im curious, because i would like to teach and i have a B.Arch already + i am going for my post-pro m.arch in the fall--- how did you get your first teaching job? where do you teach now? i have over half of my idp credits done... did you get some of your idp done while you've been teaching?

tumbles

I wanna be in the same boat as you...

dont even tell us where youre gonna put the paddle.

a sail boat, bottle of wine....

Descriptions of faculty to teach design and other studio-based courses often say "portfolio of professional and independent work required, registered architect preferred, M.Arch preferred". So for that the the M.Arch seems like the better all-purpose degree. I've usually had to submit a portfolio when applying to teach design, and it seems like that's been the most important factor in the decisions. I've taught in other related design disciplines and the M.Arch has been respected there too.

In theory and history the trend is toward requiring or strongly preferring a PhD, especially in the more competetive universities. But often faculty in architecture programs are expected to teach one studio and at least one support course in any given semester, and in that case it's not unusual for design faculty with M.Archs to be teaching theory and history electives...

If your intention is to teach "on the side" then many of us have found that the M.Arch as the terminal degree serves us well for purposes of snagging part-time and adjunct faculty positions. If your intent is a career as a tenured professor with a focus in history and/or theory then a doctorate is becoming a requirement these days.

formerlyunknown- are you teaching as a fulltime professor?

to anyone: are there any fulltime professors on here? if so, how did you get started? what is your advice? what do you suggest?

if you have a B.Arch. then an M.Arch.I will be useless for you... they are both professional degrees... what you need is a post-professional degree, which I believe would be designated as an M.Arch.II... the M.Arch.II is more research based than the regular M.Arch... other options are programs like the GSD's Masters in Design Studies and Columbia's Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design... UCLA's M.A. might be a similar program... the GSD also has a Doctor of Design program that seems to be like Ph.D.-lite... i think that it is everything but the dissertation...

if you don't want to go all of the way to a Ph.D. these are the types of programs that I would recommend... they'll give you a bit of a leg up over people with just an M.Arch. when applying for teaching jobs... but as mentioned above, it's becoming more and more difficult to get full time (tenure track) teaching positions without a Ph.D... especially at better schools...

i'm in a similar situation and will be applying to Ph.D. programs next year... if you want to practice professionally and teach part time as an adjunct then a B.Arch. + one of the above programs + some kick ass work will be good enough...

im going for the post-pro m.arch.

so on my behalf, that much is understood.



i'm wondering how people got started teaching- did they hit up their b.arch program- did they hit up their m.arch program- did they just look at like the ACSA listings of faculty positions...etc?

I taught fulltime for only about 18 months. I was not a professor - my title was "Lecturer". While students often tend to call all their teachers "Professor" that title is usually reserved for tenured faculty.
I've taught as a part-timer or adjunct off and on for about 10 years. The fulltime position was my second teaching job and I got it through a referral/recommendation from a former professor of mine, to another of his former students who was at the time the dean of the an architecture program. It was somewhat out of the blue - not something I was pursuing myself. It was a so-called tenure-track position but I did not choose to stay on that track as I was not yet licensed and wanted to take more time to establish an architecture career before I decided whether or not to settle down in academia. And at this point I don't think I ever want to do that...
The part-time jobs have come through various routes - everything from former classmates' referrals to just emaiing my cv cold to programs where I thought I'd be a good fit.

The overwhelming majority of faculty in the architecture programs I've taught in have been M.Archs, though there are a certain number of people from other fields, with everything from MFAs to - in a few cases - no degree at all but some recognized expertise in a specialty. Tenured people in history and theory are usually PhDs or people with long lists of degrees equally representing architecture and liberal arts/humanities. But as with anything there are exceptions.

NAAB-accredited programs are supposed to have a certain percentage of registered architects as faculty, which is why there's often an emphasis toward recruiting more licensed folks.

+i : i am teaching at the same school i got my b.arch from (in california.) originally i was hired as an emergency hire for one quarter. i loved it, so they hired me for another quarter. then i actually applied for the part time lecturer position and they offered me a one year full time contract as a lecturer (includes benefits.) as a lecturer the teaching load is heavy, but you aren't expected to attend as many meetings or do committee work. as i have only taught at this school, i can't attest as to how others get their first teaching gig without being licensed or having a masters. in my case, the way i got the position was by keeping in touch with my professors. i'd like to think that being passionate about teaching is what it takes, but i can imagine it is tricky for many to get an adjunct or lecturer position without the right credentials. as for idp, i graduated almost 7 years ago, so i had all but 1 exam to pass and already had my hours for licensure. not sure if teaching would count as credit towards idp? does anyone else know?

the greatest thing about being able to teach without my masters is that it has really given me a sense of what i want to get out of a masters program. it has also confirmed that i really do want to teach much more so than i want to build. which invariably leads me back to the M.Arch vs the M.A. if i already have the professional degree and will be licensed, is the M.Arch needed? if i have a portfolio that entails personal, professional and teaching work, should i focus my attention on writing? it seems like academia necessitates writing papers and publishing.

