Does anyone have any feedback on the Architecture school at Catholic University located in Washington DC? It’s not a 5 yr accredited professional degree
Looks to be only A BS program in architecture which means that you need to take a full two year masters course if you want to be a registered architect. They also have the IPAL program which I’m not familiar with but looks like some sort of coop program. If you’re interested in a coop program, maybe look at Northeastern in Boston. My D is finishing her BS/MS now which is six years total but one year of it is two, 6-month paid coops so she is 2/3 the way towards her AXP hours. CU looks to be an accredited program so I’m sure you’ll learn what you need.
What I’ve learned from my D’s experience is that every arch program has its own type of focus so it’s good to visit programs and see what a good fit is. For instance, Northeastern has an urban focus (makes sense), RPI and tech schools are often more material focus (technology), Syracuse and Cornell seem more traditional, RISD is more aesthetic/art focused, etc.
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I don’t have any inside information on Catholic U’s school of architecture, but from their website it looks like a substantial program, and DC is full of fine architecture, new and old, and plenty of distinguished firms.
Their Master of Architecture is accredited and generally takes 2 years with a BS in architecture from Catholic U (or any other BS program as long as the requirements are fulfilled). They note in their website:
That’s a little vague so I guess a 1.5 year MArch on top of a CU BS is possible, but not guaranteed.
IPAL (Integrated Path to Architecture Licensure) is a program promoted by NCARB to help architecture students get a head start on the requirements of becoming a licensed architect. I would consider this a plus. https://www.ncarb.org/earn-a-degree/ipal