<p>Hello!
I am a greenhand and don't know much things about architecture education in usa.I know many universitis have. Can students in LACs recieve good architecture education?Which ones?
Thank you very much.</p>
<p>The LAC education is not a professional education. It is an overview and survey education in preparation of a professional design education in graduate school. You can only get a undergraduate professional design education in a BArch program.</p>
<p>thank you:-)</p>
<p>Williams has two courses in Architectural Design and a number of courses in architecture history. One of the lecturers of the architecture class is a practicing architect. Both lecturers graduated from Yale School of Arch.</p>
<p>So if you get into a LAC like Wiliams with an intent to go for a 3-yr M.Arch. after college, you could be an Art Studio major and take drawing, painting, photography, sculpture and a couple architecture, plus some art-history classes, and build up a solid portfolio. You'll also be able to take a wide variety of classes in other disciplines and just broaden your educational experience on the whole.
So it all depends on what you're looking for. I turned down the various B.Arch offers I had and got into Williams, where I am finding interest in music, phsyics, history, math, art and much more, and now, I'm still trying to decide what to do.
I'd say it never hurts to do a BA first. Learn history, learn a foreign language, study public policy, philosophy, take math and physics. These might help in broadening your future scope as an architect of repute. More and more architects are being commissioned in international projects, across boarders. Knowing the language involved is not necessary, but a cool plus. Other things like history can help a lot, too.</p>
<p>Barnard has a great architecture major and excellent grad school placement. If you are a guy that means Columbia (the major would still be at Barnard.) See Barnard's website for info. on new Nexus building & interview with architect & then click on info. about major.</p>
<p>If you want to be a US licensed architect, there are only 115 schools that offer accredited architecture programs. If you get a degree from any other architecture schools you wont be able to get a US professional license, but it doesnt matter if you dont want a US license. The accredited schools are listed at <a href="http://www.naab.org%5B/url%5D">www.naab.org</a>.
You can opt to do the 1st few years at another college, then transfer to an accredited university/college. or you can get a bachelor degree at another college and then go to graduate school to an accredited school.
Goodluck</p>
<p>Many LACs and some Universities have an architectural studies major, which isn't a professional degree; however, most often you get the experience of studios in addition to a liberal arts education.</p>
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most often you get the experience of studios in addition to a liberal arts education.
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<p>The intensity of the studios is markedly different in an LAC program--if offered. It is a fraction of the BArch or MArch stduio experience and does not count toward a professional degree.</p>
<p>CC tends to promote the LAC/MArch I route. Personally, I believe there are significant professional downsides to that route for the simple reason that a BArch offers 10 professional design studios and A BArch/MArch II offers 13 studios.</p>
<p>An LAC/MArch I offers only 6 or 8 studios. They only meet the more advanced BArch MArch II students in the final year of their education. Starting out behind their peers, the LAC/MArch I graduates are thus disadvantaged in the early years of their professional life. The disadvantage can be overcome but those students should always bear in mind the highly competent, confident and competitive nature of the BArch/MArch II grads.</p>