@Mopep, Early on, Auburn established a reputation for its focus on sustainable architecture and on hands-on construction opportunities. Other programs have caught up now, but Auburn was one of the first.
I knew they had a good reputation thanks for explaining why.
That’s a good question. Transparent and accurate admissions rates for both BArch and MArch programs are hard to come by: How many applications do they get? How many do they accept? How many do they enroll?
Based on purely anecdotal information from my son’s colleagues, I would say that admission rates to the most selective MArch programs – e.g., the 5 ivies + MIT and Berkeley – are extremely low, I would guess from 8 to 10%. On the positive side, again this is purely anecdotal information, admission to some VERY good MArch programs is considerably less less selective, most likely in the 40-60% range for students with strong portfolios and respectable undergraduate records.
I think the same is true for BArch programs. Cornell which is the only Ivy that offers the BArch, is in the 5 to 8% range. No idea about other BArch programs. Or about BS programs with direct admissions.
Generally speaking 4+2 programs will offer guaranteed MArch admission to their own graduates in good standing. They may keep the offer open for a couple of years after graduation. Policies vary widely from school to school so it’s important to ask for clarification.
Super selective MArch programs at universities that don’t have BS architecture degrees will also admit their own undergraduates; however, admission is competitive and not guaranteed.
My D is now considering a getting a civil engineering degree then applying for an MArch. Has anyone gone that route? I’ve looked at the curriculums for architectural engineering and structural engineering programs and they don’t do a good job on either disciplines.
Lehigh had an Applied Sciences engineering degree which was interesting. It was like a capstone program where you took the foundational engineering classes then customized the last two years. If the last to two years can add studio and architecture classes to the mix it could cut down on the MArch requirements and graduate in close to two years.
I’m sure it’s not uncommon for students with engineering degrees to enter MArch programs. There was at least one in my son’s MArch class, though I don’t know her area of engineering.
I’m not clear, though, why if architecture is the goal, it would be desirable to get there through engineering. 4+2 programs which offer a BS+MArch at the same school, are fairly predicable in curriculum and time involved, but admission and completion of an MArch degree with an undergraduate degree from another school can vary widely from school to school. Generally speaking, a BS in architecture will allow you to finish an MArch in 2.0 years, but some MArch schools expect the whole 3.0 to 3.5 years even with a BSA.
A student with an engineering degree would, theoretically be allowed equivalency credit or advanced placement for some MArch structures courses, but it would be difficult to predict in advance. I’m doubtful that an MArch program would allow a student to opt out of studio based on a undergraduate courses that are not part of an architecture degree, but I could be wrong on this point.
Sorry for the late reply and I hope Ill try to answer all your questions. If I miss any please let me know.
As far as is it hard to get into a two year Masters, my Daughter got accepted to 2 out of five choices. She did not apply to any of the feeder schools such as Yale, Harvard or MiT. One acceptance was a top 10 university and she was given 15k merit + 5k grant and accepted to the 2 year program. That’s awesome because a Masters is 3.5 years so she’s going to be entering the 2nd year masters program.
She was also told she could stay at WashU and get 1/2 merit. She chose not to stay at WashU because she wanted a change. So yes it’s easier to get into the Masters at WashU once you are already in the UG program. Also WashU did a wonderful job with guiding the students on how to get a masters at other universities. I mean all the steps to take and when to take the GRE etc. she received numerous advice and was told she’ll get accepted everywhere. My D loved WashU and had fun too.
I have found that gaining admittance into Architecture is very difficult as an UG or Masters when Architecure is hot and it’s easier when it’s not. So it’s cyclical. Architecture is very hot now and it’s listed as a top job too. It’s very interesting!
I learned that from ND. My D attended NDs summer of Architecture program which helped her decide if Architecture was for her. It’s a big decision.
Good luck!!
Just to clarify, she only has to complete 4 semesters or two years to get her Masters. She received advanced standing so she knocked off 3 semesters by completely a BS in Arch at WashU. A masters is typically 3.5 years or 7 semesters.
