<p>Does anyone have any input regarding the Univ of Miami vs Tulane in general or regarding the architecture program?.
D is from Southern California and received a large scholarship from Miami and a much smaller one from Tulane. We know they have a different feel and have been to Tulane. Will be looking at Miami as well but really want to hear from others.</p>
<p>coming from a transfer student who talked to my boss about going back to school for archtiectural engineering, which i was accepted into U of M for, and i already have an associates of applied science in architecture degree. My boss’s son went to tulane for architecture and it has a much better ‘brand’ than U of M for that major. Not only the brand but the price is much cheaper aswell, he recommended i look into that school just because an employer will pick someone that went to tulane over miami just because it has a better name for itself in that program. My boss is smart with this stuff, he owns a huge engineering/architectural firm and all his sons are in that field with all masters and are very very well off and set basically</p>
<p>Thanks for your input. Actually U of Miami would be much less expensive for my D because they gave her a substantial scholarship but we need to look long term as well as the short term re making a decision. @marshn07 -In what part of the country do you live?</p>
<p>Im from PA, lived here my entire life and sick of the extremely long winter season and dieing to get somewere warm year round. In the long run, from educational standpoint in that field Tulane has a better brand behind it which would land a better job I believe in the long run. But then it comes to visiting both schools and seeing which your daughter likes better because they both have great programs just one is more well known than the other. Architecture is a very very work heavy major, I went to a penn state branch campus for my associates and we had ~3-4 projects due a week, multiple all nighters in the labs but in the end its worth it. Very fun jobs and even more exciting when you design stuff that gets built</p>
<p>Carb123, I am from SoCal too but have looked at both schools. I LOVE them both. They feel similar to me. In nice neighborhoods, but close to the city; small walkable campuses; a bit of an affluent student. I guess Miami feels a little more like a country club but that’s because Miami = vacation to me. And South Florida, like SoCal, beckons for flip flops and shorts. However, both schools have their share of polo shirts - Tulane is probably preppier. UMiami does have big D1 sports and lots of sports spirit. Tulane seems to be lacking that. I thought Miami was a bit harder to get into. It’s science programs draw more of a typical California science student – if that makes sense. It seems a little more diverse. Both campuses are a little tired to me (Walk on TCU or Wake Forest and you feel like you are at a luxury hotel!) </p>
<p>Hope these notes help a bit. </p>
<p>@Carb123 A friend on the UM Parents Facebook page has a son who is a freshman in architecture at the U. I can connect you with the parent. If you are interested, just send me a PM.</p>
I applied and was accepted to both the University of Miami and to Tulane. I am a current student at the University of Miami School of Architecture. I have loved UM’s program, and I think that is the single most important thing when looking at colleges- what program speaks to you. I have loved to draw all my life, and coming from the northwest, love traditional, particularly Craftsman architecture. I identify with human-scaled buildings that feel comfortable and beautiful, and are contextually appropriate in style and typology.
First off, the methodology of the school: A building, no matter how fantastic it is in its own right, is a failure if it degrades the quality of its community and/or doesn’t practically serve its own purpose. Architecture should be beautiful, adaptable and engage the user. Furthermore, it should contribute to the betterment of a place, and solve the problems of an urban condition. A single building has the opportunity to spark social change in a community. This is where it interacts with urban design, which UM is quite noted for with its New Urbanist focus, and graduate program led by the co-founder of the Congress for New Urbanism, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk. I love the mission and methodology of this school, which is why I am so happy there.
I think the UMSoA has a fantastic community, which really can be described as a family. We are truly collaborative in the best sense of the word - we support and look out for one-another, we work in teams and groups and contribute ideas to one-another. We are not cutthroat or overly-competitive, as this really detracts from learning. The best learning comes from sharing our varied life experiences and understandings of architecture. Students in my class come from across the world, particularly from Latin America, which shapes a really open-minded school that embraces lots of different ideas. Nobody is forgotten by this school- we make sure to engage everyone in some way.
