@Alqbamine32 2, Architecture is a broad and varied field and the road to becoming an architect is equally broad and varied.
Basically there are three routes to becoming a licensed architect:
A Bachelor OF Architecture (BArch)
A Bachelor of Science or Arts IN Architecture + a Master of Architecture (BS/BA architecture +MArch)
A Bachelor of Science or Arts IN any other discipline + a Master of Architecture (BS/BA in anything else + MArch)
The licensing process, which is usually employer sponsored, can take from 1 to 3 years (or more) depending on the individual’s motivation.
I would agree that if your daughter is not 100% convinced that a career in architecture is for her, then the BArch is not a good choice.
The BS or BA IN architecture or architectural studies (titles vary) at a university that hosts a school of architecture is probably the most direct route to an MArch.
BArch and MArch curriculums are standardized by the architecture board, but BS/BA programs are not. Consequently there’s a good deal of variation from program to program. Some, but not all, require portfolios with application. Some are more art driven, some more tech or structures driven. It’s important to note that the completion of a BS/BA in architecture doesn’t automatically lead to acceptance to the same university’s MArch program.
Many, many MArch students, even at the most prestigious and selective MArch programs, hold degrees in other disciplines, often art studio, art history or environmental design, but also ANY of the humanities, sciences and social sciences.
The major difference between an MArch with a BS/BA in architecture and an MArch with a BS/BA in anything else is that the latter combination often takes longer and therefore may cost more. There are infinite cost and time variables so you really have to research carefully. Funding for an MArch, while available, is usually not need based and therefore not easy to predict.
MArch programs strive to matriculate a diverse class, not only in the usual diversity areas like race and economic status, but also in age, undergraduate education, life and work experience. Many BS/BA holders will work in architecture for a year or two before applying to graduate school.
The requirements for application to an MArch program are generally an art portfolio, a personal statement and/or interview, academic and/or professional recommendations, and GRE results. At most schools of architecture, the portfolio is the most important element. It doesn’t need to include architectural drawing, but it does need to demonstrate a facility with various media, especially drawing, and a talent for design and presentation.
MArch programs also expect the applicant to have taken some art history (especially architectural history) and some art studio (architecture is good, but not strictly required). Some programs require 1 or 2 terms of physics and calculus, some one but not the other, some neither. Comfort level with computer aided design programs, especially building information modelling, while not a requirement is extremely helpful.
I hesitate to give specific recommendations, but for initial research I would start with the following:
BS Architecture: UMichigan, WUSTL, UVA, Cincinnati, Northeastern
BA with some architectural drawing classes + good art history: Middlebury, Brown, Conn College, Williams, Vassar
As mentioned above, my son got a BA in art studio + art history at Williams. He was undecided between architecture and museum work and all of his undergraduate summer internships were at museums. He attended a summer architecture career exploration program at Columbia. After graduating he worked for a couple of years in the marketing department of a design-focused architecture firm, then got an MArch at Cornell. The MArch was 3.5 years.