<p>I'm currently trying to pick a university for next year and I really want to major in architecture; however, my ultimate goal is not to be an architect.</p>
<p>Actually, what I really want to be is a(n architectural) model maker or a maybe product designer. I was wondering if a majoring in architecture is a step in the right direction. I was doing research and it seems like you don't have to even have to have a degree to become a model maker and I was wondering if anyone on this forum can verify this - it seems like you can be one right out of high school. However, my parents are really set on me having a university degree and they won't be happy if a wasted a lot of tuition money on something I could've done right out of high school.</p>
<p>So do some architecture students end up becoming model makers? What other careers can you pursue with only a B.Arch? I'm not too keen on the idea of getting licensed or pursuing an M.Arch as I don't want to be an architect, but I do love designing and building things/working with my hands (hence why I think being a model maker is the ideal career for me). Also, one last question - what is the salary of a model maker? Google is telling me around 50,000, but isn't that how much architects make as well?</p>
<p>jenjen12, my son also started with Arch in mind but has shifted his interest to include Industrial Design. You might look into it as a major as it is kind of a lateral move from Arch as you design all types of objects and work in the studio creating models as prototypes. Go to [Industrial</a> Designers Society of America - IDSA](<a href=“http://www.idsa.org/]Industrial”>http://www.idsa.org/) to find out more.</p>
<p>I think industrial design is a good suggestion. My daughter is majoring in that and much of the coursework involves advanced fabrication and modeling techniques. Of course if you study architecture you will get to build a lot of models, you just won’t be doing it for a living when you graduate.</p>
<p>I think between China and the computer the profession of architectural model making has been pretty well killed off. We will occasionally hire students at minimum wage to build study models for us, but the big models are produced in China or by a couple of large, highly automated, national firms. In the 80’s there were a ton of great model shops around the country producing $100,000 models of office buildings for the leasing centers. Those days are over. We can visualize things so well with computer renderings, that it is rare when a client asks for a physical model. With 3D printing dropping in cost I think that is where the next wave of physical models is going to come from. </p>
<p>Rick, I remember your daughter is at Stanford. They have a product design major however, you follow a Mech Engineering major first. Is that what she is doing?</p>
<p>The other area my son has had exposure to (because my husband knows people in L.A. who do this) is special effects fabrication for movies. The designers create models of objects that may be used partially animated and part real model. LIke when cities are demolished in a movie with a tidal wave or earthquake. Industrial design could be an entry spot for that field if that interests you.</p>
<p>My daughter is graduating in the spring and trying to decide what to do. She spent the summer doing product design with a startup in San Francisco and really enjoyed it. With a ME degree she can work in straight engineering (probably not her first choice), try to find an opportunity in a more design focused position, or just go to work for someone like McKinsey who recruits at Stanford looking for smart kids. I know she will end up in grad school for something, so I just want her to make some money since four years at Stanford have pretty well tapped me out.</p>
<p>I haven’t heard of a major called ‘industrial architecture’, but there are architects who specialize in industrial projects. They work on factories, water treatment plants, refineries, etc., and are more focused on process than on aesthetics. </p>
<p>Industrial design is a lateral field to Architecture but they are not the same, though some architects do become industrial designers. Architects must be licensed and so go through many more years of schooling, required internship hours and license testing. </p>
<p>Industrial designers do not, they are on par with graphic designers in terms of schooling. Go to this link in my first post to learn more and which schools offer Industrial design programs.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your helpful advice everyone! I really appreciate it :)</p>
<p>I guess pursuing model making wouldn’t be the wisest thing for me to do - especially since things like that crazy 3d printer exist! I looked into industrial design and it seems like something I could really enjoy as well, but I’ll have to do more research.</p>
<p>Since I have done some research in ID majors, I can tell you they are as varied as Arch programs. It is always best to look at the actual curriculum to see what their focus is. Canada has some other titles for their industrial design degrees. </p>
<p>Here in U.S. there is a BS in ID, BA in ID, a BID and BFA in ID. Some schools have automotive specialties. Some schools use more technology ie CAD than others. Use the school link from my other post and read about the programs in places you think you might go. </p>
<p>I think the programs that use the first year as a foundation year gives a nice start and frequently students in other design majors are all together (Virg tech does this) then the students branch out in the following years.</p>