I am currently a senior, graduating in the year 2018. I want to be an architect and is wondering if anyone can help me recommend a decent university that specializes in that major.
My average unweighted GPA is about 3.8, and I am expecting to get at least 1350 for my upcoming SAT in October. Additionally, I have taken AP Physics 1, AP Human Geography, and AP Psychology, and achieved the scores 3, 4, and 4 respectively. (I plan to take AP Art, AP Physics 2, and AP Calculus this year).
Thank You!
You can google “colleges architecture major” and a lot of lists come up. Some longer lists seem to include schools that do not have a major, but just a few courses, so I am linking here to the shortest list I found. But google yourself and look at websites of schools that interest you.
http://study.com/articles/Colleges_That_Have_Architecture_as_a_Major_List_of_Schools.html
Geographic locations? College budget?
Are you a Junior or Senior?
I would most likely go to the States, preferably Boston, New York, or maybe California.
I haven’t talked to my parents about college budget but my sister is attending Pratt, which costs about $46,586 a year without financial aid.
I’m a senior.
@Gumbymom
If budget and geographic locations are not an issue, then start googling for Architecture programs in your desired locations. Also check the Common Dataset for each school to see where your GPA and test scores fall to determine your chances at an acceptance. You want to be at the 50th percentile or higher for the best chances. Not having an actual SAT score will it make it difficult. Predicting a score is not the same as attaining that score.
Sounds like you are an International student? Or just living abroad? If International, what is your career goal and plans to stay in the US?
You can start by looking for accredited programs:
https://www.ncarb.org/become-architect/study-architecture/accredited-programs
One think to consider is if you’re looking for a BArch (5-year program),
or a BA in Architecture (4-year), which would then likely require an MA (2-year).
Students who graduate with a BArch are eligible to sit the license exams.
There ARE 5-year Master’s programs (accredited) in architecture for very focused students.
Take a look at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) for Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) degree – a 5 year program. http://www.risd.edu/academics/architecture/
My daughter graduated from RISD in Industrial Design (ID). RISD Architecture is strong, and very demanding.
@den057
As others have noted in the U.S. there are two paths to architecture licensure:
1)The 5.0 year professional undergraduate degree, the Bachelor OF Architecture (BArch) In a few schools the 5.0 year undergraduate degree is a non-baccalaureate Master of Architecture.
If you are an international student, the first question you need to ask yourself is where do you intend to practice architecture? Each country has its own rules and regulations.
The second question, especially if you are not an American citizen or permanent resident, is can you finance 5.0 to 7.5 years of study? There’s a huge difference in admission chances between a full-pay international student and one that is seeking financial aid.
The third question is what kind of environment do you want: a full service university, an art school, or a technology focused school? The architecture curriculum will be much the same, but the experience will be different.
And lastly, and most importantly, are you 100% sure you want to study architecture? The BArch is a rigorous and narrowly focused curriculum. The BA/BS+MArch route allows more flexibility.
Answering these questions will help you make your list.
There are about 45 universities in the U.S. that offer the BArch, plus 2 or 3 (I’m not sure) that offer the undergraduate MArch. Some of these programs require a portfolio as part of the admissions process. Some do not.
Many, many schools offer a BA or BS in architecture or architectural studies. You can get accepted to a good MArch program with a degree in anything as long as you satisfy the entrance requirements which are generally some undergraduate physics, some calculus, some art studio, some art history. Depending on the MArch program and your undergraduate degree the MArch can take from 2.0 to 3.5 years. Each MArch program is structured a little differently.
With a BArch or MArch it takes 2 to 3 years to become licensed in the States. Each state has its own licensing regulations. Of course you need a visa to work in America, but that’s another topic.
Are you an American citizen?
Can your parents pay for you to attend college…and if so, how much?
@mathmom any suggestions?
If you are not a resident of CA, you won’t be receiving any need based aid from the public universities in CA.
NY, CA and Boston are also expensive places in which to reside.
I think you need a college budget from your parents FIRST.
Does your sister get financial aid at all from Pratt?
If you are sure about architecture it probably makes sense to go with a place that offers an undergrad B.Arch not a BA degree. Generally architecture is pretty regional and you will have a lot easier time finding jobs if you go to school where you think you want to end up.
That said if I were currently going to school the programs that interest me most are either ones that are influenced by New Urbanism, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Urbanism , or ones where students actually do some hands on construction. https://www.curbed.com/2015/11/10/9901718/5-architecture-schools-with-designbuild-programs
Tennessee, U of Miami (Florida), Syracuse. What do all these schools have in common? Orange as a school color. And architecture.
I looked at the first three links. Could not find schools I know of in the first two. Do NOT bother with those links.
Post # 5 has the definitive lists of schools. You can pick your state or region of interest. Also degree levels offered (bachelors, masters…). Once you know your region you can look up schools to see if the academic fit is good for you. College is so much more than academics as well. Another consideration is getting both undergrad and masters degrees at the same institution. Plus- what type of architecture most interests you?
You also need to look at the favored styles of the school (post #11). There are distinct styles that come out of different schools. Two major ones I have familiarity with are the University of Illinois- Champaign/Urbana and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Wisconsin’s only U with architecture is the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. This limited group is solely based on friends/family attending the schools. The two men went vastly different directions ultimately. One is a medium sized city architect who does a lot of smaller commercial/public buildings, a choice he made instead of the big Chicago firms. The other also got his MFA and teaches at a college far from his region after working as an architect for a few years. Both went to schools based on costs and being in their region at that time of their lives.
Where you intend to work should influence where you choose to go to school.
NAAB-accredited BArch degrees (5 years) are suitable professional degrees.
BA/BS in architecture may allow you to complete an NAAB-accredited MArch degree in less time than if you start with a BA/BS in some other subject. But the time to the professional degree is still longer than if you did a BArch degree.
Find an NAAB-accredited program: http://www.naab.org/architecture-programs/school-search/
Be sure to talk to your parents about costs and run the net price calculators on college web sites.
@den057 Read the following blog and see if it interests you most of the projects come out of Virginia Tech.
http://www.aricgitomerarchitect.com/dreaming-architecture-school-first-day/