From the BAC website: "One of the most convenient benefits is that students are able to study from anywhere in the U.S., through on-line learning and regional cohorts, coming to Boston for two 10-day intensives per year..."

Marlowe, this kind of program is interesting. In what part of the country do you live? Is moving for school not an option?

Is there any other schools that offer this? Or is BAC the first of its kind?

BAC is the first to offer an M.Arch program through an online format and it is NAAB-accredited.

Although it is an online program, students are required to attend regional cohorts and they have on-campus requirements (meeting twice a year as santa monica stated). Candidates also have to be working in the profession for a minimum of one year.

wow, this is new...

but distance learning architecture?? where's the studio experience?

"studio experience" - in the firm you are working.

Well...Locally, Georgia Tech is right in my backyard so to speak BUT....

For me, taking two years to become a full time student is not a great option at this point. I managed to obtain licensure in two states (Texas and Arizona, California is pending provided I pass the oral interview) with a 4 year degree and I work for a very large established firm as a project architect.

I have established client relationships, interesting projects and what I would consider to be market competitive pay. My lifestyle has not changed much since I graduated college so I don't have pimp ride to make payments on or anything...

I would love nothing more than to have two more years of studio culture and perhaps even another study abroad. The idea of distance learning is not my ideal but the BAC program would provide me with the education requirement necessary to obtain my NCARB certificate, which would allow me to become licensed in all US states.

The BAC program seems interesting to me BUT I just am not 100% sold that working in isolation on a thesis project will yield the same results as if I was in a traditional studio environment.

SO..Not to thorw this thread off track, I'd really like to hear rants/raves about the BAC from current or former students in any degree program...

I attended some BAC summer software courses a couple years ago... I don't know much about the degree programs, but it seems like a unique program if you'd like to work and get your M.Arch degree, they have quite a few mature students who work in the field, and it's a rare opportunity to get your degree and come away with alot of practical experience. Unlike some co-op programs at other schools, they seem to have a very detailed job placement program.

There are also some interesting practical certificate courses in many different software applications... The courses I took-- 3D studio and Revit were very good, great instructorss: the 3D studio instructors worked at very good professional architectural rendering firms, and the revit instructors were architects working at autodesk testing and developing the software.

I'm not sure how the design profs are, or what kinds of theory courses there are, but it might be worth a look.

I am certain many will have things to say about BAC in general, but don't expect too much feedback regarding the new M.Arch distance program – it is only in its first year of existence :) You might want to review previous threads on this topic (or do a search on this site):

Post #1
Post #2

as long as you don't confuse this with an education, just a tooth in the cog of a bigger machine, then it seems fine. but if you have any pretensions about 'education' it won't work out. there are very good reasons that schools have faculties that must push through thtenure process. this is a crass form of commercialization on the part othe BAC. if you are looking for a piece of paper that says M.arch with your name on it, perhaps this will work.

http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue3_1/noble/

On one of the threads referenced above, LenaV wrote:

I've always believed that part time education programs don't really work for the serious student. You'll break yourself trying to balance family, jobs, and school. Regardless of how appealing or flexible the BAC may seem, my experience reflects all the negative aspects of that freedom. In addition, I feel that I'm always motivated by my peers--so while the instructors may have the young energy, the student body, to me seems a bit tired.--and as a result, that brought the morale of the class waaaaaaay down.

My thoughts exactly... I've pissed away about ten years of my life trying unsucessfully to juggle work and school. I slacked off at UIC and eventually dropped out so that I could keep my job at Perkins + Will. Later, I moved to Boston and enrolled at the BAC (but never started classes -- I lost my housing and decided to move back to Chicago), and a couple years later I moved to Philly and took a couple quarters at Drexel, which has a similar program. Throughout most of that time, I looked upon architecture school as merely a formality that would give me a piece of paper saying I could become a real architect. My main priority was staying employed and getting that full-time paycheck... School was always on the back burner.

