how about cornell? =)

wow, some of those schools I've never even heard of. That's probably not a good sign.

try to take a summer studio (career discovery from GSD or similiar) to build up your portfolio..

Well of your list of schools I personally like Syracuse and MIT and I have heard good things about IIT as well. They seem to all have solid programs but obviously MIT is the stronger school here. The others I have never heard of as having an architecture program at all. If I were you I would finish the engineering degree and do what Bubble recommended and take a summer studio or career discovery or anything creative like that because applying to an M.Arch program is pretty much all about your portfolio and demonstrating your interest and potential in architecture.

wow. i'm with myriam, most of those schools can be axed right away.
unc charlotte's got an ok program, it seems similar to virginia tech. i had a few engineering students turned architect ahead of me that did really great work. when it went the other way, though... not so much.

syracuse is cold. maybe that influenced my decision to go elsewhere, but i wasn't impressed with the work at all.

and for the record, most state schools pump out equal if not better than the ivies/private schools. however, a lot of private firms have outstanding relationships with the better known (and respected) architecture firms.

as an alternative, there are a few programs in europe you might want to look into, you'd probably find more respect as an engineer in a european program than most u.s. ones.

also, you should probably only look at [url=http://www.naab.org/cal_cat1724/cal_cat.htm accredited[/url] m. arch programs.

and by the way, you've got one of the top programs in the country due north

um, accredited

The way I found most of these schools is by searching google for graduate architecture schools which led me to this site.

http://programs.gradschools.com/northeast/architecture.html

have to start somewhere i guess

thankyou for pointing me in the right direction holz.box

there's a pretty good school in new haven, connecticut...that's on the east coast and definitely not in the midwest. i think they have an accredited m.arch. program and that would probably complement the smell of the sea air nicely. rudolph, kahn, saarinen, etc, right at your doorstep.

you should go there and study architecture.

Yeah--I second the strong recommendation to spend part of one of your summers doing the Career Discovery program at Harvard's GSD. You will learn for sure--before committing thousands of dollars of tuition and a change of your life--whether you really want to pursue this path, and as a bonus you'll learn about the East Coast, and about many of the other architecture schools as there is a sort of grad school fair held at the end of Career Discovery. It's somewhere around $2000 for the complete 6 week course I believe. The program is excellent, I know quite a bit about it although didn't go myself. The lecturers tend to be quite good and the student tutors seem very committed. I hear a lot of good things coming out of it.

Plus at the end you will have things to put into your grad school portfolio, should you still want to go.

if i had an education in engineering, the last thing i would do, if i wanted to get into an architecture program, is to study any architecture. i would take some painting classes, sculpture etc. to provide a counterpoint to my engineering background. this would introduce some yin into your yang or vicey versey...

please mr. dorfmeister, take some time to read through all the archived threads discussing the academic side of the profession...

we've been discussing the pros and cons of schools ad nausium 'round here - so yes, you've found the motherlode of info about becoming an architect...


there is only one reason to go to new haven.....
















pizza

Right in your backyard Iowa State has a very respectable architecture school. Which is only bested by the MIT and IIT on your list and arguably equal or better than Syracuse and NC. Not to start a flame war but most of the schools mentioned aren't household Archinect names and picking the best school largely depends on what you're looking for. I can understand wanting to leave, but perhaps your best shot might be a short move across campus. Something surely got you there in the first place.

My suggestion is to be very careful before going into a very expensive program. While a MIT can deliver an outstanding education, it comes at a cost and you need to really know it's what you want. For the amount of debt you can pile up in just a few years it's not for the weak hearted. Also remember your earning potential with the ME degree is vastly higher than a MArch will be. Have met double arch/eng majors that never did architecture because it didn't pay the student loans.

also in many states you can stamp architectural drawings with an m.e. stamp.

ok, this discussion has gotten better. I like the idea of skipping arch school and working A+E- just make sure your in a Big A-little e firm (ie more architects then engineers with most of the billing coming from the arch side of things)

judging from most of my engineers' ability to coordinate drawings, them stamping architectural work is a scary thought.

If you have any questions about Iowa State's program, I did the bachelor's program there, am also familiar with the masters as we shared courses/studios/instructors/facilities, I might be able to answer some questions.

DOL assessment of earnings potential in architecture: "Median annual earnings of wage and salary architects were $60,300 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $46,690 and $79,230. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $38,060, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $99,800. Those just starting their internships can expect to earn considerably less.

Earnings of partners in established architectural firms may fluctuate because of changing business conditions. Some architects may have difficulty establishing their own practices and may go through a period when their expenses are greater than their income, requiring substantial financial resources.

