Archinect - No Master

#5 A NEW new school? part 2

2013-04-18T18:11:00-04:00

The last post was an excerpted a history of SCI-arc as an example of how small and seemingly impossible movements can become very successful. No hubris here, no expectation that No Master would become such a great success. The example was offered up to demonstrate that the status quo does change and does so by increments and from outside the established practice.

SCI-arc started with the intention to “narrow the gap between student and teacher.” Similarly, No Master’s concept is for a peer driven process, students must be not just students but must also take on the role of teacher. That’s not going to be easy, but it is an approach born not just from necessity, but out of an ideal that echoes the idealism of the SCI-arc origins.

SCI-arc, at its start, was an example of the “college without walls” approach, moving education out of the university and into the city itself. No Master also looks to pull education out of the university. But rather than going into the common s...

#4 A NEW new school? part 1

2013-04-15T14:48:00-04:00

In one of the recent post discussions for No Master, SCI-arc was brought up as a model for what No Master is trying to do. I was glad for the mention since I was already aware of the history and had found some hope in their success starting with a radical model, starting from nothing.

The No Master concept has several interesting parallels with the original intentions of SCI-arc and I think it worthwhile to post a bit of SCI-arc history here for that reason. Maybe a bit immodest on behalf of No Master which isn’t even a full fledged idea yet, let alone functioning, but, as I said, the comparison offers some hope.

SCI-arc (Southern California Institute of Architecture) is celebrating its 40th anniversary this week so it seems even more appropriate to post this history now.

The following is excerpted from KCRW’s Design & Architecture Blog, “SCI-Arc at Forty: The Original “Alternative” Architecture School” Posted August 17, 2012 by Frances Anderton:

It has been a monumenta...

#3 Money, money, money.

2013-04-05T19:50:00-04:00

A short post to bolster the argument for the No Master alternative. Money, money, money.

The overall average state tuition and fees for a master’s in architecture is close to $20,000 a year according to a 2010-11 report prepared by DesignIntelligence. (www.di.net/news/tuition/). And you can spend a whole lot more depending on the school.

Forbes listed a Master’s degree in architecture in their top 10 worst master’s degrees to get based on salary and employment. (06-08-12).
www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2012/06/08/the-best-and-worst-masters-degrees-for-jobs-2/

And, finally, total college debt is hovering around one trillion, and the unemployment rate for recent architecture grads is just under 14%. (any number of sources – google it).

None of this is news to anyone in our line of work, but it’s not just a recitation of depressing news we’ve heard before, it’s an indictment of a system that is not meeting some pretty fundamental social expectations. Unles...

#2 MOOCs and more

2013-03-30T15:44:00-04:00

I wrote in the first posting about what I hoped No Master might be. I'd be very happy if it could, at least, be the online study group, a loose confederation of like minded architects looking to learn and grow.

But, I do think it could be much more than that, too. At its best, I like to imagine it becoming a new avenue for gaining knowledge and skills not just for one's personal fulfillment but acknowledged in the professional and academic worlds as "value." As one of the blog posters put it the "coinage" of our professional standing.

How can I justify this? I don't know that I would have tried even a year ago when I first had the idea. But now I've learned of many exciting organizations taking education to a new place based on online innovations such as MOOCs.

A MOOC is a "massive open online class" and many universities are now offering them. They are free online classes with access to the video taped lectures, the lecture notes, and course syllabus. They are massive be...

#1 No Master - "Master Degree" - No School

2013-03-27T12:15:00-04:00

No Master is a concept for a peer driven study program aiming to capture the benefits gained from an accredited master’s program without the accredited school program. Aimed at working architects (or given these economic times – not currently working) and design professionals who wish to develop their professional growth.

Why “No Master?” A play on words and ideas:

the obvious, architects without a master’s degree.
also fairly obvious, since there is no school or teachers but a peer review process, there are no masters, just students as equals.
archi – tect, “master builder.” A stretch, but just go with it.
Ronin – “master-less samurai” also used In Japan as a term for a secondary school graduate who has not yet been admitted to university also “socially adrift.” – etymology “wave man” That’s the cool one.

The initial concept is to create the No Master program by doing. Hopefully a handful of qualified participants (at least) will be involved at a si...