Hi Christian,

Pursuing a minor degree should be looked at as a means of personal growth and development. That being said, in the eyes of most architecture firm hiring managers a minor degree is not overly beneficial for an applicant.  I would recommend focusing on your Architecture major to build a portfolio of strong projects and thorough coursework.

Good luck!

Brandon

thearchitectsguide.com

If you are intelligent and motivated to get an edumacation (enough to be wondering what you ought to minor in), I'd recommend majoring in engineering.

Drop the architecture.  Don't even minor in it.

In my experience, unless you are attending a school with brand name recognition, the only thing that is important to an arch firm employer is to have a positive attitude in spite of being paid crap money for a slave's effort along with a decent capacity for endless CAD/ BIM monkeying.  In fact, don't act too educated or intelligent or particularly motivated, it will specifically get you unhired.

Best you can hope for in architecture is fly below the radar in school and until you are licensed by acting stoopid.  Once you are licensed, though, there are opportunities that open up.  Its averaging about 7-10 years brute effort of going along with stoopid to get along post graduation to get licensed though.

The profession is in dire straights right now.  It doesn't seem to value architecture grads.  Much less the particularly bright, motivated and educated.  Can't blame the profession itself too much though, as the schools are very much out of touch with the day to day requirements/ skills of architecture in practice.  The schools are filling graduates' heads with not much more than a proclivity for spewing verbal nonsense and some software experience.  Which is less than useful in practice.  Except for the computer skillz.

re: the computer skillz: which, by the way, any ITT tech grad or grad from any high school with a few drafting classes can do (the prisons even have programs to teach felons CAD/ BIM skillz so they can 'help' the supply-demand curve of the pool of available drafters once they 'graduate' from prison)

Seriously, though, if you are stuck on architecture, I'd say minor in business for your own edification post licensure.

GK, some people might get their feelings hurt by all the negativity you spew. More talk of doughnuts, unicorns, bourbon, and sexy shoes, m'k?

Although there is sum merit burried in GK's plethera of cynical post; its not all a nightmare. But to your OP; I wud definitely suggest a minor in sum other field of interest. I actually did minors in economics, art, & comm. bt for me i knew that i wanted at sum point in my career i will have my own company, get involved in local govrnment, & exponentialy increase my opportunites & network by improving on communicating with all plp. & so far im very happy i made da decision to do it. The art minor jus padded the resume & helps with more creativity in design.

Hope this small rant helps; I wish u da best

Thank you everyone for your opinion and suggestions. 

I suggest getting a minor in civil engineering due to there close relationship. I also suggest if your university allows up to two minors to consider getting a minor in management.

It depends how good looking they are.

I would recommend the business minor, as this will help you understand clients and people other than architects when you get into practice.  The network of contacts you can make in your classes outside of architecture are also valuable and can help in your career.  If I were to look for something closely related to architecture I would focus your minor in real-estate financing and learn how our work is financed and regulated as a commodity, this can help you communicate with clients and understand their motives and situation better than someone who has limited exposure outside of design, engineering and construction. Most if not all of your clients will be outside of the architecture, design, engineering and construction fields, getting to know a little how these folks think and work can be helpful if you want to be your own boss someday which means you need to land clients who themselves are not architects or engineers.

Also having non studio classes can help balance the workload if taking a minor adds a year to your studies and may end up enabling you to do better work in both fields then take the extra year.

I hope this helps.

Over and OUT

Peter N