<p>I definitely want to become an architect, and CU is pretty much my only option. It is possible for me to attend an out-of-state or private university, but I would really like to save some money, and I don't want to be haunted by student loans for the rest of my life. </p>
<p>So how good is CU Boulder's arch. program? Poor, average, good, very good, excellent? How does it compare to schools such as University of Michigan, University of Illinois, University of Cincinnati, Penn State, University of Kansas, Kansas State, University of Oregon, and USC?</p>
<p>U of Michigan, U of Ill, U of Cincinnati do not have BArch. They have MArch (4+2), though U of Cincinnati is longer due to co-op. Penn State, U of Oregon, USC have BArch (5-year). I think U of Kansas and Kansas State have gone or are going to a 5-year MArch.</p>
<p>I wasn’t aware CU Boulder has a BArch or MArch. I think U of Colorado Denver has a MArch but I could be wrong.</p>
<p>I’m kind of confused about CU’s arch. program as well. I’m fairly sure most students spend 4 years at CU Boulder, then spend 2 years at CU Denver. I could be wrong though.</p>
<p>That sounds like the 4+2 program. A B.S. in Architecture Studies and then grad school for the MArch. Only the BArch and MArch are accredited by the NAAB. To become a licensed architect you would need either the BArch or MArch degree.</p>
<p>My understanding is the Univ of Boulder’s undergrad is a BS in Envir design and you choose Arch studies tract if you want to use it as a 4+2 program. The M.Arch is done at Univ of Denver though in theory you could go somewhere else for the final 2 years.</p>
<p>The CU arch program, emphasizing environmental design, is interesting because of how it reflects on the design trends in the Denver/Northwest US building industry. CU is not a bad school and if it’s you’re only option, that’s not a bad option. I am trying to do city planning at an eventual grad school which you don’t need to have an arch undergrad for, but it is similar. I have seen rankings that put CU in the middle respectively as far as Big 12 arch schools go (certainly behind OSU, Texas, K-State) but that might rise in the Pac-10/12 whatever. The only RENOWNED arch program there is Stanford, which goes without saying.</p>
<p>Actually the Pac-10 has several excellent architecture programs. For 5-year BArch there is USC and U of Oregon. While the DI rankings aren’t the end all be all, U of Oregon, USC, and U of Ari are in the top 20 for BArch and UC-Berkley, U of Oregon, U of Wash are in the top 20 for grad (MArch).</p>
<p>Try Wyoming. Our out-of-state is cheaper than your in-state tuition. We don’t offer Architecture, but a degree in Architectural Engineering, which is a great pre-architecture background. Our undergraduate students earn an accredited engineering degree, and can become practicing engineers within 4 years of graduation. However, with a 4-year undergrad degree at UW, our students receive advanced standing into MArch programs. Our graduates are very successful at both getting jobs and in becoming accepted into architecture graduate programs. You could either compete with hundreds of Colorado undergrads earning unaccredited degrees, or drive a couple of hours down the road to one of the best values in the country. At least give it a look, I’m glad I did!</p>