BS (Arch) - UMich vs UIUC vs Cincinnati vs WUSTL

College Majors Architecture Major
1

<p>D is likely to do BS (Arch) in one of the 4 universities - UMich, UIUC, Cincinnati or WUSTL. Just to clarify, I am not referring to a B.Arch program (none of these 4 have it).</p>

<p>Please compare & contrast the 4-year BS Architecture program in the 4 universities, in terms of
a) academic rigor
b) flexibility of courses
c) reputation (in the business world as well as for M.Arch admissions)</p>

<p>FWIW, we're in state for UMich. So of special interest is comparison between UMich & Cincinnati for BS Arch.</p>

2

<p>bump…</p>

<p>It is interesting to see <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/architecture-major/858854-why-4-yr-bs-programs-so-competitive.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/architecture-major/858854-why-4-yr-bs-programs-so-competitive.html&lt;/a&gt; but yet no responses to my post here. This is not a hypothetical question. It is a real situation where I am seeking some information from those in the know.</p>

3

<p>karkri: Check the architecture threads. Search for UIUC or Illinois or similar. There was a posting from someone who had a daughter attend UIUC for architecture. Supposedly their study abroad at Versailles is supposed to be excellent. I am from the Chicago area but my son is a freshman in architecture at USC. He didn’t want to go to UIUC and didn’t apply. He preferred a 5-year program. He did apply to U of Cincinnati. We visited the school and came away very impressed with the program. He only applied there due to its coop program. They did tell us if you coop and don’t live at home you end up paying in state tuition. I don’t remember the exact limitations. In the posts I have heard WUSTL is very good and those that visited like it a lot.</p>

4

<p>karkri,</p>

<p>My daughter attended UIUC for her B.S. Arch. She is at UC for her M.Arch. We visited both UMich and WUSTL so I feel like our children were looking for many of the same things. Here’s my 2 cents:

  1. UIUC is good enough - daughter received solid grounding - if you’re in Michigan and get into the program, you’d be better off - I’m not slamming UIUC, but was just very impressed with UMich and there is the issue of out-of-state tuition to consider - also good internship opportunities (not sure about this market though).
  2. WUSTL seems to be doing everything right. They have brought in some very impressive faculty members. In addition the students appear to be very bright and highly motivated. We were extremely impressed with the program.
  3. UC was everything she wanted - great academics and studios - opportunity (although limited) to take classes outside of architecture and within DAAP, co-ops to provide real world experience. She’s very happy with the faculty. In her current co-op assignment she worked on building a model for a firm’s participation in an international competition. They just found out that they won the competition. It’s invaluable to have the experience. On the negative side, administration is not as organized as she would like.</p>
5

<p>U of M for sure. their reputation for such is phenomenal!.. seriously.</p>

6

<p>WUSTL has a pretty high ranked M.Arch program, and its a top tier university on the US news ranking list. I went there in the summer and their facilities are pretty advanced, they have this room with laser cutters, it was very state-of-the-art. They said they’re pretty flexible, as in taking courses in its other schools.
Im pretty sure firms look for WUSTL grads, at least in the St. Louis area. HOK, the arch firm, was started by WUSTL grads, and the people who work there said a lot of Wash U’s students work for them. </p>

<p>I hope this helped! :]</p>

7

<p>“Im pretty sure firms look for WUSTL grads, at least in the St. Louis area.”</p>

<p>And this is important because the OP is moving to St. Louis? Just go to Michigan. You get more bang for your buck and everyone knows where your school is located.</p>

8

<p>karki, I’m familiar with undergrad programs at UC and WUSTL. My son attends UC (DAAP) and couldn’t be happier with the program. He’s learned so much from the courses and faculty, and equally from his co-op experiences and the people he’s worked with there. The added value of having both tremendous courses and paid learning opportunities at a public university cost is huge. At the time he was accepted, nearly all the architecture students he knew received 4-yr. merit aid (Cincinnatus scholarships), which made attending a no brainer for him and some of his classmates. We hear that these scholarships are awarded more selectively now.</p>

<p>A family friend’s daughter graduated from WUSTL not that long ago, then worked for a couple of years for a firm near home, and had no problem getting accepted to a well-regarded MArch program. She loved WUSTL, which prepared her well for her grad program.</p>

<p>I think both undergrad programs are well regarded. It depends what you’re seeking. Good luck to daughter with this decision.</p>