The philosophies of the two schools are wildly different, and I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone that didn't think UT was a much, much stronger program. Miami's weird obsession with New Urbanism makes their graduates ill-prepared for anything other than a small (and laughable) niche of an already small field.

Add that to the prestige of UT's program (ranked #2 this year) and the fact that UT has the Professional Residency Program (real-world experience working at the best firms in the world; http://soa.utexas.edu/resources/prp) and it becomes a much easier decision.

And even out of state, UT is incredibly inexpensive. I don't know how much of a scholarship your daughter received, but it seems very unlikely that it would make the cost of a private school less than UT. Austin is so much more pleasant a town than Miami, and the post-graduation network of alumni is infinitely more valuable at UT.

The two programs at UT and Miami are also different in the type of degree she would receive.

UT - Austin offers both the five-year accredited BArchitecture and the pre-professional BS Architectural Studies - http://soa.utexas.edu/architecture/undergrad

Miami offers the five-accredited BArchitecture - http://arc.miami.edu/programs/barch

Rather than rely on the opinion of others, determine what criteria are most important in making the decision.  Which of the two programs best meet those criteria.

I am just curious why you are considering programs so far away when there are excellent programs in the state of California.  One way to save lots of money is to attend a community college and transfer to a CA school.

Just my thoughts.

thank you both for your valuable comments. The scholarship at UM is almost full tuition. She applied only to 5 year programs. She is wait listed at Cal Poly Slo. Thank you again for your comments. not being an architect I was unaware of the limitations of New Urbanism or how strongly this philosophy permeated UM's curriculum. this is a great site and I wish I had found it earlier. thanks again for your help and time.

UT

Both Schools are great. I would go with the one that she could get out of with the least amount of debt. The interest rate for federally subsidized loans is going to double starting on July 1st from 3.4% to 6.8% and they will begin charging interest the minute the loan is taken out instead of waiting until graduation.  Check out the link here to calculate how much interest she would have to pay. In some cases you end up paying as much interest as the entire loan amount depending on if you take out a 30 year vs a 10 year.

http://www.finaid.org/calculators/loanpayments.phtml

Avoiding debt is a good idea within reason, but the priority should be placed on the quality of her education and how well she will be prepared for life after college. Miami's program (not unlike Notre Dame's) is completely out of touch with the rest of architectural academia and practice, and will make it much more difficult for her to find work after graduation. Even if Miami was completely free, attending UT would be a much better value in the long run. 

Many would fundamentally disagree that Miami's architecture program is 'great,' and no one who knows both programs would say Miami's is anywhere near the quality of UT's.

I'd like to chime in on this conversation.  I grew up in Miami, where I and a few high school friends decided to pursue architecture.  I was fortunate enough to be accepted to the Cooper Union, and therefore did not study at either one of the schools.  However, I have good , close friends who did study at Miami, and good, co-workers (I work in NYC) who have studied at both Miami and Texas.  So unlike others in this post, I will give you an unbiased opinion.

U.Texas - From what I've seen of my co-workers performance, its top notch.  They're smart and intellectually sound, hard working, and are very proud of the school they came from.  Each one had a different financial situation in college, so their debt varies.  They do mention the diversity that UT has at the Masters level ranging from Urban Design, to Landscape, to Planning, etc.. One thing they tend to harp on there, is sustainability.  It seems like my colleagues were LEED certified even before they graduated.  However, they can be a bit fanatical with it.   I honestly can't stay bad things about the school from what I've seen of my co-workers, although almost all of them agreed that they couldn't wait to leave a small market like Austin.  If I had to knock them on something, I would say they don't think outside the box too much(sorry guys, hope you're not reading).  According to the Design Intelligence rankings (which shouldn't be considered the bible to architecture school rankings), does rank UT Austin fairly high on a consistent basis.

MIAMI - From what I've gathered from my friends and colleagues who went to UM, the school has gone through a major shift.  I've been told they're creating a more diverse curriculum, while moving their new-Urbanism agenda to just one "track".  Like any school, I think you can find professors who will specialize in certain topics and it sounds like you can find that there.  My friends portfolios were definitely NOT new urbanist/classical in any sense of the word. I will say that the guys graduating there are technically sound and really know how to draw both digitally and even by hand (which I believe is important for visual thinking).  I think that this progress and moving out of the dark age for this school is great; and if you look at the DI, Miami has crept its way into the top 20.  2 of my best friends have since gone from Miami to Harvard for grad, with 2 of their own classmates heading to Columbia and MIT.  Now that might not mean much, since I'm sure UT probably also sends its fair share of grads to top graduate schools, but it seems like those opportunities exist at Miami as well.

Look, my friends/co-workers and I all work at a large firm in NYC and although we have different degrees (MArch's vs BArchs), we are all working on the SAME projects, and getting paid around the SAME salaries.  If your daughter is a good student, and has a hard work ethic, I'm sure the opportunities for her will be better for those that are not, regardless of the school she chooses.