True, after 10+ years in the business, I now have a pretty good idea of how a building gets put together, and I can pump AutoCAD better and faster than anybody else in my office. I also have a good design sensibility and even have a couple of half-decent built projects to my credit. I can even afford a pretty nice apartment right now.... But I also know that I'm capable of so much more, and that without that professional degree and the authentic studio experience it entails, I'll never be more than a glorified CAD monkey.

In retrospect, I now appreciate the things about architecture school that used to infuriate me, and I see it as a much-needed vehicle for helping students discover, channel, and articulate their creativity into built form. It's not about learning roof details or getting a piece of paper that says I can be a real architect. That's why I'm putting a lot of serious effort into finding a good M.Arch. program and getting that "real" architecture school experience, even though it means giving up my job, my apartment, my paycheck, and moving to a different city... And I'm actually looking forward to it a great deal. (See my many other Archinect postings on that topic.)

Five years ago the BAC distance learning program would have been a very tempting option for me, and I'm sure it could be a useful program for people in certain circumstances... But even though I'm sure it meets all the NAAB requirements on paper, I worry that it's missing that certain "edge" that only a full-time, real-life studio program can offer.

Just my $.02 worth... Your mileage may vary.

Marlowe -
It is definitely worth looking into. The D.M.Arch program is an excellent top notch education. As an alum of the BAC and this program, I can tell you that the folks who think this cannot be done or ask "where's the studio experience", are being naive at best. And using flames and trolls common to internet forums to bash something they know nothing about.

Overall comments -
My experience in the program was nothing short of excellent. The faculty and staff are top notch educators in the New England area. My first studio was taught by one of the lead designers in Moshe Safdie's office and I took away a very good experience.

The uniqueness of the way that this program is structured should not be confused with the commercial on line classes that you can take from just about any fly by night college. The D.MArch cannot even be compared to the BAC's own online certificate courses... apples and oranges.

The studios are structured, fully immersed, and better than a traditional studio in many ways. I have done both the traditional studio and the virtual studio and can speak from experience.

The Boston intensives are exactly that, "intense". You create bonds with your peers and are really able to feed off each other due to the short and focused time you are there. Once you leave for your home cities, you stay connected and interact via synchronous and asynchronous means. There is a tremendous amount of flexibility in this system, creating much more dialogue with your instructors than you get in a traditional setting. Your studio presentations, crits, and reviews are carried out through a variety of means. You must put together video presentations and graphics into voice threads that force you to critically edit and review your work. The work is every bit as demanding as the traditional education model. As with most things in life worth doing, you are going to get out what you are willing to put in. Work ethic and passion are key to any course of study. The student who wants to excel will do that, there are no limits.

In addition, the BAC is a concurrent education model. This is unique and different to the Yales and Harvards of the world. The program runs on two parallel paths. One is studio and thesis based, the other is professional practice. Both must be completed in order to graduate. The advantage of the concurrent model is that you are forced to critically analyze the work you do for a paycheck. Are you learning the things that you need to be a professional in this industry? There are rubrics that guide you along and help you to make those decisions.

The professional experience that both on-site and distance students of the BAC gain offers you a "leg up" on the competition for jobs. And in this economy we all need every advantage we can get. The BAC's reputation amongst architectural and design firms in the area is highly regarded. You will find many BAC alum in the most prominent and forward thinking firms.

If people are looking for a piece paper to hang on the wall, then they really should consider another avenue. This is not the place for that. The Distance M.Arch program at the Boston Architectural College is for those that wish to push themselves to achieve greater things and further their creative design skills. It embraces the technologies of the day and future, while not being mired in the trappings of closed minded thoughts about what education must be.

Personally, this program turned my thoughts about my career on their edge. I am pursuing opportunities and interests that I had never truly considered being able to accomplish.

