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NAAB accredited undergrad/grad vs. non-NAAB accredited undergrad/grad

marykanne99

i'm inquiring about transferring to a NAAB accredited undergrad atm  - but i already transferred once (from a non-NAAB accredited school to a non-NAAB accredited school), and i do not intend to graduate later than May 2021. so theres the issue of portfolio development, not knowing if i have enough architecture credits/courses to transfer to the NAAB school, the NAAB school being more expensive, etc.

there are only some (feasible) graduate schools that accept non-NAAB undergrad degrees, but those are mostly more expensive. would it be fine to join NCARB, spend money on a record and AXP, and try to find an internship after undergrad graduation, instead of earning a grad degree? is either path - NAAB accredited grad/undergrad degree. vs non-NAAB accredited grad/undergrad looked on more preferably when starting a career? 

 
Nov 5, 19 11:18 pm
Bloopox

Without an NAAB degree you're more limited in which states you can initially be licensed in.  There are 13 states that have initial licensing routes for people without an NAAB degree.  There is also an NCARB certificate route that allows you, AFTER you've gotten licensed in one of those 13 states, to then work for several more years and develop a professional portfolio, and then apply for an NCARB certificate that will make you eligible for reciprocity in almost all of the other states - but that's a many-year route, the portfolio reviews take more than a year on average, the application fees cost thousands of dollars, and while the requirements and procedures for that route have changed recently, historically fewer than 30% of applicants for that type of NCARB certificate are successful in getting the certificate.

Most universities that have an M.Arch program do offer a track for people without an undergrad NAAB degree.  It's a "first professional" M.Arch, rather than a "post-professional" M.Arch, and there are at least 100 schools in the US that offer it.  In fact the vast majority of people who get an M.Arch don't have an undergrad NAAB degree.  A first-professional M.Arch typically takes 2.5 to 3.5 years, depending on the school, while a post-pro M.Arch is usually 1 to 2 years.

Personally I wouldn't recommend transferring a second time as an undergrad.  You'll usually end up spending more time/money that way.  At this point you're probably better off finishing your current non-accredited degree, then perhaps taking some time off to work in the field and develop a portfolio, and then, assuming architecture is still what you want to do, apply to M.Arch programs.

In any case, you should start your NCARB record as soon as you're working in the profession, so that you can start to record your experience.

Nov 6, 19 9:32 am  · 
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