Thank you to both merc81 and momrath, super helpful! He’s in the process of reaching out to various programs, and we’ll try to tour a local one soon. He’ll likely end up with a list of both BArch programs and BS/BA programs as well. I’m hoping he can put together a portfolio that aids him; he is going to have to go for quality over quantity here! We’re stuck on the admissions statistics part. I don’t necessarily want him applying to all reach schools, but it is hard to know!
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I’d like to add a word about a few undergrad architecture programs that are not affiliated with a school of architecture, are not recognized (i e accredited)by the architecture board but still send students to highly regarded MArch programs.
These would include Hobart&Smith, Conn College, Lehigh, Brown, Middlebury. And outside your geographic range U of Colorado Boulder Environmental Design. There are probably others that I’m not aware of.
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General admission to Roger Williams would be a target, however, their architecture program requires a portfolio.
My understanding is the U Colorado program is quite selective, but it would also leave the door open for just about any other major if he changed course (as many do). My estimation is that if he were to get in, it would be to the Exploratory program (again, that might not be a bad thing). While one can transfer into Environmental Design, you need to research if that is ever limited due to space.
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I’m in the related profession of Urban Planning, so I can comment from the urban design side and the architects I know. Miami has a great program fitting your son’s interests, but yes it is hard to get in. So does Notre Dame, which is even harder. Virginia Tech, Clemson, and SUNY-Buffalo offer good architecture and urban planning programs, and align close to his academic standing. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is known for their co-op programs and has an architecture program. Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and North Carolina State have architecture programs along with large engineering programs.
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Thank you so much. Some of these were known to us but others not. Admission seems to be a reach to most but worth looking over. I saw that University of Colorado at Denver has an accredited program for architecture, but we were not looking at Boulder yet!
Thank you so much for the insight on acceptance possibilities. Any thought on University of Colorado at Denver, which seems to have an accredited program, vs. Boulder? Exploratory seems reasonable and perhaps the best to me, but he is a bit stubborn.
Thank you so much. Appreciate the real-world insight, which we are lacking based on only Google! VT and Clemson have been historically tough for students in our area to get into (he may still try for one), but we’ll look into the others. Any of the smaller programs that have a decent reputation from your experience? Thank you!!
This isn’t a plug for Syracuse but when S23 was looking at Architecture programs I/we found the presentation given by the Syracuse SoA to be particularly helpful in understanding the accreditation landscape, the school focus (design/art versus more engineering) and the admission practices. They used to do one on-line so it doesn’t require visiting them but not 100% sure they still do it. Might be 90 minutes well spent for you.
Lots of good feedback already on this thread but I’ll add that the SoA at MOST SCHOOLS is more difficult to get into than the general school statistics will lead you to believe.
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Thank you! Just registered for a virtual session with Syracuse to get more information. I think I have a realistic expectation of admissions, but my son, not so much!!
I don’t think CU Denver is going to give him the college experirence he is looking for. Very much a computer campus with an older crowd, no sports, only one dorm. If that doesn’t matter to him, Denver is a great city.
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Although this is not related to your main question, I wanted to mention that an undergrad major in architecture (especially BArch) is quite intense, requiring most of one’s time to be spent in the studio. For students who want that, it would be a good fit, but for those who may not be “all in” and want to explore different fields, classes, etc., it could be tough. Some schools also have a somewhat intentional “weeding out” approach, where only a percentage of the entering class actually makes it through the 5-year program.
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Yes, I hear you! Trying to get him to understand that is a bit of a different challenge. If mom says it, it must be wrong! I’m hoping hearing the virtual presentation on BArch at Syracuse will illustrate the point.
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I’m not expert on the points of differentiation between Denver’s BS architecture and Boulder’s BS Environmental Design but my understanding is that Boulder’s BS is more interdisciplinary (e.g. with urban planning) and Denver’s a more traditional preparation for the MArch.
I think you’ll find a good deal of variation from school to school in BS/BA programs. BArch and MArch curriculums are regulated by the architecture board, and though individual programs may vary in focus — some on design, some on tech, some on sustainability — the core information is covered by all according to accreditation mandates.
BA/BS programs are not regulated and the curriculums are developed in line with the priorities of the individual department and parent institution. If the university offers an MArch then the undergraduate curriculum tends to reflects the MArch’s focus.
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As general information, this story shows an example of how a B.A. degree (with majors in art and math, in this case) can lead into an MArch program:
With respect to your son’s college choice, a similar path would be open with attendance at an undergraduate school such as HWS, for example.
Thank you again! We’ll do more reading on the Colorado programs to see if either is more in line with his interests, but thank you for suggesting UC Boulder, as it hadn’t yet come up on our searches, and it’s just a lovely place to go college. Will also encourage him to look at the course of study and the MArch at the schools he is interested in to better understand their focus.
