Hi, I will be going into undergrad next year and I’m in the middle of my college search. What I want to do as a career is design and build metro systems, shopping malls, and airports in developing countries. As a specific example, I want to be deciding where to put stations in a big city as well as design the layouts of stations. I have an affinity for math and physics, but I’m also extremely fond of art and I definitely want to work abroad. Do you guys know any colleges with undergraduate programs that would prepare me to join such career paths? Please tell me the name of the institution and also the official name of the major.
Also, what program best fits my interests? Is it Civil Engineering, Urban Planning, Infrastructure Engineering, Architectural Engineering, or even Architecture??
Urban planning classes are frequently open to interested undergraduates even if they claim to be graduate only. My school, the University of Oklahoma, only offers masters and phDs in urban planning, but I’ve been able to enroll in a few of the courses without any difficulty (just shot the head of the department an email expressing my interest).
@hugomonster, Urban planning tends more toward policy than design or engineering. If you want to design and oversee the whole project then you would probably want architecture which acts as the hub between planning, design and engineering. Your choice really depends on how important the design element is to you.
Multi-office global architectural firms design and build the types of projects that you describe all over the world. Look at the websites of SOM and SHoP architects to get an idea of the scope of projects.
Getting an entry level job with a firm that specializes in big urban projects is doable as long as you have a degree in architecture (preferably a Bachelor or Master of Architecture) and a resume of experience gained during your years of study. There are several ways to approach this goal, but first you have to decide on the undergraduate degree that is right for you.
I’d suggest that you look at the curriculums of the various degrees and see which appeals to you. Start with the UP programs that @Erin’s Dad mentioned and compare the required classes to those required by comparable Civil engineering or Bachelor of Architecture programs.
Many US universities offer a BArch and/or MArch and many architecture departments also encompass Urban Planning programs, though the UP degrees offered are more commonly graduate degrees. Alternately, you could do an undergraduate BA or BS in architecture or architectural studies and then get an MArch or Masters of Urban Planning. The BA/BS route takes longer, but allows you more exposure to a wider range of disciplines.
Are you applying this year for the school year starting September 2017, or the year after? If you can, try to attend an architecture career exploration program over the summer to get a better idea of what architecture entails.
Having been an engineer for over 30 years, working with planners and architects, I have to disagree. Planners do not only get involved in policy, they can be intimately involved in designs as well. And if you want to “design and oversee” the entire project, you do not want to become an architect. As TomSrofBoston said, that would be the job of a Civil Engineer. The OP wishes to be involved in where mass transit stations would go, as well as the actual design of the stations. Only engineers and planners could be involved in both of those aspects, never an architect. And only an engineer could be the project manager for the entire project.
Please do not misunderstand, this is not a post against architects. They have a hugely important role in any project they are involved in. I just wanted to straighten out any misconceptions out there.
At a school like the University of Washington in Seattle, you might consider a Civil Engineering major with an Urban Planning minor or a Community, Environment and Planning major, among other offerings:
I agree with @momrath. Architects do get involved in the planning and design aspects you are looking at. They often combine architectural design backgrounds with an urban planning interest. You should look at colleges that offer urban planning or urban affairs in addition to architectural design studies.
If you do have an interest in architecture I suggest you look at VT’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies. Besides the school’s main Blacksburg campus, it has the Washington Alexandria Architecture Center in Alexandria, VA, outside of DC, that enrolls selected students from VT and a consortium of a dozen or so architectural schools from the US and around the world for studying urban issues. It accepts undergraduate students in their 4th and 5th years. VT’s overseas architectural studio offers students study-abroad opportunities at the VT Steger Center for International Scholarship, located in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland.
As to engineering, look into VT’s College of Engineering for their civil engineering studies.
this is a very helpful thread, im going through the same problem. I want to plan a city basically and also design it, but i guess designing is not that important to me so i may study urban planning. Do urban planners care about designs?
@miajay08 As an urban planner you will spend an inordinate amount of time sitting in community meetings where others will argue about the width of a sidewalk and the shadows that a building will cast.
