GO for it!!! Cornell is great start...

So far - at one year out- i seem to have gotten a $5k boost with the dual degrees, but that also could have been my extensive design background...

WRT would be very happy to hire you after getting an MArch. they tried really hard to recruit me for an internship while I was getting my M.LA/M.Arch at penn.

We need more dual landscrapers/architects out there to rock the world. Cornell is great start.... The dual degrees give you an advantage in dealing with sustainability issues - the best person to design a vegitated roof and dealing with other stormwater issues to start.

You may be able to get a dual march/mla in the same two years that some of the marchII programs willl require.

Marquard, I have the exact same interest as you and had asked a similar question in a past blog. I think it was titled “Arch and Landscape Arch” if you do a search.

From what I gathered some people think it is great, while others think you become the token “planter” in an Arch office or “pavilion designer” in a landscape office. I personally haven’t looked too much into what it would take, but I would assume (as treekiller stated) that it hopefully would take two years or less, depending on the program.

I question whether there is really any financial gain…maybe, but I do believe it would make you more marketable in the workplace. Regardless of whether others say it is good or bad, I am interested in both degrees simply for self-fulfillment and the desire, as you stated, to “rock the world” in a new way.

I too have been working for about 4 years in Minneapolis, so now after having gained some financial stability the thought of going back to school isn’t all that appealing. Added to this is the fact that I am married and the wife thinks the idea is simply well….dumb. Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on how you look at it) the idea has been consuming my thoughts over the past year so I have been slowly persuading her.

If anyone else has done something similar how was the transition into the workplace after school, especially if you were a licensed LA when you graduated. Did you start all over in Arch, putting LA to the side for 3 years? Dabble in both from the start? Team up with a licensed Arch and start your own multi-disciplinary firm?

Thanks!

Being the token planter or pavilion designer isn't a bad choice. You end up taking on more responsibility then the office would hand for the same level of experience and a single degree. You also get to enjoy great relationships with the consultants, since you can speak the same jargon.

The biggest issue I'm dealing with is licensure in both landscape and architecture. Getting through the IDP doesn't help get the two years that CA requires working for an LA, and LA doesn't give me all the IDP areas... Hmmm sounds like a few job changes are in my future.

My current job is for an architecture firm that does lots of planning and urban design. This is a comfy corner to play in that really does use both sides of my brain and the dual degrees really give me an edge on the hapless architects thrown into masterplanning and creating public spaces.

thanks for the input. i checked past posts as well, and is seems that having both degrees will be a great asset. Now that i have finished my MLA, and have only one section of my licensure exams left, i will be able to focus soley on architecture for the next few years.

i guess my only reservation is coming out of an MARCH program and being thrown back to entry level work. Do you guys have any thoughts on that? I'll be about 33 when i'm done with the MARCH - so going back to entry level work/pay is a bit frustrating. But if i want to get liscensed as an Arch, then i must do it - right? Or do you think i'de be able to enter a firm at a higher level? How would that work with the hours i need to be working under an Arch for licensure?

thanks

I think having both degrees would be very usefull. It's two practices that often don't have a proper discipline between one another.

But I think the most important question is absent here. What do you want to do? Are you interested in architecture to take between 2-4 years for an intense Masters program? It should be more important that you'll enjoy what you're learning and doing.

You won't be thrown back to entry level- If you can project manage a LA project then the arch firm will treat you at a similar level.... So you don't know flashing details- big woop! you can learn that, just like you picked up your plant id (detailing is easier - no piglatin to learn).

The strongest reason to go dual degrees is the desire to integrate architecture and the landscape. This can be at the scale of residential gardens and houses or at the urban/regional scale through planning. Most planners seem to only crunch numbers and not have any aethetic, spatial, or grounding in how cities work once built. being dual arch/LA provides the background to create great masterplans and places.

has a great example of a interdisciplinary practice.

Laurie Olin has an b.arch and a M.LA

more to follow...

i am actually interestedin both as well. I applied to both March and MLA programs and were accepted at both. I am now wondering which to start with. Do I startan MLA and then if I am interested in working at an urban and structure scale go on to an MArch. Or do I start with the March and then if I feel the need go on to an MLA. THe breakdown is I got into Berkeley and Pennfor MLA, and UCLA,Columbia, and Sci-Arc for March. Not sure which way to go? But I know that I am intersted in the integration of building and landscape.

A- You've gotten into some great programs... Your best choice are schools that offer concurrent dual degrees (ie berkeley and penn for arch/LA or columbia and ucla for arch/urban planning). Getting one degree and then reapplying to grad school is waste of your time and money.

Penn loves students who apply for dual degrees after they started - it means they get one more year of tuition out of you. Depending on your background, you'll be required to go through the first year in each program, before moving on to advanced studios. Luckily you'd start in landscape, which is the better of the two programs. Most people who apply from LARP get into the ARCH program (but not the otherway around).


Good luck!

A- i agree with treekiller. your better off doing both together. i finished my MLA and am now applying for MArch programs. i wish i had just done both tangentially.

go to Berkely. philly sucks. i say that as a longtime resident. i too was accepted to Upenn and turned it down to go to school elsewhere. San Fran would be fantastic for school. that said - penn is a great MLA program. but berkely is right up there as well. you really cant go wrong here - both are outstanding.