Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)
Pratt Institute
University of Southern California (USC)
Tulane University
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Temple University
University of Oregon
Cranbrook Academy of Art
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT)
Kansas State University
M.Arch suggestions
G'day all,
I've recently completed my B.Arch in Adelaide Australia. I'm extremely interested in working in the states, and as such I'm seeking opinions on places to study a M.Arch program.
I've had a look a several schools, namely Berkeley, Harvard, Princeton and SciArc. However, most of these schools are looking largely unobtainable due to the costs, as coming from a country where schooling costs 5grand a year to 40(at minimum) is a huge financial adjustment.
I am grappling trying to decipher whether it's worth forking out such huge money for a school, or whether I should apply for lower tier schools such as the University of Oregon etc, which are cheaper, but still highly reputable schools.
So in short, where do you guys recommend attending, taking into consideration that cost is not going to be a huge issue if the end result is overwhelming.
Cheers.
If i were in your shoes I would go somewhere reputable but cheaper.
I am not really sure what you are looking for in each of these schools, they are quite different from each other. I would say any significant advantage they might offer is limited to the specific direction of the school.
Your list of 4 interesting. You are picking known names. However, the coasts are very different from each other, and while the schools are, too, I'd put Berkeley and Sci-ARC as two peas in a pod and Harvard and Princeton as two peas in a pod.
Also, is your B.Arch. of the 5 year variety and will the schools regard it as such, as being accredited in Australia and also equivalent to an accredited degree here? If so, that will impact which M.Arch. program length you will slot into. Are you looking at M.Arch 2 (conventional 2 years) so you have all the bases covered?
let me repeat a post I made from another forum:
This is the key thing you need to use to evaluate a school.
will they let you study they types of buildings you want to study?
Nothing else matters if the best school only does blob shaped museums in every studio and you want to design affordable housing out of salvaged stuff then that is not the school for you. Look for a program that allows you to chose a thesis topic or consistently assigns studio projects in the area you want to work in.
The graduate studio projects will be the cornerstone of your portfolio for the first few years of your career. Choose flexibility and or a school that specializes in what you want to have in your portfolio. Good design can come from any program Harvard Yale MIT don't hold a monopoly on good ideas, they attract lots of insanely talented people, but you can have an incredible graduate portfolio anywhere as long as you have the freedom to do so in your program and faculty who are less concerned about standard format and instead focus on teaching you skills you will need to succeed as an architect.
The next Two or three years are setting a course for your future career, take time to ask and look around.
Peter N
On that note if you have cash to burn and want to know what the US architecture schools are like why not attend the AIAS Forum in Chicago this December. $700 registration and your flight and hotel but hundreds of schools are represented and you can meet students from any program you maybe considering. Also IIT, UIUC and the Art Institute are there for you to check out. http://aiasforum2013.com/
this issue of cost is not just about the actual school price. If you have the money, then a case could be made that it is worth paying for a highly respected brand like Harvrd. And don't forget that sometimes the better schools also have more money available for scholarships 7 grants which may reduce the price. Problem is you don't really know the true cost until after acceptance to the program which can make the window shopping phase difficult.
And the #1 most important thing is to minimze any school debt you might take. Starting wages in architecture can be brutal and the deflationary economic enviroment looks to continue for years yet. In other words,things aint gettin any better any time soon so you really have to be savy about the finances and avoid trapping yourself in debt.
Here's the deal. It ain't med school, especially for those doing a 3.5 year M.Arch, meaning the job market is tough, even in good times, and some of the firms that employ these grads are not worthy of their good education and work ethic typically formed during a-school. There are no guarantees in life and the attrition rate from architecture, meaning licensure and traditional office practice, is higher than most of the recognized professions. Unless a person comes from money, really wants a particular name, or is fanatical about architecture (to the point that it would alienate non-architects), then they should look for the best price-quality balance in their choice of an architectural school, in addition to a curriculum they want and an interpersonal fit.
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