Fascinating and helpful, thank you! Best of luck to your C26! S26 is pretty laid back (hence the GPA), so I am definitely of the mindset to fully explore the BArch info (Syracuse virtual presentation coming this week and online) but also look very carefully at the BA/BS options and those with exploratory programs. Sorry if I am misunderstanding, but did the department people at Cal Poly SLO indicate they did not participate in the portfolio review or that they did but the admissions department makes the final decision? Also appreciate the info on CU Boulder! Thank you!!
I somehow missed this, so Iâm glad we are working on gathering his application early! How lovely that would be. Thanks very much for pointing this out!
There acceptance is really exciting, too! I wonât give it away, but Iâm sure youâll all celelbrate when he gets it.
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Fingers crossed that it works out. With D22, one of her schools included glitter in the mailer envelope. Not a fan!!
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SLO does not require a portfolio. The department itself has no say in admissions. I assume that differs for schools who require or consider a portfolio.
Boulder is C26âs top choice, partly because of the interdisciplinary (within EnvD) nature of it. They did a little urban design in the summer course and liked it a lot. I asked the prof at SLO about how much cross+pollination there is in the courses under Environmental Design at Cal Poly and she said not much, especially from arch because of how intensive it is. So also depends what youâre looking for in a course.
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Ah, I see, thank you for the explanation! Glad C26 had such a good experience at the summer program, and it helped them know more of what programs are a best fit.
Not an architect- nor are my kids.
But wanted to address the weed-out question. I know a LOT of kids who use âIâm going to major in architectureâ as a smoke-screen for âI want to major in something artistic but my parents wonât pay for me to study fine arts or even graphic design because they want me to get a good paying job when I graduateâ.
Architecture is the socially acceptable major for an arty kid who needs to profess something pre-professional.
And then they get to college and are knee deep in the actual training to become an architect. SO MUCH MATH. Oh no. When do we start drawing beautiful renderings of gorgeous buildings? When do we meet Richard Meier? Why am I behind this semester when I am working so hard?
Etc. So the weedout isnât the institution weeding out. Itâs the kids with a weak understanding of what the training is all about, combined with a weak motivation to actually studying architecture in the first place (the upper middle class acceptable version of art school).
I donât think you can view the weeding out as a failure so much as saving kids from themselves early enough to find another major that suits them better!!!
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Iâm finding this weed-out discussion interesting, because what attracts C26 to the profession is exactly the intersection of math/physics and design/creativity. That said from what weâve seen, some degree curriculums are lighter than others on the math and physics requirements. There are also some that place a lot more emphasis on humanities aspects like history of architecture, social context, critical thinking etc. All of them cover all of STEM/design/humanities to some extent but emphases definitely differ. While Iâm generally wary of artificial distinctions based on whether a degree is designated BA or BS, it looks like this could be a rule of thumb for distinguishing emphasis on (4-year) arch programs from what weâve seen. I do think itâs worth looking at the suggested curriculums - I think all the schools we looked at posted these on their websites. C26 eliminated a few schools that focused more on the humanities aspects, which is not their thing, but has kept some with more focus on the STEM side.
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I canât help with specifics on Arizona State, but in viewing their website, the Design School appears to offer quite a bit of flexibility among programs.
I also would like to comment on your earlier question about competitive culture in the studio.
My sonâs experience was that his studiomates were sincerely supportive, encouraging and helpful. Iâd guess that is more common than not. Many projects are team or partner based reflecting the collaborative nature of the practice of architecture.
The stress point I think is that architecture students must not only create but also explain and defend their work. The process is not necessarily contentious, but responding orally to questions can be difficult for students who havenât been exposed to college level design or art courses.
Ease with professional architectural vocabulary in order to present the âwhyâ behind design projects is essential both in school and in real life architecture. This is where art history and theory courses come in handy.
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Thank you! Iâll encourage him to continue to explore the field, and read and read and read! The art history and theory appeal to him. Weâre also trying to put him into contact with some in the profession, but unfortunately arenât acquainted with too many architects, so appreciate your insights. Iâm glad to hear that the students are supportive and collaborative in general.
Appreciate the practical insight. S26 is a man of few words, but weâve encouraged his interest in animation and encouraged him to pursue a degree in Animation or a related field, so Iâm hopeful that he doesnât feel pressure from us. He was spending all of his time designing the buildings in the backgrounds of his animations, which sparked his interest into research and reading about architecture. I do worry about the âSO MUCH MATH.â Do you have any suggestions on how to truly understand the field for someone contemplating it? We wouldâve happily sent him to a precollege program this summer, but the timing was too late when he made this shift fully, and he was committed to a summer art DE class. Appreciate your help!
