I am a current senior in high school and I graduate in less than a month. I applied to Colorado State University for physics but as the year went on and I really started doubling down on my physics work and research I realized it’s not something I could see myself doing AT ALL. I went to go and try and change my major today to architecture as I have always loved studying and researching the whole process and I like to think I have a knack for design and CAD. but I see that they only have interior architecture which is not what I want. I’ve already committed to the school and don’t have the money to break that but I also don’t want to do physics. Does anyone have a solution or option that I could take? I am really perplexed right now.
Can you start at a community college or take a gap year and apply again?
The impulse you had to change to architecture - just note - many schools have a portfolio requirement, etc.
Even if they had a architecture degree, it might not be an easy transfer in.
Per Ga Tech, you can pursue a Masters with any undergrad major - so perhaps that’s another choice? Any interest in Art History or other majors? See what classes are required - as it seems as if Architecture is still high STEM level.
But honestly, it might make sense to pull back, get a job for a year, and start again.
On the other hand, how sure are you architecture is it? I would hesitate to take classes at a community college, especially if cost is an issue - you don’t want to be seen as a transfer.
Good luck.
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So at the minimum you could do a 3-year MArch after college.
You could also look to transfer to a 5-year BArch program. Here is a more or less random example (I picked it just because it has a handy timelime):
You might want to see if you could make sure you would be able to actually finish it in only four more years, which could involve being careful about your course selections prior to transfer.
Finally, you can also transfer to somewhere for a four-year BS or BA in Architecture after which you would only have to do a 2-year MArch.
I think that is it for options if you want to start at CSU.
I think it will be difficult to transfer into an arch program and finish in only 4 years because the way the studio classes are structured, you normally can’t do all of them in less than 4 years. However, OP can probably, within the structure of what they have currently committed, do a number of relevant courses/courses that are required during the course of an arch degree during freshman year at CSU (calculus, physics, writing gen ed, if space another gen ed) then at least have those done for a transfer. @Glad2meetyou , if you are instate for CO you may want to look into what is required to transfer into the B Environmental Design at Boulder, which has architecture as one of its majors. You can see the curriculum here - https://www.colorado.edu/envd/media/4855 although Boulder typically only does the math and physics courses in sophomore and junior year, doing them before you get there would hopefully free you up for other design electives or design related courses.
CU Denver offers a BS Arch but I don’t know much about it, but the landing page is here Bachelor of Science in Architecture at CU Denver
Of course those assume you want to stay in CO but there are many options if you don’t.
I stand corrected but I think a lot of 5-year BArch programs require a portfolio for transfers which may be difficult if OP doesn’t currently have much in the way of design course options.
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You might also look into civil engineering or a related field, considering that you are interested in architectural structures, design, CAD, etc., and it may also scratch the itch of any remaining interest you may have in physics (even if you are finding now that you do not want to do a physics major or engage in physics research).
Colorado State does offer majors in civil engineering and construction engineering; some other schools also have structural engineering or architectural engineering majors.
Of course you can also look into transferring into an architecture major somewhere; this is just another idea in case you hadn’t yet considered it. I figure that since you were already on a path to a physics major, you probably won’t be put off by the math and physics involved in engineering. It’s just a matter of what field is most interesting to you. 
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It sounds like architecture is a fairly recent idea for major. Have you researched it fully? You might want to attend the school you got into, and do more exploring of academic and career paths.
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At CSU, you’re not locked into the major you choose as an entering student, so can you declare as an exploratory studies student and consider your options? You can focus on general studies classes that would transfer anywhere (and perhaps take some courses that would be prerequisites for relevant majors at CU Boulder or UCD) and take a little time to think about longer-term options. You can expect, at this stage, for your interests to change and evolve, so there’s no better reason to commit yourself to an architecture major than there was to commit yourself to a physics major.
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Since you are interested in physics, design, and CAD, the best alternative at Colorado State may be Civil Engineering. It still involves physics (statics) and designing structures. You still have the option to get a Masters in Arch. after undergrad if that’s what you decide to do. Or you can stay in engineering and become a professional civil engineer.
