At 22 I was the youngest one in my grad program - most people mid-late 20s. There were two 35+ in my studio.

thanks Archi

the 35+ers, were they Barch backgrounds or changing careers?

i started my MArch when I was 29. I was slightly older than the median in my class.

I'm 30 now (31 in Oct.) and will be starting a M.Arch 1 this fall. I also thought I was on the old side but quickly learned while applying for my degree that there are many other people my age pursuing a master's as well. I think the average age is 27-28.

I was just looking at the GSD's website, and they say the average age is 27.

Hello peace:
I was 30 when I started my grad school education at Columbia. Now at 33 (just finished this summer) I believe it would have been a mistake not to pursue my graduate education.
I did a four year undergrad in archtiecture and graphic design prior to grad school. For this reason, (and many others) it was hard to make the decision to go back to school since things were already lining up pretty nicely for me in Barcelona.
Nevertheless things are even better now. I have gained knowledge, network, and practice on things and subjects I wouldn't have if I didn't taken this path.
The result of my graduate degree from Columbia is unmeasurable. Not only I am about to embark on a business venture with my girlfriend*, but the confidence and much needed exposure to an incredible faculty has made the adventure the more exciting.
*just in case you didn’t know…yep that’s right, I met her in grad school.

finished my b.arch at 23. worked for 12 years. started my m.arch at 35.

it was a post-professional degree - so no - the 35+ were just excited to learn more about architecture.

if "peace77" has anything to do with your DOB then you are around the average age for grad school in architecture.

Do you guys think there is an age difference between the schools From the open house it seems Columbia had older students, vs those at yale seems like they were right out of undergrad.
Is that true?

Personal opinion but in my graduating class there where lots of people late 20's and 30's, some even married. Nice mix.

I'm 29 and headed to yale - at the open house i met a kid right out of undergrad who had to keep shooing away his dad, but I also met a few people who are married and have been working for a few years, it seems like a mix...

40 at cranbrook

At 24 I was the youngest one in my grad program... the rest of people are 30ish.... n believe me, you'll find urself more sure of what u want to do compare with those young guns who has not much working experience..which is going to be very benefitial to u! Go For It!

i'm 33 and headed off to school as well ... go for it

I'll be 29 this July and off to Penn this fall. Go for it Peace!

26 applying to grad schools for '06. I can't wait.

entered grad school at 36 with a degree and 15 years experience in a mostly un-related field. it took some time to get used to the younger people in studio - and acedemia in general - but in the end it was a good thing.

if you went to umich you would definetely not be alone

31..heading to ETH Zurich.

I have a follow up question for anyone who cares to chime in...

For the older ones of you, do you feel that 5-10 years of work experience helped you in grad school ? If so how ? (admissions, scholarships/ grants, work ethic, etc...)

I'm working for an undetermined time between bachelor and masters degrees and I'd like to do so in such a way as to be the best precursor to grad school. Any advice ?

norm said: "entered grad school at 36 with a degree and 15 years experience in a mostly un-related field. it took some time to get used to the younger people in studio - and acedemia in general - but in the end it was a good thing."

norm... I'm 34 and in a similar situation. I'm in an unrelated field and thinking of going for an M.Arch. It's always good to hear that there are other folks out there like me. My only fear is that I'll be nearing 40 when I'm done and the pay will be much less than I can make in my current field. Maybe my wife won't mind being my sugar momma for a few years... though I do have to wait until she's done with her PhD for that to happen. ;)

--sam

which leads us to a detour question [taking advantage of the thread]

i'm considering going for a ph.d. i'm 33, which means i would be 34 going on 35 by the time i started [fall 06]. how are ages for ph.d.'s like?

I think that if you add 4 years to the average age of Masters Degree students (27 to 28), you'll probably find you're hitting the average age of PhD students. So a rough estimate would put them at 31 to 32.

People appear to be seeing about six year swing from the average age of a Masters program 21 to 34 is common. I would suspect that a similar six year swing happens in PhD programs. So it should probably be fairly common to see 25 to 37 year olds in most PhD programs.

