What has your experience been with students in an architectural studies or interior design program that does not, on its own, allow for student to sit for licensing exam? What were the job opportunities upon graduation? Have you found that there is room for career growth without further education, or would a master’s program be the necessary next step?
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I have known people without professional degrees who have been able to set themselves up as interior designers and contractors. But at least in my state if you don’t have a professional degree your opportunities in architecture are limited.
Thank you for your feedback. I wonder if the five year programs are pretty intense, could it make sense to start working and enroll in a master’s program? Likely more money, and definitely more time, but also allows for some more experience and maturity for a pretty intense program/career.
I did a four year major in “Visual and Environmental Studies” as an undergrad. For me it was most a mix of studio art, one architectural design course and all the architectural history courses my college offered. I wrote my senior thesis about low cost housing. I then got a 3 year M.Arch degree. I have never, ever worked so hard in my life as I did those three years. I don’t know if undergrad programs are the same. (I think the mindset is similar - all nighters before big presentations of projects.) There’s a pretty good mini-series out there somewhere about Tulane’s architectural students which gives you a pretty good flavor of what school is like. Can’t remember what it was called, but my recollection is that it was made shortly after Katrina.
I worked in California 3 years, took the exam failed one part, went to Germany five years where I worked in an architectural firm, came back, studied like mad, passed the exam. Worked part time for an interior designer, started my own firm when my youngest was in school full time. Started off very slowly. I do mostly residential work and some small commercial jobs. Mostly renovations and additions.
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The intensity of the program worries me a bit, which is why I’m not sure the faster paced five year programs would be a good fit for my son. Something closer to what you did is more what I was thinking. Also gives him some time to be sure it is really the field he wants. Tha is again, your personal insight is helpful!
My husband and I are principals of our own architectural firm (corporate and selected interiors) in northern California. He has a 5 yr architectural degree from Virginia Tech, has been a licensed architect for over 20 years and is LEED certified. I have an interior design B.S. degree from San Jose State and have been a project manager at some of the top corporate design firms here. I am not licensed but have 20+ years experience which is highly competitive in the market.
Any student that graduates from a 4 or 5 year accredited university in the U.S. typically will get hired pretty quickly…IF their college portfolio is competitive.
Architectural grads (with no masters) will start their position as: Architectural Designer (1-5 years experience), move on to an Architectural Job Captain (5-10 years exp) then Project Manager (7-15 years exp). Success and moving up job positions in an architectural firm is being an: excellent communicator (one that asks questions all the time), independent problem solver, MINIMAL/NO errors on work, amazing attention to detail, and can work under pressure and dedicated to work above and beyond a 40 hour work week as needed (deadlines). Those employees are in HIGH DEMAND and firms will pay top dollar for that work ethic.
If they pursue an AIA license (you don’t need a master’s for that), that will increase salary and position to a Project Architect. That can be achieved 5 or 10 years later during their work experience and most firms will pay for their licensure.
Now there are non-architectural firms such as tech companies (Facebook, Apple, Google, any big companies) who have their own corporate real estate department that hire project managers and project architects. No master’s needed unless it’s a high management position.
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@suzie_klein I can’t speak to interior design, but architecture is a broad field, and there are many different paths to a successful career. My son took the BA (in art/art history) plus the MArch route and that worked out well for him. In between he worked at an architecture firm in marketing which gave him inside view of the industry.
I wouldn’t say that that the BArch is necessarily intense. It depends a lot on the overall intensity of the individual program and school of architecture. Although all cover the same regulated curriculum there’s a lot of variety in emphasis and in internal competitiveness.
I would say that that the BArch is a relatively narrow program which doesn’t allow a lot of room to explore other disciplines. Whether this is a positive or a negative really depends on the student’s commitment to architecture. If the student isn’t 100% sold on a career in architecture then they may be better off taking the BA/BS+MArch route. Or at least choosing a school that would allow a change of majors if architecture doesn’t work out.
The BA/BS can be in architecture, architectural studies or really anything else of interest. MArch programs have prerequisites for admission, but they admit students from a wide range of backgrounds. The requirements, along with a portfolio, usually (but not always) include some art studio, art history, physics and/or calculus.
