Definitely belongs on the list of affordable programs. However, you’d still need an MArch after the BAA, which is a pre-professional major. These programs generally prepare you to complete an MArch in two years rather than three, but that’s still a six year path to a professional degree. (Which is totally fine if that’s your expectation, and if all six years will work from a financial perspective.)
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Architecture is a broad field which is reflected in the student bodies of MArch programs and in the make up of individual firms. By far most MArch students have undergraduate architecture degrees of some sort, but they also admit students with degrees in liberal arts, CS, engineering or, really, just about anything. They also admit a fair number of “late starters” who come to architecture from established careers in other fields, related or not.
Architecture has become a lot more complex in the past decade with the increased emphasis on technology, sustainability and affordability both in design and process. Architects by necessity have become more specialized and the field as a whole more dependent on collaboration with various adjunct disciplines not just with engineering firms but also with planning, policy, legal, technology and environmental specialists.
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Thanks for the explanation!
I know that the University of Melbourne and USyd offer a good program but the main reason I want to go over is because (if I get in) it’ll allow me to travel and explore internationally while getting a good education
If I was to take the BS+MArch route, would doing an Engineering Major with an architecture minor be a logical/possible option?
Whether you’d be able to combine an engineering degree with an architecture minor would, I believe, depend on which engineering school you choose. Not my area of knowledge.
I can, however, tell you what you need to get into an MArch program.
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An undergraduate degree in architecture, architectural studies or ANYTHING ELSE that interests you. MArch degrees range from 1 to 3.5 years to complete. The length of time varies depending on the requirements of the individual program and your prior educational background. There is little consistency from school to school.
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Some undergraduate art studio and some art history courses
3 . Often but not always some undergraduate physics and calculus
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A design portfolio (very important)
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Letters of recommendation, a personal statement, GRE results
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Funding for however long it takes to complete the degree. MArch programs do offer scholarships and teaching grants, but its difficult to predict the amount. There’s no getting around it: an architecture education is expensive and entry level salaries are low, especially before licensing.
It’s common in the US for undergraduate degree holders to work for a couple of years before heading back to graduate school for their MArch. With the BArch or MArch the licensing process takes on average 2 to 3 years plus or minus depending on your motivation. Other countries have other systems.
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@mathmom any opinions?
I’m not really up to date on architecture schools. My experience is that in general it is much easier to get a job in the area where you went to school. My M. Arch program (Columbia) had a combination of people who had gotten B. Arch or sometime BA’s in Architecture (which is not a professional degree and is pretty much useless). Some of those students got to skip a year, but many did not. The rest of us had a variety of backgrounds - art, journalism, experience in renovating houses, photography among the ones I can remember. Some of the B. Arch folk went back to their home states, but most came to Columbia because they wanted to be in New York City and they stayed.
I went and worked in a German architectural office for a few years. Lucked into the job because they needed a liaison for some US Army work. I had to play catch up with everything being metric.
Is a US architecture degree accepted in Australia? Would it make more sense to do something like Columbia’s advance architectural design degree afterwards? https://www.arch.columbia.edu/programs/3-m-s-advanced-architectural-design
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Yes, foreign-trained architects may apply for licensure in Australia–though the process is more complicated than for those who trained domestically.
https://www.aaca.org.au/are-you-an-overseas-architect/
Degrees from foreign countries (like the US) are assessed individually on case-by-case basis. Once an applicant’s education is deemed equivalent to an Australian education, the applicant must sit for a National Assessment exam and National Architectural Practical exam.
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