*crickets*

I am just finishing up my Masters in Construction Management, with a B.Arch first degree.  It is very achievable, you'll just have to hit the ground running with a bit of a disadvantage.  I thought I knew a lot about construction from undergrad, but many people in the degree were from the construction industry and taught me how much I didn't know....but I love the program and have learned so much.  The job prospects with this degree are better than in architecture, and you can get a first job with no experience starting out about $10,000 more than you would at an arch firm, from my own working experience as well as talking to recent grads.  There are great programs available for cheaper by the way.  University of Washington in Seattle is $600 per credit roughly, for 45 credits, which you can complete full-time in a year (quarter system).  They're mostly night classes so you could work while going to school too to help keep down costs.  That's about $25,000 for a Masters, but with residency.  Local arch firms are hiring here if you can get a job for a year and then go.  Same with anywhere you apply i guess.

It's a great combination and I saw that NYU was offering it as part of a consortium.  It's a neat mix of construction, architecture, engineering, logistics, contracting, and law, but I'm sure it's a bit expensive.  You are correct - the other urban school that does it at night is Univ of Wash and offers really practical classes.  Another program famous for the MSBC is Univ of Florida, which is the oldest school of building construction within the Rinker School.  However, it sounds like a day program. They are short, about 36 credits,and do not take up the time of architecture because it's all estimating, scheduling, procurement, and a bunch of practical things.  The only issue is that it helps the B.Arch. if you have some work experience in architecture with documents and practical matters, at least some.  Employers will ask you if you are wiling to make a break with traditional architecture and you will need to be convincing.  They don't want to train junior project managers who still long for architecture.  Like you've said, the good schools are NYU Poly, UW, UFl, Ga. Tech., and a few others.  The person who does this should know that a construction company is not an architectural firm.  The culture will be almost 180 apart.  A design-build entity is probably best place for the arch + MSCM grad.

I really appreciate your help.

I was looking at NYU programs because I live in NY and i am hoping to get hired in the construction firm where I work. But UW seems a lot cheaper.

If you don't mine me asking, what type of firm do you work at?

if i find a job in design-build, what position should i look for? i mean besides intern or architect. Thank you

This forum doesn't have direct message options so people could share personal experiences or answer questions.  Maybe that's a good thing, seeing how pissy architects can get.

Make damn sure the NYU degree has a direct link-over from a B.Arch.  One would have to check, but the UW degree was set up for those coming over from a BS in CM.  They still accommodated architects and other similar majors, but if you look at the curriculum, it is more about advanced topics.  That means that they needed to put people through a preparatory year, via extension, that taught estimating, scheduling, project management, and computer applications in construction.  They can't shove you into a MS in CM without knowing that first.  Check with NYU to see that no "deficiencies" need to be removed.  I looked up UF's webpage and they don't post their MSBC/MBC curriculum, just that it exists.  Since they pick up the undergrads in BC at that same school, I wouldn't be surprised if they make the architects and the civil engineers remove "deficiencies."

It sounds like you want to stay in NYC.  If you were to go to UW, they seem to place most of their grads right in the Seattle area, or up and down the West Coast.  Make sure your employer is saving a seat for you, so to speak.

The typical entry position is called a project engineer, though they are not engineers, nor could they qualify to be a PE.   It is simply a stepping stone to project management within a construction company's or development company's progression chain.  You could also come in as an estimator, and CDs will ALWAYS be at your side!  Also, do you want to license as an architect, and then switch over?  Remember that you would need to make these moves fairly early on, and then couldn't move back and forth between disciplines, depending on your personal whims.  Discuss the options with your mentor and current employer, if you can "safely" do so and if they are an employer you want to stick with.

Thank you once again, sometimes its very hard to find someone who is willing to guide a newbie. I believe you can direct message me on my profile now.

I am meeting with advisers at Poly in summer to figure out what exactly I need. I want to be licensed as an architect because some where down the line I want to have my own firm or work with a partner who is an architect and I can be PM. So far I was just looking at working in construction company but now I feel like Design-Build firms would also be a great option.

My plan is to work on ARE while working in construction company. For NY, we don't need to finish our 5600 IDP hours to be eligible for ARE. We can finish those hours later. So far i have 1072 hours in IDP. Following my work schedule pattern, I should be finished with IDP around Sept.,2015. That's a full year after my B.arch. . . 

I don't mind helping students or people new to the profession.  No one helped me.  I had to figure it out on my own, by asking a lot of questions and getting conflicting answers.  As I was about to embark on M.Arch. 3, I presented my architect friend who had taught me some architectural graphics at a CC with 2 curricula - those of 2 good state schools.  I asked him which one he liked better.  He came from a more comprehensive school (UT-Austin) and picked the "softer" one of the two curricula, not really paying attention to the course distribution.  It was his colleagues, who I met, who helped me make the final selection.

few posts ago i was saying how I can finish my IDP by Sept. 2015 but I realized I can't because I will have to work under an architect at some point. I used to plug in hours under supplemental work experience (construction related job). I maxed out my hours on it, so now am stuck. I don't want to quit my current job and without working for an architect, I cannot get IDP hours. Yay IDP!