<p>I am a UCSD transfer (so 3rd year) that wants to major in architecture. I'm going to major in Urban Studies & Planning and minor in Visual Arts. Would this be okay in pursuing my MArch?</p>
<p>It’s more than OK! You don’t necessarily have to have a architecture background to pursue an M.Arch degree. Urban studies will certainly give you a strong handle on land use planning, sustainable planning methods, and housing, which is very relevant in the arch. field. Visual Arts (as well as USP if you have any design courses) will also help you produce pieces for your portfolio. Do keep in mind that a physics, a survey arch. history, and calculus course are all often prereqs as well, so if you end up sticking with your plans to get an M.Arch, get those out of the way.</p>
<p>For Urban Studies, are there particular classes that would be more appealing to the school that i plan to go into?</p>
<p>I’d probably advise against this much forecasting, unless you’ve already visited/thoroughly acquainted yourself with said school that you plan on applying to. And if you’ve already done so, then you should know what topics are of greater interest within the respective schools.
It’s actually very doubtful that an admissions reader would go “Ohh, that person took xyz class! That’s appealing!”; they’re looking more for academic rigor. There are no right or wrong courses to take; just take what interests you. Obviously, if you took any Urban Design course, that’d be great for your portfolio.
You also should exercise caution when trying to align your interests with a schools. Even if, say, a school is big on sustainability, and you tailor your curriculum to reflect that, you still may not get in, as they may want students of different backgrounds and interests.</p>