We travel as a class to Key West, to study its vernacular architecture, and to Seaside, Rosemary and Alys Beach Florida to live in and interact with fantastic results of the New Urbanist planning of each of those towns. We look to the architectural traditions of ancient Rome and Greece to understand the importance of ordering and proportions in design, which apply regardless of style, as they make architecture that is aesthetically pleasing. You don’t have to love traditional architecture to go to school here- many students prefer contemporary design, and this is embraced by the faculty as long as it shows sophisticated understanding of place.
The teachers here truly care about their students. They spend hours outside of class meeting with students, texting and emailing them to make sure everyone is successful, and is learning. They personally connect with and retain connections to students throughout their tenure. Design studio is a great environment, as most have about 10 students, and everyone has their own desk and drafting board. Programatically, design is balanced with a practical understanding of how architecture is built. Projects that are theoretically fantastic but are impossible to actually construct are discouraged. That’s not to say that projects can’t be innovative, but designs should indicate understanding of structural systems and the application of materials, and adapt to surrounding stylistic, environmental, topographic and coding restrictions and regulations so that graduates can be prepared for the real-world limitations of architectural design in the field.
In terms of facilities, each studio is kept in private rooms, with lots of wall space in front of the desk to place pictures for inspiration, and design development drawings. This also allows for a social, yet reasonably quiet environment for working in. The courtyard is the heart of the school, as most of our studio rooms overlook it, and everyone, from the students to the faculty and staff interact there. I don’t know what we would be without it. The Glasgow lecture hall is a fantastic building designed by Leon Krier, and is home to all of our lecture classes and to weekly lectures by visiting professionals from around the world, which greatly contributes to our education and understanding of the latest phenomena in the architectural world.
The school focuses on the importance of drawing by hand, as methods of analog and digital production are often most successful when used in tandem to develop a project. We learn how to freehand sketch and draft using a board and instruments, including orthoganally and hand-constructed perspective, we learn to paint using watercolor, and are taught through tutorials how to draw with AutoCAD, Rhino, Revit, Grasshopper, Illustrator, Photoshop, Indesign and others. Generally we are given the choice to draw by hand or by computer for our projects, as long as we demonstrate competency in all methods. I love to draw by hand, and UM is unique among architecture schools in that professors encourage hand-drawn presentation drawings.
The school tries to engage with the greater Miami community, and has recently been stepping up that effort. Many of our design projects take place in sites around the Miami area, or focus on the successful architectural adaptation to a humid subtropical environment.
Tulane’s biggest asset to me was their five year MArch program. It requires essentially the same credits and classes, but provides a better degree. However, my impression from visiting on three separate occasions, including once after having gone to UM for a semester, was that its program and social culture are quite different than those at UM. The general environment seemed much more competitive among students trying to out-perform their peers. I saw a lot less diversity there, and a more traditional student body. Students mostly produce computer-aided representation (i.e. not hand drawing). They have a much stronger focus on design, which leads to many more abstract projects that are less grounded in a built reality, and don’t consider their architectural context. Both schools have strong design-build programs. UM’s is one semester, in which a small structure is built, and Tulane’s is more ambitious, occupying an entire year and building a house. In UM’s, students collaborate on a design, at Tulane’s students compete and one design wins (I think this speaks of the environment of each program).
Another factor to consider: I got a $30,000 merit scholarship (so I only pay $14k) to go to UM, and most of all of my classmates also received similarly significant merit aid (I only know a few people who pay full price). This is one reason why many people pick UM, and its a good reason to at least apply. In terms of recognition, the University of Miami is one of the best 50 colleges in the US (USNews rankings), however Tulane places much higher on the list. If you want the most well-regarded degree, pick Tulane. In terms of UM, in the south at least, graduates are highly regarded, as associates at many firms know about the New Urbanism community or engage with it, and therefore have connections to the school’s faculty. This is also helpful with internships, and many of my classmates get them from the internship fair we hold each year or from connections through faculty. UM is also highly regarded on the east coast, as many students and faculty come from and have connections there, particularly to Harvard and Yale, which many BArch students go to for their Master’s degrees. However, coming from the northwest, UM is more obscure, so it depends on where you settle.
I toured UM and the tour guide put a lot of emphasis on the resources that the Architecture students have! It seems like they are respected/well-treated by the administration