<p>My son applied for Architecture and did not get into that major (his scores were a little low) but he was admitted to Virginia Tech. I was told that he can ask to change his major to something else in the College of Architecture such as Landscape Arch, Urban Planning, etc. I was just wondering if anyone else has done that and how it worked out. He is interested in Urban Planning . I was told to send an email requesting to change the major. Also is there anyone who started out in one of these other majors and then tried to switch into architecture after the first year? Thanks.</p>
<p>Hi pha516, </p>
<p>I believe that if he wanted to change and designate Interior Design, Industrial Design or Landscape Architecture he would be in the same situation that he is in now regarding needing those summer school sessions/review-placement. All of those freshman majors- ARCH, Interior Design, Industrial Design, Land Arch- are put together for the initial design studio year. Then they separate into their own areas. Urban planning majors, as far as my son knows, are not included in that requirement. </p>
<p>The basic arch program has the largest number of kids in CAUS, so maybe they have indicated that would be easier for him to transfer into one of the other areas after fulfilling those requirements bc of numbers. The thing is, although they are similiar in some ways, all of the aforementioned disciplines are unique and are quite different from regular architecture. </p>
<p>One thing my son did as he was looking into what he wanted to do was to go through the course layouts/plans for each major and see what the descriptions were for the classes that he would be taking. It really helped him see what would be a good fit for his interests. Landscape is heavy with environmental science/ecology/horticulture/urban forestry classes in addition to the normal design/arch types of classes, i.e. grading/materials, etc.</p>
<p>A B.S. In Environmental Policy and Planning or a B.A. in Public and Urban Affairs (the undergrad offereings for Urban Planning) are quite different. For ex. here is the checklist for the B.S. for EPP:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.registrar.vt.edu/forms/degree/CAUS_epp_10.pdf[/url]”>http://www.registrar.vt.edu/forms/degree/CAUS_epp_10.pdf</a></p>
<p>Hope this helps some! Ultimately, it is all in where he sees himself. They are all TOUGH majors though. Very time consuming and very demanding so in the end he is going to really like what he is doing or he won’t want to stick with it. Best of luck to you both!</p>