DOL assessment of earnings potential in mechanical engineering: "Earnings for engineers vary significantly by specialty, industry, and education. Even so, as a group, engineers earn some of the highest average starting salaries among those holding bachelor’s degrees. The following tabulation shows average starting salary offers for engineers, according to a 2005 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Mechanical Engineers:
Bachelor's Degree: 50,236
Master's Degree: 59,880
Ph.D.: 68,299

Variation in median earnings and in the earnings distributions for engineers in the various branches of engineering also is significant. For engineers in specialties covered in this statement, earnings distributions by percentile in May 2004 are shown in the following tabulation.

Mechanical Engineers:
10% - 43,900
25% - 53,070
50% - 66,320
75% - 82,380
90% - 97,850

Don't do it man - there's a true shortage of good mechanical engineers working in the building construction industry - take your interest in buildings and use that to develop a ME practice that actually adds something to the delivery of high quality, occupant oriented buildings. If you're any good at all, you'll do very well and make a major contribution to the world of architecture.

oh my god.... the low 10% is still almost 10g ahead of my starting salary.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

just to add my two cents, I like the ideas 'oldfogey' proposes. makes excellent points.
however, if you are still interested in going to school, i'm a little upset at how snotty the response was to your list. i hold architectural degrees from two of the institutions on your list. SUNY at Buffalo SAP and New Jersey Institute of Technology NJSoA. I feel that i recieved a top notch education from quality professors. While at both schools I had access to top of the line printing, model making, studio, research and library facilities. I don't think i have experienced any slight or disadvantage from having graduated from these schools and probably haven't felt the huge gap between the cost of my education and that of others in relation to my salary. Why pay so much for a name when in the end you can get the same if not a better education?

yes boxingskirt I think I made a mistake at asking advice on WHAT school to go to and by posting a basic list of ones that I was aware of...people are going to be very bias on that subject. I really just wanted to hear peoples thoughts on that path that I was considering taking and where it could possibly lead me.

I really like your ideas oldfogey and will really take your advice into serious consideration. I am curious as to how an arch degree can limit me though. I just assumed that I could still get engineering jobs, and having an arch degree would just put me in better standings with design firms even if I still worked with them as an engineer. Would getting the degree really drop my potential earnings and limit my career choices? My main reason for wanting to pursue the degree was for the challenge, experience and doing something that I enjoy, not so much the money, but I most certainly do not want it to hurt me. quizzical pointed out some good facts...i knew starting architects earned less but I didnt know it was that bad.

I have been researching design firms to work for already but seem to have trouble finding info on what exactly an engineer does at an architectural design firm. Can someone give me a heads up on this? How much influence and interaction does the engineer have with the design? Are we just number crunchers that tell the architects whether their building is going to fall over.

thanks for all your input!

Be an architecture-loving mechanical engineer. We would all like that.

I work in an office full of engineers who make 3 times what I do. But then again, I've seen a chick naked!

I've never even seen an engineer chick.

naked engineer chicks.. WHERE?

my suggestions. study for LEED, get accredited then work for someone like Buro Happold or Ove Arup....strong engineering and design offices.

Oldfogey, its funny that you mention the bias architects have against engineers. When the arch students in the design class I took found out that I was an M.E., they looked at me like I was an alien or something. Even the instructor seemed surprised that I was there. I gained their respect by showing that I could tread water in their territory of design and ended up making some good friends and coming off with a good experience.

I'm not so sure there is a bias against engineers. In my experience, working with engineers has been a positive. But, I approached it from the standpoint of understanding their language. If you are a designer or architect that has no clue about the structural, mechanical, electrical implications of your design, you very likely will hear from your engineer "you can't do that." However, if you understand the basics and can speak with your engineer to show them how your design will, in fact, work, they seem to come on board just fine. Engineers do not react very well to 60' cantilevers with 6" of depth.

architects don't react very well to, "lets just put a column through the middle of the room"

but all that aside, state schools can offer good programs though from my experience, you have to deal with a lot more bureaucracy. they don't seem to be as informative about their logistics, so you have to be willing to fight through that. however, the quality of education can be quite good. the best is the sticker price. i'm at UCLA now and i pay about $7k and change for an entire year (with in-state tuition). if i had gone to a private, i'd be forking over somewhere around $40k for tuition a year. so over a 3 year m.arch I program, we're talking about $21k vs. $120k...

my advice: do your research. carefully consider all the schools and try to talk to students. the better informed you are, the better prepared you will be.

try to think about exactly what you're looking for in your architectural education. every school does things differently and has their own philosophies.

take time and the follow the appropriate paths to generate a strong portfolio.

I've seen engineer chicks. I worked with one that was not only a damn fine engineer but she was indeed damn fine.