Oregon has an urban campus with Architecture Department in Portland. I know someone who attended and he turned out some great work and loved it there.
Michigan is probably the best on this list, however, it's important to consider the city as a part of the learning experience. Seattle and Minneapolis probably win out from that standpoint.
m go blue - i don't think you get to study architecture at UMICH until you're in your 3rd year? i don't know, i didn't go there. . . somebody correct me. unless it has changed, i think you have to enroll in their literature, sciences, and arts program first and then apply to the architecture school after a certain amt. of credit hours.
to me this is ideal since you get to learn universal stuff at one of the largest universities in the nation offering very good courses at a good price. you may find in your first year of studying that you might not want to do architecture, but instead mathematics or something. . . so you have an out before you really decide. i'm guessing you're trying to select a school for undergrad - seek out your interests in college for a few years before devoting yourself to one discipline/major - especially architecture. if i were to go back, i wish i studied general subjects to find inspiration or interest to help determine what i would be interested in studying after a year or so. . . that's a way i would approach going to college, hence umich's flexibility for persuing their architecture degree.
. . .plus the parties at a2 are so much fun. football games there are fun, i hung out with my bro everyweekend when he went there. it's a tough school, but they sure know when and how to party.
Right on, doZer. They call it a 2+2+2 program, that is, you spend 2 years studying physics, math, literature, American culture, art history, film, archaeology, pre-studio courses, whatever, in the LS+A department and then apply and transfer to the undergrad arch program.
I actually thought I wouldn't like the system going into it (because I wanted to get my hands dirty right away), but it was really worth it in the end. UMich really changed my perception of what architecture can be.
the two year master program is somewhat inflexible, i.e., you have to get through 60 credits in two years and you don't have many opportunities for electives. also, the still relatively recent required master's thesis program can be a pain in the ass, i.e., the faculty seem intent on just herding through 80 thesis projects.
moreove, watch out the the 3+ students who seem to be universally coddled by the school. they will have already been on campus for a year and half thus allowing them to form a rather tight clique, lock up a bunch of graduate student instructor positions, and generally have their egos and delusions stroked beyond all reality. most of them will have only been studying architecture for 18 months (with no work experience) when their program dovetails with the 2 year program and needless to say the have a limited understanding of the multi-faceted discipline of architecture.
lastly, i hope that if you end up in ann arbor that you are a genius since the place already has enough booger-eating morons there. having said all of that...
it's great...
...to be...
...a michigan...
...wolverine!
go blue
isn't that true for all of their students? not just in architecture? i have met some very very snobby people from uofm - and yes, my brother is a fucking asshole since he's from umich too. i don't know what it is with them. . .
sorry to have thought that you were seeking an undergrad degree "arch to be." i know udmercy is starting a community develpoment program primarily focusing on "green tech." maybe you can strut your stuff there and add to the program at the same time learning about architecture. . . just a thought.
i am not very familiar with the ud-mercy program, but it might be better for the student interested in detroit. the ever-prescient university of michigan, it should be noted, abandoned detroit back in the 1830s, thus contributing to the infrastructure that has left south east michigan a sprawling mess with a wasteland city center. apparently to atone for this, u-m has recently launched a small satellite program to be located in downtown detroit, part of its emphasis will be architecture.
to be fair, i should add some of the positives regarding the umich march program. one: tcaup is a pretty well-endowed school (as far as public architecture programs in the u.s. are concerned). this accounts for top-rate facilities, and some pretty generous sums of money passed out for award-winning student work (j may have disparaged some of those undergrad portfolios, but i believe that this year's 1st prize for the willeke portfolio competition was upwards of $10k). two: it has a large alumni base and thus many connections which allow the university to have an international reach. three: it is a large university with many other highly respected programs. leverage this by finding an ambitious mba, law student, m.d., or whatever with like minded interests to either contribute to your thesis work or become your sugar daddy/mommy. three: many of the architecture classes have been offering travel opportunities in recent years as well, often international, and often with financial subsidy from the school.
Wasnt detroit mercy on the worst school list from some other thread? While I agree that umich can be a bit pretentious I think it does a decent job of backing it up, and generally speaking I think that its a pretty friendly place to be...
the reason i brought up udmercy is because it is offering a masters degree associated with architecture with focus on environmental studies. . . since "arch to be" has a B.A. in environmental stuff. i have no knowledge of what other programs are like, but thought that perhaps "arch to be" could add something to the program since he has been routed in a discipline beneficial for the practice of architecture/community development - not necessarily to carry an agenda for communities in Detroit, but using the condition as a testing ground for a thesis since it's an emerging paradigm. i hope we're not leading "arch to be" in a direction for an architecture education strictly by "reputation," that is rediculous.
