College Discussion - View Single Post

brothel · 12-19-2007, 02:13 AM

I am in my first year of the 5yr MArch program at KU. I did a ton of research before I made my decision to join KU. Geographically it made sense to me because I live in Kansas.
If I were you, I would be hesitant to let my son join a 5yr BArch program. It is a program that is quickly diminishing. Most schools are changing to the 5yr MArch. KU began this in 2006 and no longer offers the BArch. In order to be a certified Architect, one needs a Masters Degree first. Your son will have to go to graduate school another 2-3 years to get his MArch.
The down side to taking the 5yr MArch route is that it is very competitive. About 1/6 are accepted each fall to the MArch program. It is very unlikely he will be accepted in the spring. They only have a set number of seats available. If your son has a GPA of 3.5 and has some talent in art, he may have a shot. They will not even look at students with a GPA under that.
In my opinion your son has 3 options:

1. His GPA is too low to join the 5yr MArch program so he is forced to go into the BArch or if the school offers it like KU, a Bachelor's in Architectural Studies. Then after he has his Bachelor's he must be accepted to the MArch program (either 2 or 3 year) where he will be asked to submit a portfolio of art work and have a GPA of 3.0.

2. His GPA is high enough and his art work is fine so he will be accepted into the 5yr MArch program. BUT!!! Deadlines for fall applications are almost due and they are viewed on a first come first serve basis.

3. He can do what I did and start at a community college and increase his GPA and also take art classes and other classes that will transfer into his 5yr MArch program. Make sure the community college works very closely with the University he wants to go to so that all his credits transfer.

The best option in my opinion is the community college because you save money and your son won't have to dive right into the grueling Architectural curriculum that causes students to pull "all nighters".
I hope this helps and I'm sorry it's so long. There is much more to discuss than this but it's a start.

12-19-2007, 02:13 AM	#8
brothel Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Threads: 6 Posts: 30	I am in my first year of the 5yr MArch program at KU. I did a ton of research before I made my decision to join KU. Geographically it made sense to me because I live in Kansas. If I were you, I would be hesitant to let my son join a 5yr BArch program. It is a program that is quickly diminishing. Most schools are changing to the 5yr MArch. KU began this in 2006 and no longer offers the BArch. In order to be a certified Architect, one needs a Masters Degree first. Your son will have to go to graduate school another 2-3 years to get his MArch. The down side to taking the 5yr MArch route is that it is very competitive. About 1/6 are accepted each fall to the MArch program. It is very unlikely he will be accepted in the spring. They only have a set number of seats available. If your son has a GPA of 3.5 and has some talent in art, he may have a shot. They will not even look at students with a GPA under that. In my opinion your son has 3 options: 1. His GPA is too low to join the 5yr MArch program so he is forced to go into the BArch or if the school offers it like KU, a Bachelor's in Architectural Studies. Then after he has his Bachelor's he must be accepted to the MArch program (either 2 or 3 year) where he will be asked to submit a portfolio of art work and have a GPA of 3.0. 2. His GPA is high enough and his art work is fine so he will be accepted into the 5yr MArch program. BUT!!! Deadlines for fall applications are almost due and they are viewed on a first come first serve basis. 3. He can do what I did and start at a community college and increase his GPA and also take art classes and other classes that will transfer into his 5yr MArch program. Make sure the community college works very closely with the University he wants to go to so that all his credits transfer. The best option in my opinion is the community college because you save money and your son won't have to dive right into the grueling Architectural curriculum that causes students to pull "all nighters". I hope this helps and I'm sorry it's so long. There is much more to discuss than this but it's a start.