Thanks, HWS has definitely made it on the list, thanks in large part to these suggestions. I’ll have him read this.
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For some students the BArch is absolutely the right choice. They thrive and go on to satisfying and successful careers as architects.
For others, perhaps driven to choose a BArch by pressure to settle in a specific career designation or real life family financial projections, it can be a frustrating and expensive mistake.
Architecture, both in education and career, is a split personality, requiring both design and technical ability — plus a high level of communication skills. My observation is that the reason that BArchs have inordinately high drop out rates is that high school students can’t fully understand its dual nature. The science/engineering focused kids are stressed out by the demands of the studio, especially the intensive critiques. The artsy kids are discouraged by the demands of the structure and technology classes.
To counter this some BArchs have introduced a secondary hurdle to acceptance after a year of preliminaries. And as noted, some schools of architecture have abandoned the BArch altogether in favor of the BA/BS+MArch.
While architects can earn a comfortable living, it’s certainly not a get rich quick plan one that pales in comparison to other education heavy careers like medicine or law. Tech is in another category altogether.
My son’s undergraduate and graduate experience was similar to that of the Hamilton student in the profile posted by @merc81.
In retrospect, despite the subsequent debt, the choice of an undergraduate liberal arts education seems to have been the right and only choice for him at the time. He feels that his exposure to a broad range of academic disciplines (majors in art studio+art history) made him a better architect. My only regret is that we didm’t fully explore less costly MArch options.
The net result is that architecture has proven to be a rewarding career that draws on all of his strengths and the debt repayment, while unfortunate, is still manageable.
I think you’re doing the right thing in asking a lot of questions and evaluating the pros and cons of various options.
If the U of Miami’s BArch continues to be your son’s top choice, then he might consider applying ED, which they categorize as “demonstrated interest.” His portfolio will be critical however as will essays and recommendations. Will he be taking an art course senior year?
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Thank you for the clear explanation, which I will discuss with him and have him read through. It also helps to hear personal experiences, so thank you for sharing about your son’s path. If I were to consider your insights on the dual nature of BArch, I’d say S26’s communication (at least written), is a strength, followed by design/art, with less emphasis on the engineering aspect. I think he can get through those courses, but, unless there is a sudden switch, that will not be his focus. He’s taking a joint enrollment art class this summer (fundamentals), and I think he could continue in the fall. That’s the tricky part, as there is only so much time! He also attends an animation program. He enjoys the animation, his instructor helps him explore the architecture interest, and is taught with pretty hard deadlines etc., so that will help prepare him for college level work.
We’ve set aside some money for his school, but life changes are expected, so we’ve tried to encourage him to stretch that money as far as possible, hence my looking for the
“unicorn” school of lower base tuition that matches his interest and he may be accepted! ED to University of Miami is a thought, but the average cost per year is a huge consideration.
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@momrath is a fountain of knowledge on the Architecture topic.
S23 applied to UMaimi’s program (RD) and while it’s highly regarded (and who wouldn’t want to go to school in Miami!) a few things started to stand out on the financial side of things. A - list price is quite expensive. B - they don’t give a lot of merit aid. C- housing is not guaranteed and if you need to rent off-campus it can be 2x-3x the cost of a dorm. Ultimately I was glad he was waitlisted.
BArch is a good program for students that they KNOW they want to be Architects and they have a good understanding what that means going in. They won’t (normally) take many general education requirement in years 1/2 so if they change their mind for a different major not a lot of courses will transfer over and likely puts them on a 5 year college track in any case. Whereas the BA/BS Arch could lead to any number of different careers or to the MArch (~6 years) and licensure. And with the BA/BS Arch if they change their mind year 1/2 they should have a good number of credits to go toward a different study plan.
S23 is at Tulane and although they don’t publicize the numbers I’ve looked at the enrollment rate for 1st semester studio and the graduation numbers and there’s about a 50% drop rate (i.e. Freshman studio might enroll 60 students and by the time this cohort gets to graduation, it’s 30 students). My sense is their numbers are not inconsistent with other schools.
We found the NAAB list of which schools offer which programs invaluable in creating S23’s list of schools to apply to. If you’re applying to a school that has a BA/BS Arch program and NOT an MArch program I would ask questions of them where their students normally go onto for their MArch.
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Thank you so much! Again, the personal experience helps and the honest and thoughtful information. Now to get my son to understand all the nuance! He’s smart; I have hope, and I’ll have him read these personal accounts. I’ve already told him to look into the MArch focus for some of the BS/BA schools, based on your feedback. Not applicable to this discussion, but I honestly can’t understand why the BArch schools would wish to “weed out,” these very carefully selected applicants!! Are there limited instructors or space for the upper levels? It just boggles me!