She only applied to universities that offered two year Masters programs. So she’s definitely saving time and money going this route.
Also we noticed there weren’t many, if any, 1 year Masters for BArch. Rice used to offer that but not anymore.
@momrath, I had my D look as the curriculums and she we disappoint to not see more math and science classes, which is why she originally consider Architectural Engineering. She really enjoys that side of academics, however I wonder if getting a minor in Engineering will meet her needs.
What we found out during D’s M.Arch applications was course equivalency and advanced standing may be determined when you show up or after you commit… and after the Powers That Be review your syllabi for each class and compare it item by item with NCARB and their own standards. Also, many schools have the ‘X years, no matter what’. Not to mention ‘2 years for an M.Arch, sure, at Gulag pace, no study abroad, no time to take interesting electives…’ This is in my view the ‘risky’ part of the 4+2.
Not to mention serious senioritis come last semester of the M.Arch, by which time you have something like 8 + 4 total studio classes and have consumed a small forest’s worth of bass wood…
@qclabrat, BArch curriculums vary in the amount of math/science that they require. BS architecture programs even more so. I believe the architecture programs at tech schools lean more heavily on math/science. CalPoly for example requires a year of physics and a year of calculus. Art schools often don’t require math/science at all. Design schools are in the middle. Some include a course or two; some don’t.
I would think that students could use their electives to further their interest in math/science. I wouldn’t count on the feasibility of of minoring in engineering or anything else while getting a BArch. In a BS program, it depends.
Practically speaking architects won’t use calculus or physics on a daily basis.
@turbo, My observation is the same: Advanced placement, advanced standing, equivalency credit – whatever they call it – is applied inconsistency and arbitrarily by MArch administrators. They also “sneak in” pre-program courses and summer courses. Because my son didn’t study architecture as an undergrad he did the whole 3.5 years, and that last semester was a bridge too far. The administrator really did comb through the syllabus to make sure that the undergraduate physics course qualified as a pre-requisite.
My D was told in all of her acceptance letters she didn’t have to take any additional classes upon entering their advanced standing 2 year program. WashU did a good job of preparing her and all she had to provide was her transcript upon application.
The easiest two year option obviously would have been for her to stay at WashU but she chose to try new things. It’s usually easy to get into grad school when you are already a student of the University. The application requirements are easier.
Also her senior year was super light so she’s not burnt out. However, She was burnt out after Junior year but not Senior year. She’s also going to take a couple months off this summer so she’ll be rested before starting her Masters.
A partner on this cc board said it’s best to finish your Masters as soon as you can because life gets in the way. Marriage, kids, expenses, etc. so you cannot easily go back to school and finish so I’m very happy she’s decided to continue and get her Masters. The partner also said he has a bunch of Architects that don’t have their licenses because they chose to work first and planned to go back but never did due to marriage, family and expenses. He said it’s unfortunate. So I appreciate the advice and I’m passing it along. 
I think getting an MArch and becoming licensed are two different issues. Whether you go directly from undergraduate school to an MArch program or work for a couple of years before heading back to get your professional degree is a personal decision. I don’t think one is necessarily better than another. That students in MArch programs tend to span a range of ages indicates that some keep going while some get work experience first. MARch programs admit both.
Completing the licensing process is another issue. In the past few years, NCARB has reduced the number of exams (I think there are 6 now) and introduced a pilot program wherein architecture students at a select number of schools can start taking exams while they are still in school. The exam material is not necessarily covered by BArch and MArch programs so preparation is required and retakes are not uncommon.
