I dont think that Parsons BFA is accredited by the NAAB.

You probably won't hear from Parsons, Michigan, or Cincinnati until the latter half of March. That's when most schools send out their notifications.

Do you plan on practicing as an architect in the US? If so, then you'll need a NAAB-accredited M.Arch. degree. There might be ways around that in some states, but you won't be able to get NCARB-certified, and it will likely be messy.

I'm not sure what Parsons is up to these days, but Michigan and Cincinnati are both excellent schools, and can hold their own against MIT and Columbia. It all depends on what you're looking for, and what you make of it.

Why make any choice that limits your freedom in the long-term? That's a personal philosophy of mine however. I would not go to an unaccredited school, even if I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to be registered; simply because if I ever did decide to become registered, I wouldn't want to find myself screwed.

some people, however, know for SURE that registration is not for them. If you fall into this camp, then by all means, the AA has an excellent program. S'up to you.

One thing to keep in mind: Cincinnati has a co-op program that allows you to alternate quarters between full-time study in Cincy and full-time work anywhere in the world. If you really want to spend time in London, Cincinnati will let work for a firm there, and you'll get paid for it. The co-op program is one of the big reasons I plan to apply to Cincy for my M.Arch.

thanks for the responses.


looks like AA is just not the right fit. what about thier Diploma program? is their B.arch diploma really equivelant to an M.arch in the states? it seems that even then i would be applying for NAAB equivelance which in some state still doesn't help with accreditation.

i guess another thing i'm wondering is how hard is it to get into AA. i'm just trying to judge my skill level based on acceptance into AA but it's the school i know the least about. does anybody know how many students are in the AAdrl? how many students are in the AA diploma? ball park on acceptance rates?

@ Liv in Gin
i have a friend at Cincinnati and he likes it a lot. normally i think co-op type programs have problems but Cincinnati seems to have a nice balance between practicality and design

@mantaray
i read this in another post "..if you wanted to go to the [AA] or [ETH] and (hopefully) become a sh*t hot designer, move to the states and not give a flying f*ck about licensing, that would also be a bold move" -holz.box
i'd like to think i'm good, but i'm not that good

If you're looking for your first professional degree in architecture, then AA's diploma would be a better fit. The DRL is really meant to be a pros-professional program like an american MArch 2.

The AA is a really exciting place to study, and it is quite different from american programs.

i have to say i don't really understand why someone would spend time to apply to schools and THEN try to figure out if they are good places to study.

whether you do the DRL or the Diploma school, you have the same problem - neither one is a direct equivalence for registration in the USA. if you want to get registered as an architect in the UK (and then be eligible to practice in the EU) then the AA Diploma school is the way to go. but if you really want to get a degree that helps you get registered in the USA, then you should only do a professional degree in the USA. period.

in terms of getting into the AA, there are 2 criteria (this has all been explained on many previous Archinect discussion) - 1) you need a decent portfolio and preferably also do an interview. 2) you need to be able to pay the fees.

these two criteria are equal in weighting. if you have a mediocre portfolio, but show that you can pay the fees, the AA will likely take you - even i you end up taking longer (and paying more) to graduate. but if you have a very strong portfolio, but are short on funding, then they may be able to help out or at least make it clear that in your 2nd year there, you will get some financial support.

but the biggest thing you can do is do some homework on your own and also decide in advance what you REALLY want to get out of being an architect.

Amnesiac: I agree with the previous posts; if you need to get registered in the US and are looking to the AA for fulfillment of that goal, its probably not the right fit.

But I would also like to add.......

Finally! I've been trying to get some input on the AA as well! I've also been accepted to the DRL and am pondering my decision, although the situation is a bit different for me. I have a BArch from USC and am currently practicing in Seattle. Does anyone out there have some advice? I don't need a Masters to get registered, it is really more about advanced education that could lead to other paths in practice.

I want to get an idea what the value of a Masters Degree would be from the AADRL vs. schools in US (I ultimately plan to practice in the US). How far can the degree really take you? I mean, I know that the program is supposed to be highly theoretical and the facutly is probably some of the best in avantegard architecture, but what about its value worldwide (and in the US) in the real workplace?? I'd really really appreciate some input.