I don't know if Umich would provide the freedom to take on an environmental discourse with architecture with their prescribed nature of schooling their students the "uofm way." Somebody correct me on this. . . i've got to take a shit.
j, i gotta disagree with your assessment of the mich undergrad program. i feel that it's students are probably stronger than those in the grad programs. admittedly, 2/3 of my undergrad classmates probably chose careers other than architecture but of those who did move on to grad school, many went to the likes of harvard, yale, princeton, columbia, berkeley, etc. for an 18 year old student with ambition, michigan can definitely be used as a stepping stone in the hierarchy of this profession.
as for ud-mercy, i don't know that it would rank as one of the worst schools (although i would definitely put lawrence tech on that list), and although they seemed to be committed to detroit and improving detroit, i haven't heard much about any successes with those efforts (wether this is because of them or the city itself, i don't know). nonetheless, it is nice the they care and have committed to the city. michigan, for all its talk, is kind of like the jackass who preaches about how you have to change your life and then he hopes into his fancy suv before heading out to the suburbs. i wish tcaup was more aggressive in detroit, in fact, i wish it would move to detroit. an active engagement with the city on a 24 hour basis would certainly give the program edge.
arch to be, sorry if much of this is irrelevant to you, but hopefully you have gained some insight on ann arbor, u-m, and its relationship with detroit.
for those of you that did attend umich, I'm curious if there is any focus put on sustainable design there. I know most believe you need to learn architecture first and then later incoporate sustainability; however, it's a science that's becoming more indepth by the day, and I feel i'd benefit most by having a school that recognizes this.
arch...there is, but you have to find it, its not like oregon who pretends to be the enviro experts and doesnt really measure up
(I have heard this from Uof O faculty who are really not happy there)
The ET people are very respected in there field but more scientest than architects, so their social and teaching skills lean more to that side of the line. You can learn tone or nothing, generally people dont like the ET classes.
Puddles...I disagree with you too...granted the program was different when you were a UG, but the average UG now is not nearly as commited to the program as other UG schools and the lack of studio makes leaves a student going straight through pretty nieve...
i agree. i reviewed student applications for grad school with j and i'd say umich portfolios weren't the best we saw. intellectually they may be ahead of their game, but many of the design projects are behind. a lot of umich students go on to the ivys partly because there are just so many students. its a huge school, and while there are a lot of great kids, i think its more a result of the shear mass of students than that they are great overall. i knew umich grads in grad school who could hardly build a model even at a second year level. granted this isn't all across the board. plus, michigan just has a big name for itself that the ivy schools respect. i feel like ug would be better at michigan if pre-architecture was more of a serious program. i like the cardboard chairs, but i'd rather see real design projects.
you might have a point about the ug's not being as good as they were in my day...we'll call it the "bill bricken effect" and leave it at that
arch to be-
as for the sustainable design stuff, you could probably delve into that at michigan if you like, but it is not something that really permeates the place. as i have said before, the two year m.arch program is pretty packed so take a careful look at your electives before going in order to maximize your exposure to classes that interest you.
you also have the opportunity of doing your thesis project on a sustainability issue. i am not sure who in the department would specifically be worth contacting regarding this stuff (since the generally young faculty seems to changeover rather quickly), but i would get a hold of the school after you have been accepted and try to talk with someone about how best to get the most out of your two years in ann arbor. it can be a good school for pro-active students, plan the work and then work the plan.
seattle, ann arbor, austin, eugene, minneapolis?
Any advice or insight on the arch schools in these areas?
U Wash, U Mich, UT-Austin, ?, U Minn.
3rd pick, 1st pick, 2nd pic, 5th pick, 4th pick
Follow Minneapolis thread for more on that.
Oregon has an urban campus with Architecture Department in Portland. I know someone who attended and he turned out some great work and loved it there.
Michigan is probably the best on this list, however, it's important to consider the city as a part of the learning experience. Seattle and Minneapolis probably win out from that standpoint.
Austin is a great college town but lacks any real architectural energy.