Architecture school is a balance of design and technology. Students often favor one or the other, which is why it’s important to understand the emphasis of the school. As a career architecture is highly collaborative so it’s critical to have developed strong communication skills (both verbal and visual) and to be able to deal with criticism and compromise. I would stress, again, that architecture is a broad industry with a lot of different types of firms specializing in a lot of different types of buildings.
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@glossCA – i appreciate this reply. my D16 graduates with a BS in arch design this spring. She got into some nice grad schools – but they are SO SO SO expensive. I’m going to share your thoughts with her as she’s in the process of deciding which direction to go. Gloss and momrath and mathmom — just a quick question - do you think name of the grad school is important for architects? part of the decision process here too.
@suzie_klein – she is on the 4+2 plan for the most part. It’s time consuming. We do know a kid on the 5 yr M.arch plan. Wow - it is intense all the time. there’s no room for other classes. but these kids love it.
Name of grad school is not as important but should be from an accredited college/university in the U.S. Most firms will not increase someone’s salary based on graduating with a MArch from Pratt Institute vs Montana State Univ. The big selling point will be their: overall portfolio, software experience (Revit)+internship and character/drive/team player. Honestly if your daughter is wanting to get her MArch, get it done now. Once she’s out in the industry working full-time, there’s no time for grad school. Highly suggest seeking internships after graduation and during grad school. A minimum of 2 internships that are at least longer than 6+ months (even if it’s 15+ hours/week) is great to have.
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Most Architecture curriculums are incredibly time consuming. Studio takes the majority of your waking hours. When I was in school (in the dark ages), studio classes were 4 hours worth of credit, but the class itself was about 12 hours per week. Add to that all the time to complete your studio work outside of class. You do not have much free time to explore other alternatives. It is a common theme that “the lights are always on” in the architecture building. It is not a myth.
If you’re not sure you want architecture, and want to explore other fields while in college, I would recommend the 4+2 route. But be careful. Some of the 4 year undergraduate programs are just as time intensive as the 5 year programs.
Before Covid, I’ve seen a few architecture summer “camps” for high school students. I’m not sure if they are still available, but it would be a great opportunity to see if you might be interested. Shadow an architect if possible.
If you are very committed to architecture early, consider schools that include an internship or preceptorship, which pair you with an employer for part of the education process. A few examples: U.Cincinnati, Rice, Northeastern/Boston. You graduate with experience, which is a definite advantage in the job search.
I always recommended that a student go to school in the area of the country where they might like to settle. Networking with other past students and professors is a huge benefit when looking for employment.
Some of the skills important in architecture education include collaboration, the ability to present your work and defend it, and problem solving. All of these are a benefit to any field, but the vocabulary is significantly different. Learn the vocabulary from other courses. Business courses would be very beneficial.
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Great to hear that your daughter (and you) are pleased with her MArch acceptances. I understand that the MArch can be an expensive proposition, but there’s no single, easy answer to your question; just a lot of factors to consider.
Getting an MArch from a high profile school can certainly be a positive in getting hired, but whether it’s helpful to the degree that serious debt is reasonable depends on how much debt we’re talking about. As a balance, the work experience she may have acquired from internships or during the time before applying to MArch programs can be VERY influential in admissions. Also, your daughter’s personal aspirations impact the decision, .e.g., where she wants to live and work, what type of firm she’s attracted to and what types of architecture she might want to practice.
My observation is that hiring preference clusters around several categories: schools with high name recognition, schools that are nearby geographically and schools that partners and other well regarded employees have attended. If your daughter has a list of firms that she’d potentially like to join, I’d suggest she look through the teams’ profiles and see where the partners and/or senior architects took their degrees. This will give her some insight into the firms’ hiring decisions.
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My experience is a million years old. But I graduated from Columbia, but went out to California to join my boyfriend who was getting his PhD out there. I graduated in the middle of a recession and the big firms were laying off in the hundreds. At the time it seemed to me that geography was more important than name. After my husband got his PhD we then spent five years in Germany (where I miraculously got a job with a firm that needed someone who could speak both German and English which I could), then came back to New York where my Columbia degree opened doors again. Sort of. I will say my Columbia professors and the Dean of the School did their best to help me with their contacts, but ultimately in Germany, at least, it was the name of my undergrad institution (Harvard) that actually made a difference. But I’d still say that a lot of architecture is local and those summer jobs will likely be contacts of your professors.