try to go for a 5 year program where you come out with a Bachelors of Architecture (rather than a BA, BFA, or BS in architecture).......it's a professional degree so you'll be able to get licensed without having to go to grad school.

I recommend quite the opposite. I'd go to a 4 year program - check out your options for the BA, BD, BS of Architecture and opt for what curriculum interests you most. While these degrees are not professional, the architecture profession is vast and you are young. You may work for a few years in an office and realize that licensure isn't important to you. You may realize that you are more interested in development, real estate, construction management, graphic design, urban design, sculpture, architectural theory, and, perhaps, even a non-licensed architect.

If you decide you want to go for a professional degree for licensing, many schools offer a masters degree in as little as 3 semesters for someone with a 4-year pre-professional architecture degree. Therefore, you can aquire a masters degree with just one semester more than a B.Arch degree.

basically what the two posters above are pointing out is that you need to be aware of the differences between a 4-year degree and a 5-year degree in architecture. When i was looking at colleges in high school I didn't even know there were two different degrees, and randomly ended up with one without realizing the impact it would have. Do a search on this forum to find out the differences; it's been covered a couple times before I believe. Then after you know that background info, you'll be better prepared to pick a major or a course of study! :)

n_

may i ask what schools your are refering to when you say
''masters degree in as little as 3 semesters ''

i graduated with a four year degree and when i was doing my grad school search ive never heard of that ive heard of 2 and most schools are 3 yrs with a four year degree

babylonian, as this thread continues i think you'll see that everybody will have different opinions about what you should do, based on their specific experiences. i doubt you'll find any kind of consensus. while i'd come down on kalyani's side (because it's what i did) there is certainly some merit to what n_ has said.

best bet is to see if you can talk to advisors at the schools in which you're most interested. they can give you insight that is specific to you, your interests, your record of strengths/weaknesses, etc AND it may mean to them that you're taking it really seriously. they might just remember your name at admissions decisions time.

n_ argues for a 4yr non-professional degree. note that this is NOT the same as a pre-architecture degree. i don't know that you'll find many that would champion the pre-arch course for you unless you yourself are really not sure that architecture is what you want and you just want to dip a toe in the water.

U.Texas - Austin
Clemson University
U. Tennessee - Knoxville

I know that these three schools have confirmed to me or one of my former studio mates that if you have a have a good enough portfolio, they are willing to make it a 3 semester program.

I would admit that this is rare to find and that most schools offer a MArch in two years. Most Ivies require three.

This past thread may give give you more information on degree types. As stated, both degrees have their pros and cons.

I second Steven Ward's comment that many of us will give you opposing advice based upon our personal experience.

5 Year Arch (minor in business) + MBA

4 Year Arch (minor in business) + MArch/MBA in Real Estate Dev



Do either of those and you'll conquer the world

trace, he wants to be an architect, not a businessman...

architecture is a business

that's why the core education is architecture

architect's are businessmen, at least the successful ones


don't underestimate how applicable business knowledge is, regardless if you work for a company or have your own business

having business knowledge will make you more valuable to any employer as well as keep your options wide open



I also think this is the area that arch education lacks the most. Having a fundamental understand of the business world will prove invaluable throughout life, even if you want to be the next Thom Mayne (who is a great business man).

befriend your business school classmates because they are potential future clients...

Tory, what schools are you looking to attend?

Trace--architects are artists first and foremost.

trace, I made the comment because your "trajectory" that you layed out seems to be first and foremost concerned with development and capital gain. This has very little or nothing to do with the discipline of architecture. I agree that having good business skills makes for a successful architect, but capital gain is not why a true architect decides to study architecture as a discipline, which is a design-based endeavor....

Philadelphia University is my first choice, it was formerly known as Philadelphia Texitles and Science, Penn State Main Campus, Kent State University -Ohio, Bowling Green State University -Ohio, Lehigh University, and the College of Woster-Ohio and Miami University -Oxford campus. I wouldn't mind going to Cornell, but I don't think my SAT scores are high enough to get in.

Philadelphia Univeristy's 5yr course will get me a Bachelor of Architecture and they say it is a professional course. It is appently "fully accredited" by NAAB. ; Kent State allows me to abtain a Bachelor of Science in 4yrs) and Master of Architecture in 1.5yrs; Bowling Green offered an Architectural/Environnmental Design course and I would graduate with a bachelor of science in technology ( i think this is my first school OFF my list); Lehigh has a pre-professional program that claims to be the best foundation for a masters; Penn State Main offers both a 5yr Bachelors in Architecture and a Bachelor in Science; Miami Oxford offers a pre-professional progam that enables me to graduate with a Bachelor of Art in Architecture; College of Wooster has a pre-architecture course that will get me a BA after 4yrs; Cornell offered both a BArch and a Bachelors in Science in the history of Architecture.