Some states – but not all – have reduced the work hour requirements. But still, life (especially work) does get in the way and many architects don’t bother to get licensed. Some firms insist that their entry level architects get licensed within a certain number of years. They pay the exam and licence fees and they monitor and structure the work hour requirements. Some don’t really care.
had never thought of it, but they need to take the GRE for the masters program? when do they do that?
and yes, my daughter transferred schools at semester this year, staying with architecture, and the syllabi requirements were crazy. They went over each arch-related class she had her first 1.5 yrs with a fine tooth comb. Some transferred, some did not.
and Newjersey17 - thanks for that advice about finishing it up and not stopping! i’ll have to bookmark this to remember to remind my D.
question: how often do colleges give fellowships or “scholarships” for those going to get Masters? Turbo93, i think you’ve mentioned your kiddo received something like that . . .??
Oh I’m sorry I meant to say they couldn’t pursue their licenses because they didn’t have the education requirements in order to take the license. They planned to attend grad school but life got in the way.
Long story long, we literally found out some interesting details while driving the minivan with her stuff to campus. She was communicating with her adviser via email and was told Aug 1 (on the way :)) what she’s taking starting Aug 15. She had been given a tentative plan of study (aka Gulag) which was 4 courses a semester, one of them studio, plus an extra surprise summer studio.
She had provided syllabi of all her arch classes during her BA Arch for advanced placement, and that all had been processed so she knew more or less what was coming, but final details were not sorted out till the day she showed up.
Note to aspiring 4-2 students. Save your syllabus for each arch course you take, Arch or not. You will be expected to provide a PDF of it to be compared with the grad school’s curriculum and the NCARB standard. Thankfully DD was ahead of the game and had all that, but it’s something that few people will think to have ahead of time.
It is really a question of where the program’s focus is. If your BA Arch and March are in similar focus areas you should not have to take anything additional. I mean, pretty much every school has environmental design 1, 2, structures 1, 2, etc but schools may feel free to add to what NCARB wants and this could be an issue if you’re parachuting there for an MArch.
Funding is a different story. Everyone will offer “some money”, don’t get me wrong, but often not a whole lot. Most schools will give a thousand or five off sticker price, but not a whole lot more than that for an M.Arch student. Generally speaking the party line is that you need to be there for a year then apply, or apply separately… If there is a PhD program obviously the PhD students will have a better chance. DD ended up with a teaching assistant position that provided a modest stipend plus tuition for up to XX credits a semester. She was offered this upon acceptance and took it. Had another similar offer and chose the first. From what she said it’s not common to get funding for M.Arch upon acceptance but after a year it is more common. For PhD it’s a different story and generally if there’s no money they will tell you up front and not admit. Funding is a lot better too.
Even with ‘full’ funding you still have to pay pesky fees, tuition for summers, study abroad, tuition over XX credits a semester, maybe health insurance, and if the stipends are as modest as they are, cover some living expenses. If their funding covers more than 50-60% of final cost you’re in good shape especially in a reasonably priced out of state public flagship school with low cost of living. But go into a private or a pricey out of state school and things can look dicey regardless.
Does anyone know the acceptance rates at the top schools and the other stats like size of freshman class, etc. Sort of like what you see on Naviance but just for the architecture school.
@bgbg4us, GRE results need to be submitted with the MArch application. It’s not a highly important part of the admissions though. Undergraduate course prerequisites for the MArch vary from program to program, especially in physics and calculus. Some require a full year, some one semester, some none at all.
My son’s experience was that grants of around USD15K per year were common and that fellowships could add another $5K. I’m sure there are circumstances in which individual students get more, but these are rare,. You have to be fairly vocal to maintain funding after the first year. @turbo93 is correct that there are a lot of hidden fees that pop up during the course of the year.
The firm that my son works for, a medium sized urban firm, employs about 5 BS graduates at any one time. They usually work for 1.5 to 2.0 years then apply to MArch programs. I don’t know for sure that the work experience helps, but it seems to.
@qclabrat, it’s hard to come by accurate and current admissions statistics for either the BArch or MArch. Many schools will note class size on their websites, but acceptance rates are not commonly posted. Most likely if you were to ask the schools directly they would tell you.
@turbo93 provided this information:
https://grad.ucla.edu/asis/progprofile/result.asp?selectmajor=0084
https://graduate.ku.edu/2015-program-profiles