<p>My younger son is starting to think about colleges and is looking for a school that has an undergraduate degree in architecture. He would prefer a smaller school in or near a city. The school should not be so specialized that it does not have other areas of study and it should be a traditional college where most of the students reside in student housing and where the school has extracurriculars and athletics. It would be also important that the school had a COOP or program where he could get hands on experience starting in his Freshman year. We live in the Northeast but would consider looking at other parts of the country, if the school had what he was looking for. Also, what would colleges be looking for in an incoming freshmen who wants to pursue this type of major?</p>
<p>MA, Your son first needs to decide if he wants a Bachelor of Architecture or a Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Science in architectural studies or something related. </p>
<p>The B.Arch is a concentrated professional degree which which takes on the average 5 to 6 years. With a B.Arch he can begin to practice architecture.</p>
<p>The BA or BS offers a wider scope of studies, but he would need to get a Master’s of Architecture in order to practice. I would stress, however, that he can get into an M.Arch program with any undergraduate major. He doesn’t have to choose a college that offers a major in architectural studies, per se.</p>
<p>The difference between going directly to the B.Arch or choosing the BA/BS+M.Arch is in the level of commitment. The B.Arch is faster and therefore less expensive, but is highly focused on architecture, period. The BA/BS+M.Arch takes longer and costs more, but allows for more experimentation and balance. Neither is better; just different.</p>
<p>BA/BS programs usually don’t have any specific entrance requirements, other than those required for any incoming student: grades, scores, recommendations, talents & extracurriculars, life experience. If your son is artistic, he should submit an arts portfolio even if it isn’t required.</p>
<p>For the B.Arch, some schools require a portfolio, some do not. </p>
<p>Northeastern and Cincinnati have good co-op programs, but many colleges with strong alumni/ae networks will help with architecture summer jobs and internships. Financial aid is variable, so be clear on your needs.</p>
<p>You can get a list of colleges/universities that offer the B.Arch on line. Try Wikipedia.</p>
<p>Rice University
Stanford</p>
<p>^ Top architecture programs</p>
<p>Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has an excellent architecture program.</p>