Quick question about the Urban and Regional Studies major at Cornell’s AAP college. I’m looking to get my master’s degree in architecture and my undergraduate in a pre-professional architecture degree or something related to architecture. I’ve heard great things about Cornell’s B.Arch program, but I’d like to do something not as intensive as a 5 year professional degree as I’d like to explore the field. Would Cornell’s Urban and Regional studies major be a good prerequisite major before a 3 year master’s degree in architecture?
@superqd, I think it depends on what your objective is. If you want to study urban planning, then the Cornell program is a good choice. If you want a foundation from which to apply to MArch programs, then Cornell’s URS major is just one of many paths that you could choose that would get you into a good graduate architecture school.
I don’t know anything about Cornell’s undergraduate URS program (except that it is quite small). In their FAQ they offer this exchange which leads me to believe that preparing students for careers in architecture isn’t their top priority. I don’t get the feeling that design studio is an integral part of the program. I’d suggest that you write to them and ask if they’d recommend it as a launching pad for architecture.
You can get admitted to a good MArch program with an undergraduate degree in just about anything. A BA or BS in architecture or architectural studies is a logical starting point, but so is art, art history, really whatever you’re interested in as long as you fulfill the admissions requirements: some art studio, some art history, some physics and some calculus. (The last two vary from school to school.) Your portfolio will be a significant factor.