I would chalk that up to Universities doing normal program adjustments. Unfortunately NAAB does not publish annual listings of the schools that offer which program(s). There’s some pretty big names on the B.Arch list (Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Rice, Notre Dame). Until some of them start to drop off, I wouldn’t be too concerned about anything shifting away.
Definitely a consideration! For a school that offers a BA/BS and M.Arch they are likely marketing themselves into one of those 5.5-6 year programs. If the student transfers from a different school into M.Arch they are probably in for a 2-3 year program (oh, sorry, those credits don’t transfer to us, you need to take those classes again).
UNC Charlotte offers a 4 years plus 1 = Graduate with a masters degree from an accredited Masters Program. RWU is similar with a 4+ 1.5.
If it is a bachelors and is 5 year program it is an accredited program. If it is a four year it is not an accredited program and will need to get a masters degree. Master degrees can range from 1-3 years depending the undergraduate degree.
The UNC program is a minimum of 1.5 years as well.
Im aware of the distinctions of the different programs (accredited, etc).
While it might seem like quibbling over an “extra semester”, I do think even the 5.5 year M.Arch path is best case scenario and while some might get through it in that time for many its going to be 6 years.
Given the cost of professional school programs like MArch, an extra semester of such a program can be a significant added cost in money as well as time.
Can anyone comment on the architectural studies department or major at Hobart, Ithaca , Connecticut College? Do they have any licensed architects teaching? Do they have a variety of coursework available- is the major well resourced? What’s the vibe like?
Your original post talked about “outcomes” - what is it your student is looking to do after college? Have you visited these schools/programs?
I’m nowhere near an expert in the area but I would anticipate an architectural studies program to be more “building/art history” than “architecture” and not sure the relevance of having licensed architects teaching. There might be some but guessing it’s not a focus. Looking at the Connecticut College courses/curriculum it seems very fluid and has a fairly small number of core classes with the remaining up to the student to fill in on where their interest is.
As a general trend, you will find that the majority of full-time faculty members in architectural programs are not licensed architects. The reason is that there is a fairly distinct divergence between the career paths of an architectural “academic” vs. “practitioner”. Most full-time academics go on to get Masters and/or PhD degrees and do not have the time/opportunity for practical work experience (usually a min. of 3 years full-time) and the follow-up licensing exams. However, many schools have “adjunct” faculty members who are not full-time professors and most likely licensed architects. They divide their time between teaching and practice.
Most architectural programs focus on theory vs. practice. This follows a long tradition of architectural education - the school is for theoretical learning and the apprenticeship is when one truly gets some “real life” practical experience of architecture. Long story short, the number of licensed architects on a faculty list does not necessarily correlate to the quality of the education.
I’m even less of an expert but I don’t think there’s any substitute for examining each school’s curriculum in detail. Yes one is a BA and one a BS, but for example an “architectural studies” degree seems to have very different structures at Connecticut College vs UIUC. (Short version, the UIUC curriculum reflects why it says it values applicants with very strong HS math.)
Has anyone actually done the architectural studies major at Conn and can comment about it? Faculty and facilities, placement? I heard you don’t do arch design studio classes until 2nd year and studio space is separate from the department and in a reconverted dorm space? Is it a well resourced department?