All of this is just conjecture... but I think you'll fit right in to a PhD program at "34 going on 35".

--sam

thenewold...
i found that real world experience helped me mostly in terms of being able to set and attain goals. you have chosen to be there - it's not just an extension of undergrad. and, if you are like me, you made big sacrifices to be there.

'too young' poses more challenges in this industry than 'too old'

aml--I'm 38, and starting a new PhD program this fall. I have a year of coursework, so I guess you could project back and say I started at age 37. Honestly, I feel young compared to some PhD students, especially the candidates that take 7 years to finish the dissertation...

thanks! that certainly quiets some doubts in that account... several other doubts to resolve but that's material for another thread...

There is a fellow in my class at UT Austin who is in his late 40's,early 50's (fully grey at any rate), he hangs with the best of us... I'd say 5-10% who enter the MArch program are over 30.
30 is a young pup.. young architects are considered those under 50..

aml ... I am backing snjr up on this one .... I'm begin my M.E.D. at Yale this Fall, and will go into a PhD program after that ... so, I am 33 now, which means that I will start my PhD at age 36-7. I'm glad I am doing this at this age ... if I would have done it earler, I would have floundered very, very badly.

I'm 27 and planning to go for a M.Arch next year.

question about registered architects pursuing a March II or PHD? have been thinking about it a couple years but have not gone forward?

Assume Cranbrook has a few, maybe some other schools or over seas?

i started grad school when i was 29 and found myself to be about the same age as my fellow m.arch 2 classmates and several years older than most of the m.arch 1 class.

38, I'll be 39 when admitted and will spend my 40th b-day in the spring semester of a first year design studio, just in time for my mid-life crisis. nice.

finished BArch at 25, worked for 6 years, started MArch at 31 at GSD...

eugen j... you're my hero. :)

--sam

thanks sam, I will cherish words like that as I sit pennyless and gray as a 40 year old grad student :)

Why go to grad school at all? When I was at SCI Arc the director of the school (Rotondi) and the director of the grad program (Mangurian) as well as the the defacto director of the undergrad program (Gary Paige) had only bachelor's degrees. Gehyr has no masters, Meirer has no masters, Ando has no degree at all.

How often are filmakers asked when submitting work whether they have a master's degree.

We live in a meritocracy where people are judged by the official hoops they jump through rather than by the qualities of their work.

Now, if you don't have a professional bachelor of architecture degree then you should go to grad school. .

benisball said... "Now, if you don't have a professional bachelor of architecture degree then you should go to grad school. ."

I don't know what the statistics are, but I'm willing to bet that most people that go to grad school are going for their first professional degree. If I go... I'll be taking my Bachelors in English along with me. ;)

My guess is that the people going for a post-professional degree are seeking the knowledge for largely academic reasons, not necessarily to make themselves more viable in the job market.

--sam

I'm sure everyone has their reasons to go. For myself, I happen to be switching careers, and my undergrad is not in architecture. I don't know the stats either, but more universities are offering the 3+MArch program accommodating individuals with other backgrounds.

I'm personally waiting until 40 to do the following:
* Give up Booze
* Give up Broads
* Give up Sugar
* Give up Cholesterol & Fat (I mean come on, you can buy bags of 'em in bulk cheap @ CostCo)

* Start M.Arch

Then, at 42, Architecture will have pushed me back onto those things I gave up, & some.

If & when I go back, it won't be to further my career - it will be to have fun. Not to party, but to go & do the crazy(er) chit that I keep getting fired for in real life.

lalato- some people go for a post professional degree so that they can expand upon their knowlege in a particular area- many go for programs known for their focus on sustainability, or don't even get an M.Arch, but go for an M.L.Arch, MUD, MUP, or similar degree instead, so that they're architecture can be further informed by them. I'm planning to go back for an MUD, because I'm interested in campus design/planning, and think that people trying to design large schools without knowledge of planning and associated theories produce shit when confronted with an urban environment.

age? don't even go there!

do it if you love it..
don't do it for any other reason

mysteryman, I like your plan.