I think that the opportunity to go to school, out of state, with little to no debt, should be taken seriously.  Any school who is willing to give money to a prospective student obviously thinks highly of them, and sees them as an investment.  When an employer spends money to fly a recruit to visit their office, or a college flies in a potential student athlete, they are showing that person that they are making an investment that will benefit both parties. 

Your daughter got into 2 good schools of architecture. It just seems like Miami would prefer to have her there a little more than Texas.  Congratulations on her accomplishments Archschools, and good luck with decision making process.

Mr.Minimal, your comments are made by assumption.  The work being produced at Notre Dame is nothing like the work at Miami.  Look at the websites of each and you'll see it.

Miami has a stigma because of its Dean, but I agree with the post above about the change in programs there.  Do some research and talk to people before you jump to conclusions.  That is like me saying Columbia is all about blobs, which it was at one point, but is not the case anymore.  Even Rice was teaching classical architecture at one point.  Schools change.  Not Notre Dame though; they are stuck in the past.
 

I very much agree with the last two posters. I sat in during final crits two years ago when I was checking UM out for grad school, specifically because of the opportunity to study classical/traditional design and urbanism (Yeah, cry me a river). I felt that the Notre Dame program was too rigid and lacked diversity. That opportunity is certainly there for those who wish to pursue that direction, and they produce some good stuff. However as a whole, the work was very diverse with the majority of the work being within the various strains of contemporary modernism. The faculty, much due to the current dean, encompasses a wide range of viewpoints, with a common emphasis on urbanism. (largely new urbanism in its most essential form but including the "other" urbanisms to some degree. And no, that does not mean neocolonial kitsch that is unfairly and automatically conflated with it) The students seemed very well rounded and open to debate. I visited Maryland and felt that it paralled Miami in many ways.

I guess my wording was unclear. I did not mean that Miami and Notre Dame were similar programs, just that they are similarly out of touch.

As far as 'research' is concerned, it is plainly stated on Miami's website that "the school is a forum for the work of New Urbanism," which is a niche specialization. 

Ultimately my point was that UT is widely considered to be a superior program (again, #2 in the country), and it is well worth the debt this student would incur. Especially considering the greatly increased employment opportunities that a UT graduate has over a Miami graduate.

mr. minimal - out of touch with who - mainstream academia? Would anyone who has ever practiced argue that this is a bad thing? 

I would argue that architectural education as a whole is out of touch with the 99% of architectural firms practicing today.  And using the DI rankings as a benchmark for determining if a school is a good fit for a student is comical.  UT is #2... so what?  Miami is 19... so what?  Even DI has criticized it's own methodology as flawed. 

As for U of Miami, the strength of their program is the diversity of opinion within the faculty ranks.  A program without dissenting opinions is one that does not produce dialog and growth.  Miami has plenty of this.

As far as professional opportunities are concerned, I know Miami graduates who have gone to work for contemporary starchitects as well as the top traditional firms all over the world.  The difference between Miami and other programs in my opinion, is that Miami grads are prepared for a variety of professional environments and to think holistically about design as opposed to adopting a rigid perspective.  If they want to work for a company that does primarily modern high-rises, they can think in those terms.  If they go to work for a firm doing traditional residential, they will be prepared for that as well.  Modern or traditional, doesn't matter - Miami has faculty all over the spectrum.

@JDR, you bring up some good points.  Its true that what you learn in school is completely different than what you learn in the office.  There's risk and responsibility in the real world that simply cannot be placed upon a junior designer right out of college.  School is just a place to learn the language and be trained in the skills.  I would equate that boot camp to soldier  is to architecture school to a student; the professional practice is the war.  

As far as the DI rankings are concerned, yes, they're bullsh__. Architects aren't included in the US News Reports and equivalents, so the DI rankings were created by a group wanting to make money. It's a smart move, but the evaluation process is suspect.  (ex: Michigan jumping to #1 after being no where the previous years before?).  I brought up Notre Dame in a negative light before, but according to the rankings and Mr.Minimal's argument, if you were to look back just a few short years, Notre Dame's program was consistently ranked in the Design Intelligence! 

What proof is there that employment opportunities are better at UT then Miami? Stats? Numbers? Any proof...or is it all assumption again Minimal?  Besides if the kid that graduates UT and the kid that graduates MIA end up working at the same office, they will both be put on the bottom most rung of the ladder, working on bathroom elevations or the dreaded stair sections.

This thread is in danger of being hijacked, so lets stay on the topic at hand ladies and gents.  In today's economy, with the profession as unstable as it is, there is NO school worth getting into debt for, and that goes for all majors.  It just doesn't make sense to owe money when you can get a full ride somewhere.  @Archschools, do your daughter a favor, and your mortgage and wallet a favor, and send her to the school that obviously wants her there.  A free education is a dream come true.