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Be aware that working as a professional architect in the US means starting with getting some kind of NAAB-accredited degree, which means:
- BArch – generally a highly structured 5-year program.
- MArch – generally a 3-year program after any bachelor’s degree (with some course requirements), but may require less time if you have a related undergraduate major (e.g. BA or BS in architectural studies).
In Colorado, University of Colorado - Denver has BArch and MArch programs.
Civil engineering, as others have suggested, is somewhat architecture-adjacent, but is more focused on the technical (rather than artistic) side of the design of buildings and other structures (and also encompasses other areas like transportation and water infrastructure). If you do like the idea of using physics and math to solve design problems, then you may find engineering to be something of interest to you.
Colorado State University, as well as University of Colorado campuses in Boulder and Denver and Colorado School of Mines, offers civil engineering.
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You could switch to CU-Denver (or Metro if it is too late to get into CU) but it is going to be a very different college experience than CSU. Or you could go to Colorado Mesa for the first two years and transfer to CU Boulder in engineering for the rest. Or as others have suggested do civil engineering and do the arch as a masters.
I think hs physics is very different than college physics. Going to CSU and starting in physics and transferring to another major (or university) after a year is not going to delay you much, especially if you take required classes for arch
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CU Boulder also offers an undergrad degree program in architectural engineering.
Great post.
OP- young guy in my neighborhood is an architect who works at a large engineering management/construction firm. They do big “master plan” projects (airports, university campuses, large mixed use developments in dense urban areas, etc.) He specializes in “Green” design which as you can imagine is in high demand– using sustainable materials, figuring out how to create neighborhoods which are net carbon zero users, identifying ways to make residential neighborhoods attractive AND easy to link with mass transit (so you aren’t just building large blocks of apartments with huge and ugly parking garages, or big developments where every inch of green space is taken up by driveways and garages). He just finished an airport redesign with a new type of glass which cuts A/C costs by a huge amount.
Really cool stuff. And yes, he was a physics major for undergrad! He is neither an engineer nor a physicist, but having a solid grounding in science (physics and chemistry/materials science) has really helped him- or so he says.
He just gave a talk for a local HS group for kids interested in architecture where he emphasized that the design elements are important- but the structural piece is VERY important with the emphasis on sustainability, responsible use and re-use of materials, circular economy, efficient energy use, climate change impacting site selection, etc.
So maybe have your cake and eat it too??? Start the semester and see where it takes you???
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But I think it is too late to get into CU Boulder unless OP was admitted and chose CSU (might be able to get in off a waitlist-type deal).
CU-Dener and the engineering program at Mesa, which is part of CU-Boulder program) seem more likely if OP wants to start in engineering this fall.
Agreed… but both transfer pathways and gap year options have been suggested, so I thought it was worth pointing out that program in case it would be desirable to the OP as a destination through one of those routes.
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My niece-in-law majored in environmental engineering (a subset of civil) at CU. She designs the water stuff for office complexes, both the required stuff for drainage and the water features like ponds with fountains. She gets to do some pretty cool stuff.
My daughter is just a regular old civil engineer, and works in traffic design. She also does the outside of buildings like the parking lots, traffic exchanges (the rotary, exits and entrances). She knows a lot about permitting. She also goes to a lot of really boring town hall meeting to answer the questions the public has about new projects and buildings. Guess who else is there? The architects for those projects.
A friend I went to CU with (a billion years ago) just retired from a career as an architect for luxury home designs, inside and outside.
Lots of ways to get there.
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Your water post reminded me- my neighbor worked for a couple of years (on and off) for a canal project. He said it was “medieval Europe meets 21st century materials science” which sounded like the coolest thing ever!!!
Yes, lots of ways to get there!!!
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OP did not say they want to do engineering though.
OP hasn’t been back yet… perhaps at this point it’s a good time for posters to wait and see what OP has to say?
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