I was going to apply to a lot of those schools, but UOregon was thoroughly shit on by archinect users that I decided it wasn't worth the risk.
m go blue - i don't think you get to study architecture at UMICH until you're in your 3rd year? i don't know, i didn't go there. . . somebody correct me. unless it has changed, i think you have to enroll in their literature, sciences, and arts program first and then apply to the architecture school after a certain amt. of credit hours.
to me this is ideal since you get to learn universal stuff at one of the largest universities in the nation offering very good courses at a good price. you may find in your first year of studying that you might not want to do architecture, but instead mathematics or something. . . so you have an out before you really decide. i'm guessing you're trying to select a school for undergrad - seek out your interests in college for a few years before devoting yourself to one discipline/major - especially architecture. if i were to go back, i wish i studied general subjects to find inspiration or interest to help determine what i would be interested in studying after a year or so. . . that's a way i would approach going to college, hence umich's flexibility for persuing their architecture degree.
. . .plus the parties at a2 are so much fun. football games there are fun, i hung out with my bro everyweekend when he went there. it's a tough school, but they sure know when and how to party.
Right on, doZer. They call it a 2+2+2 program, that is, you spend 2 years studying physics, math, literature, American culture, art history, film, archaeology, pre-studio courses, whatever, in the LS+A department and then apply and transfer to the undergrad arch program.
I actually thought I wouldn't like the system going into it (because I wanted to get my hands dirty right away), but it was really worth it in the end. UMich really changed my perception of what architecture can be.
And Ann Arbor isn't bad either.
I'm actually looking to go for my M.Arch... I already have my B.A. in Environmental Studies.
Any idea how the Masters program is?
regarding the m.arch. program at michigan...
the two year master program is somewhat inflexible, i.e., you have to get through 60 credits in two years and you don't have many opportunities for electives. also, the still relatively recent required master's thesis program can be a pain in the ass, i.e., the faculty seem intent on just herding through 80 thesis projects.
moreove, watch out the the 3+ students who seem to be universally coddled by the school. they will have already been on campus for a year and half thus allowing them to form a rather tight clique, lock up a bunch of graduate student instructor positions, and generally have their egos and delusions stroked beyond all reality. most of them will have only been studying architecture for 18 months (with no work experience) when their program dovetails with the 2 year program and needless to say the have a limited understanding of the multi-faceted discipline of architecture.
lastly, i hope that if you end up in ann arbor that you are a genius since the place already has enough booger-eating morons there. having said all of that...
it's great...
...to be...
...a michigan...
...wolverine!
go blue
isn't that true for all of their students? not just in architecture? i have met some very very snobby people from uofm - and yes, my brother is a fucking asshole since he's from umich too. i don't know what it is with them. . .
sorry to have thought that you were seeking an undergrad degree "arch to be." i know udmercy is starting a community develpoment program primarily focusing on "green tech." maybe you can strut your stuff there and add to the program at the same time learning about architecture. . . just a thought.
http://www.udmercy.edu/news_events/news.php?id=1115751848974
detroit aint no ann arbor, but i think that if your goals are set in the same mix of the faculty and students there - you could be a perfect fit.
i am not very familiar with the ud-mercy program, but it might be better for the student interested in detroit. the ever-prescient university of michigan, it should be noted, abandoned detroit back in the 1830s, thus contributing to the infrastructure that has left south east michigan a sprawling mess with a wasteland city center. apparently to atone for this, u-m has recently launched a small satellite program to be located in downtown detroit, part of its emphasis will be architecture.
to be fair, i should add some of the positives regarding the umich march program. one: tcaup is a pretty well-endowed school (as far as public architecture programs in the u.s. are concerned). this accounts for top-rate facilities, and some pretty generous sums of money passed out for award-winning student work (j may have disparaged some of those undergrad portfolios, but i believe that this year's 1st prize for the willeke portfolio competition was upwards of $10k). two: it has a large alumni base and thus many connections which allow the university to have an international reach. three: it is a large university with many other highly respected programs. leverage this by finding an ambitious mba, law student, m.d., or whatever with like minded interests to either contribute to your thesis work or become your sugar daddy/mommy. three: many of the architecture classes have been offering travel opportunities in recent years as well, often international, and often with financial subsidy from the school.
hey j your on that list
so p, office hours at the arena on saturday?
j i don't get it. every since you've gotten back to georgia you seemed to be ashamed to be a wolverine. to hell with georgia.