Formerlyunknown : "But as with anything there are exceptions".....what exactly do you mean by exceptions?

+i : by the way, where are you doing your post-pro m.arch?

thanks everyone. this is helping a lot...

quite honestly i want to do research- and academia seems to be the most conducive forum. i have been really struck by the work of wes janz + his pursuits in research while in academia as well as those of john quale and so many others. i find that inspiration and then im hooked. i am pursuing my post-pro m.arch @ uva in the fall + will graduate next spring. im looking to go out west for a phd- not in history or theory, but research intensive design (i can elaborate, but it's extensive). basically, since i will be in school 2007-2008 i am hoping to make some great connections and maybe teach for a year or two after while pursuing some research as well... and then going for my phd- in california. (secretly dying not being near the beach).

+i : "research intensive design"?

phd in design. specifically post-disaster sustainable reconstruction. my undergrad b.arch thesis was on rebuilding post-tsunami sri lanka sustainable using regenerative architecture. pursued this research further to develop a national publication. applied + accepted to two phd programs and the m.arch at uva + decided to go to uva for the 1yr path c m.arch to continue this sustainable regenerative architecture research. plan on applying research theory to solomon islands and a few other research approaches. proposed to take research to further development into phd as a research design thesis- ie. not history, not theory, but research through design and application of sustainably reconstructing and rebuilding one of these locations. i want to eventually go for a fullbright.... i either need 5 years of professional experience (if i sit in another firm i will shoot myself in the foot), so i am searching to actively pursue this research- not "on the side" as i have been doing for the last year.

*either 5 yrs pro experience or a higher degree for fullbright.

(this is a very long post, sorry. i just joined to respond to this question since I found myself in a similar situation three years or so ago, and thought I would share what I decided to do and how it has worked out for me).

+....I was trying to decide between a post-pro m.arch or one of those more "research" oriented masters degrees (master of science in (architecture, architecture studies, etc, depends on where you go), Yale calls it MED, other places it is a MA, varies, same thing basically) b/c I, too, was interested in teaching (I have a b.arch). After much discussion with my undergraduate professors, I took the "research" degree route - mainly because I felt woefully undereducated with regard to disciplines outside the profession and wanted to bring new insights into my home field from beyond. I felt I would learn more than merely doing studio for another (year, year and a half, two years, depending on where I went). Now, as I am finishing and seriously considering going for a Ph.d in a few years.

I will say that I am glad I did not take the m.arch route first - I have learned so much and have so many new insights which would have been impossible if I had been simply doing studio the whole time. My classes were very reading-intensive, which is what I wanted, and I took a bunch outside the school of architecture - my perspective has been widened tremendously.

I said I am considering a Ph.d - and I am b/c after the thesis I have done it is the next logical step - but I also now feel like I could benefit from a m.arch - doing design work - to apply my new insights, but then I guess I should just do that in practice for awhile! No need to pay for the privilage (maybe).

The main downside I experienced was being a bit outside the "norm" of the school - as you know, design studio is the most important thing in most architecture schools - and so, by NOT doing that and doing other things, I was less involved with the school overall. I also, however, made friends with people from all different departments across the university and was able to get other people to think about architecture, which was fun and rewarding. Making friends and discussing ideas with people who were not architects (but usually interested in architecture) has also helped me think critically about what I am doing and about the profession.

As far as teaching goes, I am not ready to try that yet. I am going to get registered first, so I don't know what the reaction to my degree will be. Luckily, I will have some "people" to recommend me who should carry enough weight to overcome some of the prejudices against the degree (if there are any). I did some TA work here, and I did some undergrad at two different institutions (long story).

As far as to which degree would be best for you, here are two things undergrad profs told me. One said that their requirements for tenure track hire were a terminal degree and licensure. I am going to get licensed - I think that is important. But that also means my degree will work to get hired at a university (here, the MA at UCLA wouldn't work b/c it is their prelude to the ph.d...not terminal).

The other thing - the most important thing one of my professors told me - was to go where my interests were and do good work. He said, "If you are doing good and interesting work, the opportunities will follow." I am going on the assumption that is going to work out (we'll see).

Anyways, sorry for such a long post, but I thought it important to share those insights and experiences. I have mentioned schools I have attended and where I am thinking about further education b/c that is too personal for a website - but please feel free to send me an email personally and I will be happy to talk to you about my experiences in more detail, tell you where I went and what I know about other schools, etc, etc, etc.