I am a recent graduate of the Distance M.Arch program at the BAC and I would like to share some insight about my experience. I have established my career in an architecture firm, life with property ownership, and spouse. Leaving work for two years was questionable and I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go anyway. There are several schools in Ohio that offer graduate studies but none were appealing. This program was being discussed at the time I was considering graduate school so I continued to follow its progress and eventually chose the BAC when the Distance M.Arch program came online. Some recognizable traits of the BAC:

a) The BAC is an architecture school. All architecture - all the time. They radiate a very creative and energized learning atmosphere not just at the school but also the community.
b) They are positioned in the center of a very architecturally rich city with very prominent firms. I note this because part of our curriculum during the on-site studio was to tour new architecture and firms in the area.
c) The BAC has full-time professors and architectural professionals from various firms and backgrounds all contributing to your education. Ever go to school and they talk about the “real world” like school and work are unalike? The BAC is fully integrated with your development as a professional along with education and gives you exposure to several firms and insight from their senior staff.
d) This is NOT a “get your piece-of-paper” program or college. Trust me. The M.Arch degree at the BAC is very challenging but attainable while working full-time+. During my critiques over the course of the program I had professors from MIT, Harvard School of Design, Architects around Boston, and many other professors at the BAC providing insight to my projects and design. One of the classes I took for an elective was about sustainable design as a way of thinking and my professors were the executive editor and another editor for buildinggreen.com. I think that is one demonstration of the level of national exposure the BAC has and their ability to recruit some of the top minds to contribute to the development of young professionals.

The distance aspect of the program replicates current architectural environments we are involved with everyday. I work for a national firm and often attend/conduct video conferences, phone conferences, digital transmissions for review, and travel to week-long charrettes to design for clients outside Ohio. The program works exactly the same, conferencing with your professors and study groups every week if not more. We maintained a blog site for our design work and had our classmates, professor, and other professors at the school comment on our design and studies. They will post literature for you to review, current architectural projects for precedent, and design evaluations. I found managing my own research time, design preparation, and conducting design critiques every week for school has helped to develop my client interaction professionally.

I had a very rewarding experience and recommend the BAC to anyone either working full-time or not. I will continue to periodically review this forum and read the comments anyone might have. I hope this helps.

It would not be possible for me to attend an on-campus program for my M.Arch, what with commitments to my practice and clients, financial implications, and all. The Distance format at the BAC is suited to me, but it does require self-policing and commitment. If you need to be prodded to accomplish things, you won't cut it in this program. The pace of work is intense and, as it is entitled, it is intended for "practicing professionals" who know how to juggle time, produce under pressure, and commit to the end-goal. Have no doubt that it is a full-time program ... don't expect much of a life while you're in it if your're also working full time.
Someone else commented on the "studio experience." While I do enjoy such a collaboration, it is not a huge priority to me, having plenty of that within my practice. My goal is to accomplish the M.Arch as expeditiously as possible, to learn as much as I can while in it, and get on with my professional track. While the "studio experience" is not the same as an on-campus program, it does exist, in a "virtual" format, which I find actually more suited to my method of working - since you control the posting of your work to great extent (excepting deadlined assignments), you can prompt for critique and interjections when you're ready for them. Despite the limited face-time, you do establish a studio experience and get to know the people you're working with. I find the entire program to be challenging and stimulating.
The program is suited to some people and not suited to many others - it's really takes a personal assessment of how you learn, how you want to learn, and what kind of academic experience you want, to determine whether or not this program suits you. That's not any different from any other type of program or school - large vs. small, technical vs. creative, applied vs. liberal, etc.
Insofar as the school itself: I've had fabulous instructors and so-so instructors. The so-so instructors are the same as they would be at any school. The good instructors are right there for you, with regular feedback and direction, good crit. The best instructors have found the right balance of being there for you and letting you work through your creative process, and can also change tack to address people on an individual basis - I've had a few who are top-notch in this way. So far, I've had more good than so-so instructors ... 80-20 rule, I'd guess.
Administratively, the BAC is on top of it. Particularly, the financial aid office is 10 steps ahead of you and the IT staff is extremely helpful. Infrastructure is good - good library, good technology.

PS
I also agree with what 20sider says.