Wasnt detroit mercy on the worst school list from some other thread? While I agree that umich can be a bit pretentious I think it does a decent job of backing it up, and generally speaking I think that its a pretty friendly place to be...
the reason i brought up udmercy is because it is offering a masters degree associated with architecture with focus on environmental studies. . . since "arch to be" has a B.A. in environmental stuff. i have no knowledge of what other programs are like, but thought that perhaps "arch to be" could add something to the program since he has been routed in a discipline beneficial for the practice of architecture/community development - not necessarily to carry an agenda for communities in Detroit, but using the condition as a testing ground for a thesis since it's an emerging paradigm. i hope we're not leading "arch to be" in a direction for an architecture education strictly by "reputation," that is rediculous.
I don't know if Umich would provide the freedom to take on an environmental discourse with architecture with their prescribed nature of schooling their students the "uofm way." Somebody correct me on this. . . i've got to take a shit.
j, i gotta disagree with your assessment of the mich undergrad program. i feel that it's students are probably stronger than those in the grad programs. admittedly, 2/3 of my undergrad classmates probably chose careers other than architecture but of those who did move on to grad school, many went to the likes of harvard, yale, princeton, columbia, berkeley, etc. for an 18 year old student with ambition, michigan can definitely be used as a stepping stone in the hierarchy of this profession.
as for ud-mercy, i don't know that it would rank as one of the worst schools (although i would definitely put lawrence tech on that list), and although they seemed to be committed to detroit and improving detroit, i haven't heard much about any successes with those efforts (wether this is because of them or the city itself, i don't know). nonetheless, it is nice the they care and have committed to the city. michigan, for all its talk, is kind of like the jackass who preaches about how you have to change your life and then he hopes into his fancy suv before heading out to the suburbs. i wish tcaup was more aggressive in detroit, in fact, i wish it would move to detroit. an active engagement with the city on a 24 hour basis would certainly give the program edge.
arch to be, sorry if much of this is irrelevant to you, but hopefully you have gained some insight on ann arbor, u-m, and its relationship with detroit.
for those of you that did attend umich, I'm curious if there is any focus put on sustainable design there. I know most believe you need to learn architecture first and then later incoporate sustainability; however, it's a science that's becoming more indepth by the day, and I feel i'd benefit most by having a school that recognizes this.
arch...there is, but you have to find it, its not like oregon who pretends to be the enviro experts and doesnt really measure up
(I have heard this from Uof O faculty who are really not happy there)
The ET people are very respected in there field but more scientest than architects, so their social and teaching skills lean more to that side of the line. You can learn tone or nothing, generally people dont like the ET classes.
Puddles...I disagree with you too...granted the program was different when you were a UG, but the average UG now is not nearly as commited to the program as other UG schools and the lack of studio makes leaves a student going straight through pretty nieve...
i agree. i reviewed student applications for grad school with j and i'd say umich portfolios weren't the best we saw. intellectually they may be ahead of their game, but many of the design projects are behind. a lot of umich students go on to the ivys partly because there are just so many students. its a huge school, and while there are a lot of great kids, i think its more a result of the shear mass of students than that they are great overall. i knew umich grads in grad school who could hardly build a model even at a second year level. granted this isn't all across the board. plus, michigan just has a big name for itself that the ivy schools respect. i feel like ug would be better at michigan if pre-architecture was more of a serious program. i like the cardboard chairs, but i'd rather see real design projects.
although i think michigan is a good school and you should go there.
what about uw seattle or um minnesota?
le bossman, j, caffeinejunkie-
you might have a point about the ug's not being as good as they were in my day...we'll call it the "bill bricken effect" and leave it at that
arch to be-
as for the sustainable design stuff, you could probably delve into that at michigan if you like, but it is not something that really permeates the place. as i have said before, the two year m.arch program is pretty packed so take a careful look at your electives before going in order to maximize your exposure to classes that interest you.
you also have the opportunity of doing your thesis project on a sustainability issue. i am not sure who in the department would specifically be worth contacting regarding this stuff (since the generally young faculty seems to changeover rather quickly), but i would get a hold of the school after you have been accepted and try to talk with someone about how best to get the most out of your two years in ann arbor. it can be a good school for pro-active students, plan the work and then work the plan.
Just a note the UG program is going to a 2.5 or 3 year program in the next year or so...a possitive change if you ask me
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