Are all Bachelor of Science in Architecture courses the study of history and theory in architecture?

Tory

babylonian, this is just my personal opinion, but I think if you're sure you want to study architecture then a five-year professional degree (BArch or in some, increasingly less rare cases MArch) is the best bet for you. I think any of the processes of obtaining an architecture education have their own merits and benefits, but I think if you know now that you want to study architecture, it just makes more sense to enter a program that is accredited. I'm about to enter my fifth year in a BArch program and hope at some point to go to grad school for some sort of architectural theory degree, and I think this is another good reason to do the professional degree now if you know it's what you want eventually. Leaving yourself the option to go to grad school for a post-professional degree (one after already obtaining a BArch or MArch) for a more specialized concentration in the case you want to do this is much easier if you get the professional degree right off the bat, because if you do a BS/BA... in architecture and then need to do grad school for the MArch, usually doing a post-professional concentration is another degree away. Those are just my personal thoughts and what makes sense to me, and I think all of the comments here show the different paths you can take, and the only way to decide which is right for you is to carefully consider them. I also think that looking into the curriculum of different schools to try to get an idea of what you'd like. I didn't realize this when I was looking at schools, but the curricula can be quite varied.

B107

I am a graduate of the University of Texas School of Architecture. I absolutely loved my 5 years there where I did a Bachelors of Architecture. I think any program at UT-SOA has its merits, so you can decide after a year or so in the program if you can't decide now.

Here's the deal. The university is one of the most well endowed in the world, and because of this their facilities are unparalleled. You, of course, get your own key to the building and your own studio space from the very first day. Everything you could want in a school is included. And just to put some stars in your eyes, the university has a number of programs for travel (which I partook in, as well). For instance, they have a Europe studio, a Japan studio and a Mexico studio to choose from. This is becoming standard, so they bump it up by having great internship deals with some of the worlds most well respected architects. When I was there, some of my friends went to places like Benisch and Partners in Germany, a couple went to Renzo Piano's studion, and a couple went to Glenn Mercutt(sp?)studio in Australia. Your opportunities are endless.

The only small bit of discouragement is that I, and all my friends, worked on architecture from 8 in the morning until midnight for 5 years, pretty much. No joke: I made from 12-2am my time to socialize with my friends, and I learned to sleep less. Good Luck!

OopS! Just realized you're not considering UT. Scratch the last comment.

hmm, you seem to be considering a lot of programs that aren't really recognized for their design prowess. are you more interested in the tech or engineering side of things, or in design?

if you are interested in a solid design education (5-year program), you should also check out carnegie mellon university, which is right in the area you are looking at (it is in pittsburgh) and has an excellent and rigorous program. pittsburgh is also a much better town than a lot of the towns you're looking at. which reminds me... think about where you will be living as well as where you will be attending school--architecture courses tend to head out to the field examine local buildings and local urban design trends, and some places are better for that than others, of course.

ksArcher - I didn't see where I mentioned anything about money. Also, if you'll notice, archtiecture is the foundation of my suggestions.

The more experience you have, the more you'll realize that no business survives without profit, regardless of how much you enjoy design. The best learn how to market their design skills (that's business - marketing) and learn how to profit from their work (that's also business).

babyl asked for suggestions and I gave them, based on my experience and ready the posts on here for the last 10 years.


I love design, too. It's by far the thing I am most passionate about in life. However, I also like affording better things and choosing my own destiny. Without somekind of business knowledge, taht would have never happened.
I really wish I had more and am considering getting a MBA, so that I can better profit from my design skills.


Things are not always as simple as black and white. Think creatively, both in education and careers, and you can design and profit from it.

i like the design part. I love going for drives and looking at all the homes and buildings i pass by and pick out the parts i like most and think about how i can incorperate all my ''favorite'' parts into one amazing structure. at some point i want to be able to design a building from the exterior to the interior. so i hope to take an interior deisgn course in the future. but you cant really create a building based on the interior so im starting my studies with architecture (working outside in.)
I'm pretty sure that Philadelphia univeristy does hit the design aspect, one of the reasons it is my first choice. But i can always double check because i hope to go back and visit a few more times, especially during the school year. maybe ill be able to sit in on a class, maybe.

buildings are designed from the inside out.

you'll learn a lot...I hope.

My undergrad is in Int. Arch, now I'm going for Masters in Arch. This was intentional and I couldn't disagree with your statement more. Please be open minded- wherever you go.

i saw a sign at the school supply store that read "do not steal or you'll be designing in prison from the inside out"