Have you completed a bachelor degree? And are you Canadian?

I went through a similar change of discipline half way through a bachelor of arts in BC Canada. I realized I was wasting my time and wanted to switch to architecture asap. My choices (and yours, if you are not finished your degree) were:
1. finish two more years of a degree i hate, then start m.arch.
2. throw away my first 2 years of university and start over with a b.arch.
and 3... which i didn't know about at first. go to Dalhousie in Halifax, where they let you take your 2 years of uni and do 2 years there and you leave with a bachelor of environmental design studies (which is essentially a non-professional architecture degree). They also have a masters program which you can move into at the end.

I have no regrets in going this way. You might want to look into it.

However, if you already hold a bachelors degree and intend to stay in Canada... don't waste your time on a bachelor of arch. No point, move straight to m.arch.

'It wasn't what I wanted, a lot of drama, a lot of pain and suffering, and a lot of time and money wasted.'


architecture will be no different and it will be even more money wasted with the current economic situation. what you mentioned is in all fields as long as you love what you are doing you will be able to deal with it. i heard peers complain about architecture the way you did about chemistry, but i must say it was a blast so if your heart is in it id recommend lesov's third choice and then while you are in halifax check out some of bryan mckay lyons work.

i'm not sure but i don't think the B.Arch exists anymore at any school of architecture. Most Canadian schools have moved to the 2 or 3 year bachelors (ie. bachelor of architecture studies, or science, etc.) followed by 3 or 4 years masters. i think maybe UofT and UBC are exceptions.

I'm kind of in the same boat as you yellotrace. I had wanted to do arch since I was probably 4, but due to financial reasons I ended up at a state school study computer science. Now, I don't like computer science, I'm probably depressed, my grades are going in the shitter, but I'm three years in and not about to throw all that suffering away for nothing.

My family has a lot of practicing architects as friends and what I've gleamed from them, is that a good majority of practicing architects received their bachelors in something other than architecture, and then went strait to an M.arch. this is what I'm planning on doing.

But of course if you are really that miserable where you are now, go ahead and go for a b.arch, but from a finacial and a "least amount of time wasted" stand point, an m.arch is the way to go. and this way, if architecture ever goes south for you, you always have another degree to fall back on.

(i apologize, as this is completely irrelevant to the Original Post -- which was answered quite nicely by lesov in my opinion -- but it's important that it be clarified regardless : )

i'm not sure but i don't think the B.Arch exists anymore at any school of architecture.

I'm tired of seeing this absolutely untrue misinformation propagated empty-headedly around the internet. The B.Arch is going strong at many schools; very, very few unis have dropped the program; NAAB has not stated any intention to drop the program; and it continues to be a highly valuable degree that you can pursue at many different accredited universities. Why anyone would randomly choose to repeat something asinine like "I think it doesn't exist anymore" without taking the two seconds to simply LOOK UP THE FACTS is stupidity beyond belief. Thanks to posters like you, innes, there is a lot of misinformation endlessly repeated on the internet and it only serves as a waste of time to the poor original poster who has to chase down the truth.

If you're going to take the time to write something down in response to someone asking for information, then for heaven's sakes TAKE THE TIME TO CHECK YOUR FACTS FIRST.

This is irrelevant to the topic, however...

I am currently taking architecture at U of Toronto, however, I am worried about the degree I am going to receive when I graduate. U of Toronto offers a Bachelor of Arts, Architecture. Which seems to differ from B.arch, which is common in most Universities and Colleges in the US and the UK. Are these two degrees somewhat similar, or are they completely different. I have enrolled in U of Toronto, as it is possible for me to transfer to Hong Kong University to take my Masters simply because they also offer a Bachelor of arts, architecture degree.

is it possible to enlighten me about the difference between the Bachelor of arts, Architecture, Bachelor of science, Architecture, and the Bachelor of Architecture.

mantaray, take it easy. my "assinine" "empty headed" post was meant to focus on canadian schools of architecture. i was pointing out that the B.Arch has been phased out at all the canadian schools of architecture in favour of a BS/BA + M.Arch combination. this includes the two french speaking schools. this is a fact. no need for hysterics.

we only have what, like 10 to 12 universities offering architecture school in canada so that is not such a drastic thing to do, manta. but last i heard those are indeed the facts.

to the question itself:

if you do the m.arch after degree in other field i think the process is 4 years long. which is a year and a half to 2 years longer than "normal" m.arch. which is to say, you will not save much time by going that route at this point.

at u of m, my alma mater, i believe it is now mandatory to have a year under your belt before applying to the architecture program in any case, so in that example you are in fact only 1 year out. and if you are lucky you should be able to use a few of those 2nd year courses for your electives. things may not be as wasteful as they seem.

good luck.

innes, what you stated is not fact. mantaray, though coming across as a psychopath, is right. Check the CACB website if you don't believe me - the B.Arch is still real and accredited in Canada, just not at all schools.

