I just found out I have Canadian citizenship because one of my parents was born in Canada. I understand this makes going to college in Canada really cheap by US standards. I am interested in majoring in architecture, and engineering is my second choice. What arch schools in Canada are the best for undergrad arch? Waterloo, UBC, Toronto, and McGill are the four I can think of off the top of my head. What makes them different from US ones besides being in Canada?
Nothing other than the nature of the city they are located in.
@listroider, None of the four Canadian universities that you list offers the Bachelor of Architecture (BArch), which is the undergraduate degree you need to become a licensed architect in the US (and I believe in Canada too, but I’m not up to speed on their requirements). I believe there may be other universities in Canada that do offer the BArch; you’d have to research them individually.
Alternately you can get an undergraduate bachelor degree in architecture, architectural studies, environmental design – or anything else – and then get a Master of Architecture. The MArch is offered by all of the Canadian schools that you mention.
The undergraduate degrees offered by these schools are as follows. All of these would be good preparation for a graduate MArch program, but If cost is the major objective in considering Canada, you need to evaluate the cost of two degrees – a BA/BS plus an MArch – or find a school either in the US or Canada that offers the BArch.
University of Waterloo
Bachelor of Architectural Studies (BAS)
UBC
Bachelor of Environmental Design (BED)
University of Toronto
Honors Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies (BA, architectural studies)
McGill University
Bachelor of Science in Architecture (B.Sc. Arch.)
[There are ways to become licensed without a BArch both in the US and in Canada, but it’s complicated: the most direct route is to get a BArch or an MArch.]
Thanks. I’ve heard a lot of people say that BS or BA and then MArch is the way to go because of the more “normal” undergraduate experience but I’m considering both routes. Good point that you have to consider the cost of both degrees. And I will have to find out if there are any BArchs in Canada.
Most US arch schools require a MArch to practice. McGill offers the professional MArch
There are about 40 American schools that offer the BArch which is all you need to get licensed.
A BArch in the US is still a 5 year degree. It is not a shortcut to being a professional architect.
Don’t look at the degree name, rather look at the requirements for each degree.
@TomSrOfBoston, I’m not following you. The 5.0 year BArch is still the shortest route (no one mentioned shortcut) to becoming a licensed architect in the US. Some states will allow licensing without a BArch or MArch, but that can be a complicated process. The BArch is not necessarily better than a BA/BS plus an MArch; it’s just faster and sometimes (not always) less expensive.
I would also note that not all people working in architecture choose to become licensed. Architecture is a broad field with a lot of levels of opportunity.
For anyone wondering, here is a list of the 11 accredited M.Arch. programs in Canada. Nine of them are English-language. There are no accredited B.Archs.
http://www.cacb-ccca.ca/index.cfm?Voir=sections&Id=18915&M=1357&Repertoire_No=660386109
I am looking at Waterloo and UBC which both also have some version of a 4-year pre-professional arch degree. As momrath noted, UBC has a BED which is a little broader than a strictly arch degree. I imagine most if not all of the others on this list also have some kind of undergrad degree that gives you advanced standing in the M.Arch program (i.e. lets you complete it in two years).
Thanks, @listroider. Good to know that the Canadian schools don’t offer the BArch. If your objective is to find the lowest cost route to becoming an architect, I guess you need to the compare the cost of an American BArch and a Canadian BA/BS+MArch. Please keep us advised on what you find out.
I am a little confused about one thing. A US arch admissions rep told me that Waterloo’s BAS might be “not accredited” after looking at some book of arch schools that included US and Canada. But I thought only B.Arch and M.Arch degrees are ever accredited in this context?
Another thing I noticed about the Canadian schools is that some (Waterloo, McGill but not Toronto or UBC) put architecture in the Faculty of Engineering which is almost unheard of in the US. At Waterloo this seems insignificant (the Arch school is on a separate campus anyway and you jump right in to architecture and design studio your first year) while at McGill for US high school students the first year is almost all math and science and no design studios. This is one of several things that deter me from McGill. And I eliminated UBC because you are not admitted directly into the program there. So Waterloo is my one Canadian school for now.
In the U.S., all 4 year BA/BS/BDES in Architecture are all undergraduate degrees which are preprofessional. To become a licensed Architect you need more than 120 credits (which the normal 4 year UG degree requirement).
The minimum for an accredited licensure that I’ve seen is 160+ credits - so it is impossible to get that in a 4 year degree. As you can see getting 160+ credits in 5 years is also very rigorous. Also, I’ve been told that NAAB recommends the 4 + 2 program (4 year UG BS in Architecture + 2 year Masters in Architecture).
Obtaining the licensure can be done several ways: getting into a 5 year undergraduate BArch degree (which is a highly rigorous program and leaves little room for taking other courses) or by getting an UG degree + Masters degree in Architecture which can take 2-3 years depending on what your UG degree is.
However, I don’t know what the licensing rules are for Canada?
@listroider, As far as I know, only BArch and MArch programs (plus one doctorate) are accredited by the NAAB. Canadian programs accredited by the CACB, the Canadian NAAB, are considered “substantially equivalent.” Waterloo’s MArch is accredited, but as you note their BAS wouldn’t be under any circumstances.
I have some more info I can share on the Canadian schools. I have noticed a common theme among those outside of Ontario and Quebec (none of which I am applying to, for this reason): their undergrad arch or Env. Des. programs always require a year or two of college before you apply, and sometimes are compressed and combined with M.Arch programs (e.g. Dalhousie, 3yr 8mo BEDS and M.Arch). This includes UBC, U of Manitoba (probably somewhere no American in their right mind would consider) and Dalhousie that I have seen.
Thus far the only Canadian school I am applying to is U of Waterloo, though Carleton (in Ottawa) I eliminated only for non-academic reasons—they have a very interesting program that is worth checking out. (I believe Waterloo also offers a three-term M.Arch to their BAS grads). It will be interesting when I visit Waterloo to see what it is like to have the arch school separate from the main campus—their facility looks really nice from what I have seen. Application fees are high by US standards, even with the favorable exchange rate, so it is good to figure stuff out early.