Major/Minor Selections for Arch, Structural Engineering, or both

<p>Hi, I am a high school student who is wondering what kind of majors would be good for me. I have always loved Architecture, but Structural Engineering has started to interested me as well. I want to try to do both and I have heard suggestions from many people, some say "find a joint major", or "do an undergrad in Arch/SE and a grad in the other" or just choose one. Any suggestions? Comments? </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>Architecture and structural engineering are VERY different fields. Architects are concerned with the looks of a building, as well as its layout. They also coordinate construction. Structural engineers are concerned with making the building strong enough and flexible enough to withstand any loads it may encounter during its life. </p>

<p>I am a structural engineer. I picked the field because I love math. I like using it to create structures! My major was actually Architectural Engineering, which meant I was in civil engineering but concentrated on building design. I wasn’t interested in wastewater treatment, highway design, etc. My husband and I started our own firm, 15 years ago last month. We work out of our home. We design everything from houses to hospitals to prisons to classified government enclosures. I think we weather poor economic conditions better than most architects do, because we can work in a wide variety of areas. If residential construction is down, for example, we can work on industrial projects. 2013 was a hard year for us, but otherwise we have done really well.</p>

<p>There is NO point to do both. Pick one! Either field is challenging enough to master on its own. You cannot get an undergraduate degree and start right into graduate school in structures. At least at UT-Austin, you would need a bachelor’s degree in civil in order to start on your MS degree in structures. I think that’s probably typical. </p>

<p>If you have more questions, feel free to ask.</p>

<p>I’m sorry, I got Civil Engineering and Structural confused. I meant Civil Engineering. What college did you go to that offered the Architectural Engineering course. Thank you!</p>

<p>As @Mainelonghorn said architecture and engineering are two completely different professions. My observation is that it’s not uncommon to get degrees in both, but not at the same time! </p>

<p>A 5.0 year professional undergraduate degree in architecture (the B.Arch) is a major commitment and doesn’t allow for much experimentation in other disciplines. Alternately, you could get a 4.0 year BA or BS in architecture and then go on to graduate school for the M.Arch or if you change your mind about architecture, whatever else you’re interested in at that time.</p>

<p>Some architecture school focus more on structures, sustainability, technology; some more on design and concept. All cover both facets of architecture, but the degree of emphasis varies.</p>

<p>Going in the other direction, i.e., getting an undergraduate degree in engineering then an M.Arch, you’d have to make sure that you covered the requisite art/art history courses and assembled a strong art portfolio, which may be difficult to do while in engineering school. </p>

<p>You could look at programs like this: <a href=“http://cee.stanford.edu/programs/archdesign/”>http://cee.stanford.edu/programs/archdesign/&lt;/a&gt;
But bear in mind if you intend to practice architecture you’ll still need a B.Arch or M.Arch.</p>

<p>If you’d like to get a better idea if architecture is for you, you could attend a careers in architecture summer program offered at many architecture schools throughout the country. This is a good way to build a portfolio too.</p>

<p><a href=“http://main.abet.org/aps/Accreditedprogramsearch.aspx”>http://main.abet.org/aps/Accreditedprogramsearch.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>My daughter will be entering an architectural engineering program this fall. She used the link above to search for programs and make a list of colleges to investigate. </p>