<p>I've recently been accepted to Parsons, Pratt, BAC, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Carnegie Mellon and NYU</p>
<p>In all honestly NYU is where I would really like to go, but out of all the acceptances they seem to offer the least in regards to architecture. I was hoping someone could give me some thoughts on the other programs. Could I go to NYU and then master in architecture? I am just afraid I will not get into a good masters program if I do not go undergrad. Also, I heard architects are a dying bread. Would it be a waste to go into architecture?</p>
<p>“I am just afraid I will not get into a good masters program if I do not go undergrad”
If you plan on going to any of these schools aside from NYU, and assuming that you’ve been accepted into their B.Arch programs, there’s no need to get a masters (unless you want to get a post-prof. degree). So that statement is just silly.</p>
<p>And from whence did you hear that architects are a dying breed?</p>
<p>A B.Arch is a professional degree, so you can become licensed with just that. If you go to NYU, you won’t be getting a B.Arch since their architecture program isn’t accredited, so you would have to get a masters in order to become licensed.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that with architecture, where you graduated from matters less and less the longer you work, because people are more interested in your work than your school.</p>
<p>See my other threads-responses about Pratt, which is where I have my B.Arch from.</p>
<p>In a way, yes, architects are something of a dying breed. Architects are no longer really the master builder of years past, where the architect was the most influential professional in the design and construction process. </p>
<p>Today, buildings have become so complicated and as growing regulations are further imposed upon the building process, it takes many different professionals to design and construct a structure. </p>
<p>As I said before in previous posts, at most, only half of all B.Arch grads ever get their license. Many people with this credential have gone into other fields when the economy gets bad, as it has been the last couple of years. Architecture follows the fortunes of the economy for the most part.</p>
<p>Very few people will ever need an architect. </p>
<p>It is said that in NYC, almost half the architects are unemployed.</p>
<p>I’m hoping things turn around in a big way, but I’m not holding my breath…</p>
<p>Is architecture a dying breed? No, but it’s definitely a cyclical breed, and right now we are in the middle of a horrible down cycle. Everybody in the building industry is hurting; contractors, engineers, and developers. We have been hiring in the last couple of months, and I can tell you that the best people still have jobs. Out of 150+ applicants we have found two of what I would consider ‘A’ players. One was in a branch office that closed and he did not want to transfer to another office, and the other just graduated with his Masters degree and had four years of previous experience. So yes, this can be a tough field, and if you go into it be prepared to excel.</p>
<p>The NYU degree + a 3 years MArch degree is a perfectly acceptable path if you are willing to spend that much money for your education. However, you have some great choices; VT, Syracuse, and CM are all outstanding schools and if you really want to be an architect I would suggest going to one of these schools as opposed to taking a more circuitous route.</p>