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
MArch programs: what would be most appropriate?
Hi all,
I am currently a student at the University of Sydney, Australia, writing a PhD on millenarianism and utopianism in early-20th century architecture and design.
Back as a wee undergrad, I had considered studying architecture but instead settled on art history and film for reasons that I am still unable to fault (drugs and women, not necessarily in that order). However, writing my thesis has reawakened my old passions, and I'm considering applying to a three-year MArch program several years after I graduate. My research has indicated that the most sensible and least prohibitive option cost-wise would be to enrol in the University of Melbourne's three-year Master of Architecture; as an Australian student who will be eligible for a government subsidy, I will not be subject to the prohibitive costs that otherwise seem to plague architecture students. Moreover, given the transparent application procedures of Australian universities, I know that I will more than fulfill the admissions requirements and accordingly am not overly concerned about securing a place.
However, I can't help but feel attracted to the possibility of studying overseas. Although I am very much aware that gaining admission to a top-tier American or British school is not a guarantee under any circumstances, my undergraduate marks were sufficient for me to be accepted into some excellent US grad schools (i.e.: I was offered a place at NYU but was unable to accept due to funding concerns; conversely, Sydney was willing to offer a sizeable stipend in addition to paying no tuition), and I can only imagine that holding a doctorate will only render me a more attractive candidate. However, as with applying to PhD programs, I will almost certainly require some form of scholarship or otherwise in order to support myself, and the financial aid for international students in the best architecture schools (GSD, AA, Sci-Arc, etcetera) seems patchy and unreliable at best.
Do any of you charming folk have any ideas as to how I may overcome this otherwise insurmoutable hurdle? Is Melbourne sufficiently well-considered amongst both the professional and academic communities that the difference in perceived quality between Melbourne and, say, the GSD is smaller than the difference in tuition (approx. 8 000 AUD per annum deferred to an interest-free loan vs. nearly 65 000 AUD per annum).
Although several years away, I need to begin planning now if I am to have any decent chance of being accepted overseas. If I decide to apply to overseas institutions, I intend to use the two or three years between the completion of my PhD and the commencement of my MArch as an opportunity to undertake - whilst working full-time - a Graduate Diploma in Science in mathematics (via Monash University, by correspondence) or a Master of Design (via the College of Fine Art, a constituent body of the University of New South Wales) in object and/or environmental design. Conversely, if I decide to study at Melbourne, I will use that interim period to study something profoundly impractical and enrol in an MLitt in ancient languages at the University of Sydney.
Have any of you have any insights that I may find useful? I'm at a loss as to how I should proceed.
Not an easy decision. The difference in cost is a doozy.
I think you left out some important questions:
What do you want to do post MArch? Do you want to practice, or do you want to teach? Or continue to do research?
Where do you want to live and work geographically?
If you want to teach or do research, it might be easier to get funding for a 2nd phD. I'm sure the selection pool is much smaller, even at Harvard.
I'm not sure, however, if a PhD is considered a professional degree, which obviously makes licensing problematic.
You could also take this finer as well. If you do intend to design, then I think a degree in mathematics is good preparation. If you want to manage, then I'd suggest a business degree. If you want to write and theorize, then I suggest a philosophy degree. Also, Princeton is better for theory than Harvard, and all of those admitted get full boat. However, they only admit about 12-14.
I fault your reasons for not studying architecture as an undergrad--you think women and drugs are just for film students? SCI_Arc M.Arch I and its all money, cash, hoes. Money. Cash. Hoes.
jplourde: Not entirely sure at this point. Being by nature a dabbler (as you can no doubt surmise based my admittedly nebulous plans), I can't really imagine committing to any one particular discipline. To be frank, this is what is so appealing about obtaining an MArch; given the wealth of industrial designers, object designers, artists and fashionistas who have backgrounds in architecture, it does rather seem that a professional architecture degree grants both the requisite skills and experience to enter most design disciplines relatively seamlessly.
Moreover, I have no great desire to work within a large corporate structure; I am currently employed as a petty bureaucrat at the University of Sydney and although the work is not unpleasant, I balk at the idea of spending the rest of my life within such an organisation. Given that, and the content of the previous paragraph, my eventual goal would be to set up a series of small design firms (each with their own staff) offering a bespoke service, each with a specific focus (environmental/object, fashion/textile, industrial, architectural). Failing that, I will retreat into academia until someone gives me tenure and I can develop a charming drinking problem (itself not an unattractive option).
Again, not sure where I want to be in the end; although Australian, I have also lived in the USA, UK, Japan and Singapore, and accordingly have no great qualms about moving should the need arise. Complicating things is that the woman I intend to marry is American, and although she will have a Sydney LLB, she certainly wants to go back to the States to complete an LLM (Sydney Law School is very, very well regarded, so assuming that she graduates with a sufficient average, she should have no problem obtaining entrance to an Ivy or school of a similar calibre - a friend of mine, having just completed the same degree, will soon commence an Oxford BCL).
No real point in doing a second PhD. In addition to the facts that I have no great desire to embark upon yet another 100 000 word thesis and that having "PhD PhD" as post-nominals looks more than a little ridiculous, the University of Sydney's rankings in the arts and humanities are sufficiently high (17th in the world in both the THES and US News and World rankings, one below the University of Melbourne) that it would be rather superfluous. Moreover, a PhD is not considered a professional degree, so I would still be unable to practise architecture beyond the status of building designer.
I have no real desire to study a business degree (shudder), nor a philosophy degree; my undergraduate studies and personal reading have more than prepared me for a future in academia. Also, Princeton's programme sounds excellent, but I am not entirely sure that I am willing to spend two years studying a Master's-level accreditation only to find myself in the unhappy 95% of the applicant pool.
blackbook: I've seen female architecture students. I've also seen female art history and film studies students. I assure you, there is no meaningful comparison.
Does anyone else have any additional insights?
jplourde: Another thought. If I were to study an MArch I at Melbourne, I would also consider studying an MArch II/MDes/MDesS/DDes (different post-nominal) at a US institution. Another option I'm considering.
what's the point of getting into more debt with an m.arch 2 from the US? also, despite what you may have heard an architecture degree isn't a magic pass into other design fields.
definitely much more of a golden ticket.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.