Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)
Pratt Institute
University of Southern California (USC)
Tulane University
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Temple University
University of Oregon
Cranbrook Academy of Art
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT)
Kansas State University
How to choose a M.Arch program to apply to...
So here it is: I am applying into M.Arch 3+ programs for people with non-architecture backgrounds. I have talked to some advisors and put together my portfolio for applying to grad school and I feel like I have that taken care of. I have GRE scores of 160 verbal and 159 quant - which are pretty decent I think. My GPA at Arizona State is 3.9 right now, but might drop a little before I graduate (economics is a pretty hard major). I did take 6 years to finish my undergrad though, because i found it hard to choose a major.
Anyways, so I was planning on only applying to ASU for ease of just staying there. But a few people have told me I should really apply to other schools, so I'm trying to decide which I should apply to. University of Oregon is my dream school, so they will, of course, be getting an application. University of Arizona's M.Arch program is brand new so I'm not sure it would be prudent to go there? Other than that, I've considered UTexas maybe, but I just don't know that much about the schools and it is harder than I thought to find good sources of information about them and what each of their strengths are.
So my questions are:
1) Where can I find some good information about the different Arch schools?
2) Which schools are strong in residential architecture? I am very into residential. I think I would like a very balanced program that isn't too traditional or too modernist or anything - a school with a respected name and with strong financial aid programs that I might be competitive for.
For info on different Arch schools all you need to do is look up the websites of schools you are interested in. To narrow this down you can google the best 100 architecture schools in America for a masters and go from there. Also what state do you want to practice in? This can be important when choosing a grad school. As for residential architecture, no schools I know of actually specialize in residential or commercial. That is because architecture schools are broad so you can do many different types of architecture. If you are interested in UT then you might want to look into UT San Antonio. UT and some other high up schools require prior classes in precal, and physics. UT is also difficult. However I am currently a first year architecture student at UTSA and it is a lot less difficult than most schools. It is easy to get in, no hard math or science required, cheaper, and ranked top ten architecture graduate schools in the US by the students. Also it only takes 3 years for the MArch 3 unlike some schools where it takes longer. So if you don't mind Texas, then UTSA could be a good choice for you. If you have any other questions about grad schools or the long process to be an architect feel free to ask.
http://architecture.utsa.edu/academic-programs/department-of-architecture/m.arch.-3/
Here is a link for UTSA if you are interested.
http://architecture-schools.findthebest.com/
Here is another link to a list of architecture schools you can choose from.
Pick the ones that are cheap and/or known to give out a lot of aid. Attend the one that gives you the most money.
Many of the best schools admit people with non-architecture backgrounds because it diversifies the profession and the work produced by the school. I've seen some great examples of that, and I wouldn't let anything stop you from applying to the better schools (like the top ten instead of the top 100...
Since you seem to be on a bizarre UTSA propaganda tour of the Archinect, I'm just going to say this every time you make it necessary.
UTSA has a fucking terrible architecture program. Absolutely embarrassing, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they lose their accreditation the next time it comes around.
"It is easy to get in, no hard math or science required, cheaper, and ranked top ten architecture graduate schools in the US by the students."
Easy to get into, no doubt. I hear that to get in all you have to do is walk in through the door.
Top 10 program lolol
@justinritchey17 thanks for that link to the "findthebest.com" site! That is a lot of good information. I don't know how I didn't find that before... Maybe the name of the website looked more like spam to me or something. I'll look through that a bit.
Which schools are known to give lots of aid? That is another question of mine...
I have taken calculus 1 and 2 before, but I would need to take physics. I'm not scared though, it isn't too hard for me. I am more concerned with cost and I guess "brand recognition" after I graduate.
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