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Starting salaries for MDes graduates from Harvard GSD and value of this program

Emma3

Hi everyone,

What are the starting salaries for MDes graduates from Harvard GSD and what is the value of this program ?

 
Apr 10, 21 5:30 pm
atelier nobody

I would be unlikely to offer you any more than I would with just your BArch.

Apr 10, 21 8:04 pm  · 
3  · 
bowling_ball

I wouldn't offer you a dollar more, because your production skills, code knowledge, and construction experience likely aren't any better than if you came from any other school. 

Apr 10, 21 8:25 pm  · 
4  · 
natematt

I think most post-professional architecture degrees have at best a slight advantage over just a professional degree, though it seems like it's probably less likely to get you more pay than maybe an employment advantage. If firms are looking to pay x amount max, that's what they are going to pay based largely on your portfolio and experience. 

Where something like that, and again any post-professional degree, may have a pay advantage is if you're studying something specialized and then you pursue that as an employment path. Likely not going to be that much of a pay bump from that either though, unless you learn do do something really unique and valuable to the people you are getting employed by. 

Apr 10, 21 9:32 pm  · 
2  · 
visa

No value whatsoever when you already have a BArch especially spending so much on a post-professional architecture degree and a degree in "design studies". 

Apr 11, 21 1:22 am  · 
2  · 
ae_0

Pay is almost always proportional to years of professional experience, and possession of particular expertise applied in profession.


Apr 12, 21 10:19 am  · 
 · 
The_Crow

No better pay, just more interesting work usually. 

Apr 12, 21 10:43 am  · 
1  · 
monosierra

The focus of the MDes programs vary wildly back when they were broadly categorized into their respective areas of expertise: The MDes tech folks would tend to make more than the theory/curatorial people naturally, given their prospective industries. Uber pays more than your local arch theory department after all.

Now that the MDes programs have been reclassified into Ecologies, Narratives, Mediums, Publics, I'm not sure what on earth are students getting out of their degrees.

Apr 12, 21 10:51 am  · 
 · 

Sorry to say but you're not going to be paid much more than someone with a degree from a state school with an accredited program.  You'll maybe get a few thousand more.  

Apr 12, 21 10:58 am  · 
2  · 
archinet

Probably not paid more- perhaps gives you opportunities for work outside of architecture that is somewhat related to arch. 

Apr 12, 21 11:07 am  · 
2  · 
archanonymous

I'll second this - there is no pay premium. Perhaps you can work at a a firm with higher quality work, though the pay could very well be worse there.

Apr 12, 21 11:31 am  · 
1  · 
nastronaut

The post-pro programs really are about learning, and a transition into academia if you only have a BArch. But if you want to make money, you'd have a higher salary working for those two years and maybe moving jobs after then you would getting an MDes degree

Apr 12, 21 11:45 am  · 
1  · 
Jay1122

The post professional degrees are for the ivy league names. You are just doing the same old studio stuff. Not gonna learn much when you can't even do a stair detail at that stage of your career. Just a few more fancy sketches based on imaginary "research/thesis". The post professional degree definitely will give you an edge, not in terms of pay increase, but in terms of cutting your competitor and getting into a better firm. But even if you got into those starchitect firms. You will probably be doing diagrams and shaving foam models. Whether it is worthy depends on your desire for ivy name and how much debt.

Apr 12, 21 12:36 pm  · 
1  · 

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