<p>I was just finishing up the list of universities I'm planning on applying to, and was wondering what people thought the architecture programs were like in each school. Just tell me, if you don't mind, what you think of a school in the list below (if you have any information on it's architecture programs) :) would be really helpful. </p>
<p>-University of Texas, Austin
-University of Miami
-Tufts University
-Macalester College
-Lehigh University
-Carnegie Mellon
-Carleton College
-Bennington College</p>
<p>If you know absolutely anything about any single one of the previous universities' architecture programs I'd really appreciate it if you enlightened me :P... I know CMU has a great architecture programs but Lehigh and Mac and such I'm not too sure about... Thanks in advanced.</p>
<p>Do you want a professional B.Arch. degree, or a pre-professional B.A. degree in Architectural Studies? Big difference.</p>
<p>The only schools on your list that offer an NAAB-accredited B.Arch. degree are Texas, Miami, and CMU. If you want to actually work as an architect after you get your bachelor’s degree, then those are the ones to consider. The B.Arch. is typically a 5-year degree.</p>
<p>The other schools only offer pre-professional degrees in “Architectural Studies”. These are general 4-year bachelor’s degrees; they won’t be professionally qualifying, but they will get you into architecture graduate school, where you can get a professional M.Arch. degree.</p>
<p>Macalester has a joint 3/3 dual-degree program with Washington University in St. Louis, which leads to joint B.A. (from Mac) and M.Arch. (from WUSTL) degrees. </p>
<p>Bennington is a very small, rural, artsy college (total enrollment: about 600) with only one architecture professor. You may be the first person ever to put the University of Texas and Bennington on the same college list.</p>
<p>I dont really know anything about the architecture program in the schools above, but i would also recommned RPI and Notre Dame. They have one of the best architecture programs in the nations. Though i think they have both 5 year program.</p>
<p>Each of the schools on the OP’s list is good in its own way but they represent a wide range of types (by size, location, etc.) It’s hard to imagine all of them being a great fit for the same person.</p>
<p>Tufts has an architectural studies program. It will prepare you for an accelerated M.Arch, but doesn’t offer a B.Arch.</p>
<p>In layman’s terms, you’ll need to get a Master’s degree in order to sit for your licensing exam, but it will only take you 1.5-2 years instead of 3.5-4. Some schools offer a Bachelor’s of Architecture that takes 5 years, but as far as I know it is currently extremely rare to sit for a licensing exam without a Master’s degree anyway. Tufts’ has a 4-year BS or BA in Architectural Studies, as well as a Bachelor’s of Architectural Engineering.</p>
<p>A Bachelor’s of Architecture is not a prerequisite for a Master’s in Architecture, and in fact one of the two tracks of a M.Arch degree is intended for people with no prior experience in architecture at all.</p>
<p>Thanks for the comments. That list isn’t my completed list, it was just a list of the unis that I have questions about. I’m also considering Rice, Syracuse, Cornell, and University of Cincinnati… Also I heard that mostly B.Arch is 5 years, not 4+2… So I’m not sure about the lack of schools with a 5 year program. Comments?</p>
<p>By the way, you would likely get more informed responses to your questions if you posted in collegeconfidential’s “Architecture Majors” forum, instead of the very general “College Search and Selection” forum. You will find it under the “College Majors” heading on the main page.</p>