My opinion might be skewed but looking at the curriculum of many of the B-Arch programs, they are NOT math heavy. They are design heavy. There are - of course - courses in Structural Systems and Building Systems of which math will be a component but Architecture is not Engineering. They will need to take a Physics course and likely Calculus I as well. The technical schools will be more math heavy and the design schools less so - but the core NAAB curriculum (if B-Arch/M-Arch) is going to be pretty consistent within all of them.
This! I mentioned in the thread earlier on that I do feel High Schools, generally, donât do a very good job outlining what Architecture as a career really is.
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FWIW, I completed at 4 year BSAS followed by a 2 year MArch and never had to take a college Physics class. I did have to take college Calc 1 and 2, but passed out of Calc 1 from high school Calc AB credit. There were several (at least 4, IIRC)semester long structures classes taught by the Architecture faculty that were very math/physics based. More like âphysics for Architectsâ rather than a regular physics class. Lots of physics/math problems. We would get together in small groups and work on homework together. Speaks to the âweâre all in this togetherâ culture I personally experienced.
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Thatâs interesting. I think all but one of the curricula weâve looked at has a physics requirement of at least one semester (as in, a general physics class and not an architecture-specific one); the one that doesnât has a science gen ed requirement though so probably makes sense to make that a physics class.
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There are 18 shuttles from the airport to Auburn, per day. Hard not to get to Auburn if you take the shuttle, just make a reservation online and pay. Used to be about $65 not sure the price now but certainly easy transport.
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S26 watched the virtual info sessions for Syracuse (and VT, but that was the entire college of design). I was working so didnât catch much, but I did hear and he confirmed that the presenter for Syracuse did emphasize that the 4+2 path needed to be completed at the same institution? Is that always the case? Could one do a 4 year preprofessional degree at say, CU Boulder, and then the MArch degree elsewhere in 2 years, or are you committing to a 3-3.5 year MArch degree at another university in that scenario? To my 17 year old, that is important to note! Thanks again, everyone. The remainder of the info sessions were helpful and emphasized the rigor needed.
I donât think there are rules on this. While most of my BSAS cohort did stay at the same school, some moved to other schools for the Masters degree portion. I also looked and applied elsewhere, but ultimately stayed at the same school all 6 years.
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Not an expert but Iâve never heard that you have to do 4+2 at the same institution, but that may be a Syracuse requirement for a 2 year MArch. What I have heard is that some universities are more likely to make you do a 3 year MArch if you went elsewhere. It really depends on what has been done in undergrad and how the grad school judges it.
I cannot remember which cc parent it is or where the student (I think it was a daughter) went, but someone here did post that their D got offered admission for a 2 year MArch at some schools and a 3 year at another based on their undergrad. So it is not blanket. I do know Boulder grads have done 2 year MArchs elsewhere from internet discussions, and that in general there seems to be movement between undergrad and MArch (as there often is for any other postgrad degree).
As an aside there was also a post here where the student got credit at the undergrad school for AP calculus, but the MArch school wanted to see a college calculus course completed and did not accept the AP, so the student had to complete one before they could formally get admission. So something to bear in mind if thinking how to use AP credits too.
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The answer to how long does it take to complete an MArch is basically âIt depends.â
With a BA or BS in architecture or architectural studies from a university that has a school of architecture, the MArch is generally a continuum of 2 years, possibly 1 or 1-1/2 if summers are included. Enrollment in the same schoolâs MArch is generally, but not always, guaranteed.
With a BA or BS in something other than architecture whether from the same or different undergrad institution, the MArch can be +2.0 to +3.5 years depending on how the undergrad courses are evaluated. Some programs add the thesis as a separate semester.
March programs can be accelerated by exemptions that are variously called âadvanced placementâ, âcourse waiverâ, âadvanced standingâ. Qualification is at the MArch programâs discretion, and criteria are difficult to pin down in advance.
Nevertheless, many students will choose a different SoA for their MArch. They may wish to be exposed to different studio instructors, different travel/internship opportunities, different niche specialties, a different part of the country. Also many will work in architecture for a year or two before starting their MArch (which many MArchs recommend).
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Agree with what others have said. I never found a school that REQUIRED their MArch students to have completed their undergrad at that school.
The 4+2 is a logical path if completed at the same university as many will guarantee (or make easier) the admission to the MArch and the Undergrad curriculum is known by the Grad program so the classes to go into the Graduate program are waived as appropriate.
If doing a BA/BS Arch at one school and transferring to another for MArch it will likely mean taking some courses that would have otherwise been waived if staying at the same school and maybe then the overall timeline becomes a 4+2.5/3.
If looking to follow the 4+X path I would be scanning the schools that might be a target for the +X and send an inquiry to ask where their students generally come from and it might help give some guidance where the 4 years should be spent since that also impact how long the MArch takes.
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