matter what your educational background might be. Talent and skill trump everything else. We had a Senior Designer for many years who had no architectural background at all and as I remember never completed any higher-ed degree (dropped out). But he is one of the most talented designers I've ever met, and has never had trouble finding work.
first of all , go through the program and see if you can handle the work and really like architecture,
2. keep in mind that since its only a summer program, it's only a small glimpse of what the entire program can be. Doing the summer is great tho, it gets you acquainted with the software, ideas/concepts, architectural vernacular and all the fluff.
if you like it, go to city college or something and fullfill those math requirements. math may seen like a nightmare for people, but if you really like the summer program/architecture lifestyle, then work your ass for it.
Could a master of design be an option? not really.
if it were up to me, I would save the money and just work for a firm. your experience working with a firm for x amount of years will probably trump a "master of design" degree. personal opinion though. if you want to do architecture, get a master of architecture.