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MArch or MUP?

decisionss

Hi everyone,


I have a dilemma regarding my career at this point. I hope you guys will advise me and help me make a decision.

I am graduating from MIT architecture program with a bachelor of science, and now I am admitted to GSD MArch 1 program.

I am an international student from a developing country, and 3.5 years of architecture at GSD is really gonna affect my finance and career. Instead, I was wondering if I can switch to Master's of Urban Planning (it's only 2 years). I am interested in both fields and I feel like I can make much more impact back home with MUP degree. I would like to pursue both Architecture and Urban Planning when I return back home. 

Do you think I should try to switch my major? If so, does anyone know if it's possible at Harvard? Or anyone did it before?

I hope you won't make fun of my thread, this is a very serious issue for me now, and hopefully your honest thoughts will help me make a decision. 

 
Mar 9, 12 1:17 am
byen01

I'd give the GSD a call to ask them about department switching, but I'd suspect that they'd make you wait until the admitted MUP students have mailed in their acceptances. Planning and architecture, while related, are rather different beasts. I was considering an MUP prior to settling on an MLA, mainly because I didn't want to deal solely with policy. While attending the APA conference when it was in Boston, I talked to quite a few urban planning firms and was told that, unless you have a B.Arch or M.Arch, it's actually rather hard to hold on to a job that emphasizes both design and urban planning. Again, just what I've heard, so I could be wrong about this. I would think that it's easier for one with an M.Arch to get into the urban planning field than vice versa.

One benefit of the GSD is that during your 2nd year of the MUP, you can take option studios in Arch/UD, so you would be getting dual exposure.

Mar 9, 12 1:40 am  · 
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Emini

From what developing country are you ??????? Because developing countries need more urban planner than architects ...

Mar 9, 12 8:26 am  · 
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Spackle

I  work with a bunch of folks who did an MUP from Berkeley, UNC, MIT, GSD... Interns are always asking about what masters they should get and from where and the response is pretty much unanimous...a masters in planning just isn't that great of a degree because of a lack of specialization.  If you're interested in writing papers and doing research, go for it.

Given you're architecture background, you probably don't need any more skills or education to make you a planner. If education is what you are after, I suggest doing a one year MUD program. Cheaper than two years of school and you will get all the planning stuff you need. 

Work experience trumps education. Although I haven't always followed that advise.

Good luck!

Mar 9, 12 10:12 am  · 
 · 
oldstonebank

Kazachstan

Mar 9, 12 10:12 am  · 
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decisionss

I am from Mongolia, and the country has a very poor City planning. The degree from a respected university makes a huge difference back home. And plus I can get more scholarship from Mongolia if I am majoring in Urban Planning. 

As some of you stated, I very much believe in the work experience. Thus, I think I will work for 2-3 years in the USA in architecture firm after my studies (hopefully it'll give me more architectural experience)

I have taken few Urban planning classes and the ability to solve bigger problem  (at least back home) intrigued me. I am quite aware of the difference between the fields.

Thank you all for your advises, since I am closeby I'll stop by Harvard to inquire about the switch. I gotta feeling that it requires much more to be MArch admitted than MUP, so hopefully they'll let me do it.

Mar 12, 12 12:57 am  · 
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