Would like to hear about anyone’s experience as a Architecture major?
As a fellow architecture first year applicant, i am also interested.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O-wTRkjQwLQ
Experience of a first year arch student at NEU.
My D is in her second year arch at NEU. She has had a great experience so far. Like all programs it is very demanding time-wise, studio work in particular but she loves what she is learning, very practical but rigorous program to prep students for coop in third year. She was able to get an internship over the summer with a local firm too. They have summer travel classes to study arch with NEU classmates and profs in Italy, China, Barcelona. Coops locally, nationwide and internationally. They have a mandatory study abroad for a semester in Berlin with sidetrips to see other European architecture during their third year.
It’s a 4 year (5 years at NEU with two coops) BS program with option for fifth year to get masters which is equivalent to a BARCH. They may switch back to a BARCH with their next accreditation. They bring in local architects as well for their critique sessions, Compared to a tech school or art/design school you have the option to study other subjects too as NEU is a regular university, nor just art or tech. Pretty small dept it seems, maybe 30-40 arch students per year… close knit group (prob like any program) bc they spend a lot of time together. Also it seems to be a pretty supportive and collaborative studio culture compared to some which seemed somewhat competitive. Being in Boston too gives them great opportunities to see great architecture there and in nyc. She looked at RISD, Cornell, Syracuse, Tulane, RPI, calpoly among others and seems really happy at NEU. If you want a very traditional BARCH program, NEU might not be the school for you, but if you want something rigorous, but with more ways to learn than a very planned out curriculum, then NEU seems a good program. I knew nothing about architecture when I took her to look at colleges all over the country, and what was very clear to me was that every school had its own way of teaching, it’s own focus, and that there is no one “right”way to become an architect. There are BS programs, BARCH, 2 or 3 years masters programs for those who something else in college, tech schools which are set programs or focus on materials more (RPI), or art schools like RISD which seemed more focused conceptually, etc. so finding a good fit for you is the most important. Also, when looking at Tulane, we talked to a couple masters students who had done a BS in arch at other schools (UVA for instance) who liked the idea of studying at another school for MS to get broader focus and teaching approaches. That also appealed to my D. Just something to think about.
Just in case you aren’t aware there is an Architecture cc forum, which has been very helpful when my D began the whole Architecture process. If you have any questions there’s a whole slew of parents, architects and students that can help.
Also just FYI, a BArch is a five year accelerated undergrad bachelors degree vs an MArch is a Masters degree which you get after getting a BA/BS or even a BArch. The BArch is really intensive and has multiple 18 credits per semester which my D couldn’t handle if she tried. She barely got through WashUs BS in Arch with 15-16 credits a semester. There is high turn over as well so be sure to research the differences. For example a BS Arch + Masters is usually 120 credits + 60 or 190 credits (6 years). BArch is usually 166 credits in 5 years.
NEU BS arch is typically 18 units per semester. They offer a plus one masters year (5th year of classes, 6th year with coops) which is a masters but essentially the BARCH degree for those who choose to do it. NEU also offers an architecture studies major which is less rigorous and would require a 2year masters to be credentialed. BARCH is a professional degree, as is a masters. As I mentioned earlier, there are many tracks to becoming a licensed architect so finding a good fit and good path is important. It is a bit crazy how intensive the degree/program is wherever you go.