<p>I met a young man who is in his final year of apprenticeship at a firm. He went to Pratt, but didnt major in architecture. He majored in something else, but said by going to Grad School he was able to earn a M.Arch and there for became an architect. How is this so? Are there certain majors that can allow this and others that dont? Could I for instance undergrad in sometihng entirly unrelated at say NYU and do Grad SChool at PRatt and still be an Architect?</p>
<p>More infomation:</p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MArch%5B/url%5D">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MArch</a></p>
<p>So is this a wise alternative to those crazy all nighter non stop work 5 year programs?</p>
<p>3-5 yrs? It's even going to be more work, I think.</p>
<p>Todd...there are two routes to becoming an architect. </p>
<p>One is to do a five year BArch degree program, followed by apprenticeship and eventual licensure.</p>
<p>Another is to do a BA degree, which can be in either an architectural major or even something unrelated, and then go on to a graduate program in architecture to earn a MArch which can take 2- 3 1/2 years depending on the particular graduate school program and sometimes whether or not your BA or BS was in architecture or something totally unrelated with no b ackground in the field. This route is often referred to as the "4+2" route, though it could really be a "4+3" route in some cases. Again, this degree is followed by an apprenticeship and eventual licensure. </p>
<p>So, there are two professional degree program options...either a five year BArch or a BA/BS followed by a MArch degree. Both the BArch degrees and the MArch degree are the two recognized professional degrees. A BA cannot become an architect without a MArch but a BArch can be an architect (though a person taking that degree could also opt to do a MArch but often for less years....one or two). </p>
<p>So, in short, you are looking at five years for a BArch OR 6-7 years for a BA + MArch. </p>
<p>I have a daughter doing a BA in Architectural Studies who plans to go to grad school to earn a MArch to become an architect. </p>
<p>Conceivably, yes, you could attend NYU and study something unrelated to architecture and still go to arch grad school. Remember, you need a portfolio to get into grad school. It is helpful to at least take some drawing and studio art classes, arch history classes, Calculus, and Physics, but you could major in something else, yes.</p>