I'm at the U of Manitoba. If you have a previous degree (outside architecture) then it will take you 4 years to get your masters. However, the school generally accepts only 8 to 16 of these students per year. Competition is tight. If you do get in, however, you are awarded a Bachelor of Environmental Design after the first two years, then with two more years (including comprehensive thesis), you get your M.Arch.

Generally, whether you have a B.Sc, B.A, or B.Arch, you can apply directly to the M.Arch program. If you're missing any courses, you'll have the opportunity to catch up once you're enrolled. Don't sweat it.

nothing.

maybe stress?

dustin, that's not the case. pay attention to the dates indicated on the CACB website.

so a bachelor of arts, architecture in canada is still not accredited? that would mean that the masters degree in canada would not be accredited in the future then..

Would it be possible for me to use my Bachelor of arts, architecture degree to apply for other universities for a masters in architecture?

Thank you very much for all the responses.
I think you all know that when someone posts something like this, often they just want someone to reassure what they plan to do.
To be honest, that was my intention. I actually expected some replies persuading me from architecture altogether.

Time and money doesn't seem to matter to me at this moment, considering that I've wasted considerable amount of both already. I've decided to go straight for architecture, I don't want to spend another day studying a field I have no interest in just to have it as a back-up plan. As much as I realize how foolish this may sound, it's just how I feel. Can't fix stupid, so I'll work with it.

lawrence, a BA or BS in architecture is not accredited. it is not a terminal, professional degree - it prepares you for the M.Arch, which is the accredited, professional degree. you need the M.Arch (in canada - i guess in the US B.Arch still exists) to do the internship process and exams which eventually gets you a license to practice architecture.

i don't understand your comment about the masters degree in canada not being accredited in the future - follow the link above to the CACB website to see which degrees are accredited in Canada.

you should be able to use your BA in architecture to apply to M.Arch programs in Canada and the US.

yellotrace, as lesov mentioned above, you have basically 2 choices - 1. finish your undergrad chem degree and apply to the M.Arch programs that accept undergrad degrees that are not in architecture (i think UBC and maybe UofT? - many more in the USA), or 2. quit your current studies and start in an undergrad architecture program which will eventually lead to a professional M.Arch degree. sounds like you know what you want (ie. number 2). many students come to undergrad architecture programs with previous studies or degrees.

barch people spend five years in architecture school. they put a lot of work into it. from my experience seeing the work of people mixed in vertical studios during last years of their respective barch and masters programs, i didn't really see any difference in terms of quality of their projects. don't forget a barch student will study four more semesters of architecture than three years masters. that means four more projects and professors and many other students to learn from. they might be younger but architecture is a professional school, meaning, everything you study is related to it.
just one more angle into the consideration.

sometimes i notice some people talk about five year b.arch degree as if it is a prep school. it is not and five years is a long time to study architecture, considering there will be another 5-7 years of practical experience until you get your license.
i think it is a highly valuable degree to get and commit to.

Firstly, innes, you are right and I stand corrected. I didn't see the accreditation dates when I went to the site. (On a side note, the accreditation board is visiting my school in a week or two. It is a daunting process - there's a lot of stress goin' on around here right now.)

Orhan, you are correct about US schools. In Canada, however, most B.Arch programs (or at least all the ones I'm aware of) are 4-year degrees, not five. In order to become licensed in Canada through a Canadian university, you must first obtain the M.Arch.

On a side note, the Canadian licensing board has recently started a separate licensing-testing system from NCARB / ARE. You can still do the ARE tests if you want the option of practicing in the US, but if you know you want to stay in Canada, now there's a less onerous and more streamlined system of 4 tests after 2800 hours of experience.

I was in your position, sophomore in an Animal Science program and hating life and myself. (I had thought I wanted to be a vet, being on the Varsity Equestrian Team at the time.)

I was faced with the same choice, finish the degree I hated and try for an MArch or jump to the BArch within Cornell and spend tons of time and money in college. I went for the BArch - it was partly due to how miserable I was, and partly due to the fact that Cornell's BArch is a great program and I was able to transfer into it. It took me four years to get the B.Arch - but because of the other credits I had accrued I was able to take a ton of history / theory classes and I got an excellent education. It was 6 years of undergrad, but I have never regretted it. I went on to work for a few years, then go back to grad school so that I can teach on a tenure track. I'm in a PhD program now, history and theory of architecture, and loving it. So. There have been bumps and there have been HUGE loans but like you, I was just headed to an awful place. This has been worth it.

If you can stick it out, get the chemistry degree. But if you can't, it will still work out fine. We all take different paths.