My main reason to stay is somewhat personal.....I'm married here in Seattle, and moving to London is a big step. But I don't want to pass up what could be a good opportunity.....

the acceptance rates here in the drl arent explicit but what ive seen in the registrars office this year there were at least 500 or more applications with an acceptance of around 65 students obviously your ability to pay fees counts since around 5 bursaries are given to previous DRL years and theyve got to really want those students (kokkugia)

in terms of how far the program takes you the school has its name but with this market alot of the recent graduates still have no jobs

what is most important though is that the school is very different than the US model of education in its duration usually the thesis is given 12 months, and the structure of the school is highly informal so if you are not self motivated youll be lost and sometimes on your own quite a bit. the AA is an active place with various activities but obviously with the DRL workload youll have to pick your battles

the change in agendas this year is also important since this means a shift in the schools goals most importantly this year lack of context (in terms of site) for a longer period than usual to explore notions of the prototypical

ive heard alot of comments like this is not architecture and what the hell are we doing from other classmates so do your research first and be convinced this is an avenue you want to go down (weve had our shares of dropouts due to lack of conviction in whats being done) what you see in the final renderings that get attention is 15% of what goes on here leading to alot of misconceptions about the school

all that said london is a fantastic city

thanks everyone
mustafa i hope your time in london works out nicely! yes i am very interested in the current direction of the DRL program. may i ask you, how much experience did you have with parametric modeling, scripting, 3d prototyping, etc...before starting?

not that much

i was familiar with the modeling environment so maya, rhino etc, but was only familiar with the scripting language in processing.

on the issue of 3d prototyping i think these are the misconceptions i mentioned earlier since i havent used the digital prototyping lab yet, your ability to explore through other forms of modeling is valued even more (at least by certain tutors)

digital exploration is obviously a large part of the program but it is not everything and once you learn one language pretty well it is easy to switch back and forth

and again in terms of the value of the degree we have graduates doing the zaha stint, many start up their own (kokkugia, supermanouvere, MAD, Minimaforms) and some in corporate jobs, so in that sense the school is no different than alot of other graduate schools except that is slightly more eurocentric

ps youll probably not worry too much about that 'parametric' word

Mustafa,

What kind of programs/workshops does the school have for learning digital prototyping? I actually do not have experience with many 3d softwares; if I decide to come, is this something that I can expect to get a little training on or is it more like you need to know it before you get there?

Also, any ideas as to what is the focus of the DRL is going to be now that the "parametric urbanism" series is at an end? I would think that would affect the cirriculum somewhat significantly? Also, I haven't gotten the actual acceptance letter yet; will it include course & calendar information? I'd like to get an idea of what the breakdown is for the AA, since my only knowledge thus far relates to the US university system (is it similair)?

Thanks a lot for your input!

N.

the drl program is broken down into two phases in the beginning of phase one they run 3 workshops (5 weeks, 4weeks, 1week)to familiarize yourself with the tutors and that everyone is speaking the same language but like anything if you have previous experience youll be naturally advantaged

and those peole tend to have more rational, thorough digital research (due to technical knowledge and the wearing off of the novelty effect of the software)but that doesnt necessarily mean a better project or outcome

ive had maya, rhino, 3ds, processing, massive workshops so those are all covered but also a big part of your education is your interaction with the year above you for the 5 or so months you overlap

the focus of the school is proto design and for the first time each tutor is given much more freedom than usual to define what they think the studio should explore under that umbrella and you basically have to agree with one or two of them (five in total) and hope to get your first choice

and ofcourse there is the aspect of teamwork especially with the larger numbers coming in teams of 4 are now the norm and personally getting a team you work well with is difficult and (partly) depends on you expressing your interests and abilities in the first months since even with the highly collaborative atmosphere here it still gets competitive

good luck with your choice

yes

What I think you should do amnesiac is go stick your head in the sand. It will all be over shortly. Just be sure to put plenty of sunscreen on your ass to mitigate the suns rays.

sunscreen. i KNEW i was forgetting something

anybody joining AA DRL this year 2015?

Hey I have a bArch degree in Istanbul. I also got accepted from AAdrl and sciarc. It is really confusing because they are both good at their field and I would like to study in an avant garde school. Because I am into futuristic  and parametric designs. Do you have any suggestions for my decision. The important thing is the education for me. I dont mind the distance or anything else.

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