Sunday, January 25, 2009

Bachelor vs. Master

I am attend a junior college in California with plans to transfer to California Poly State Univ. - San Luis Obispo to major in architecture. I have two questions:

1 - I read on Cal Poly's web site that its master's program is not accredited. If I wanted to pursue a master's at an accredited institution after obtaining a bachelor's, would that be difficult to
transfer to another school or are there any accredited master's programs. Does it matter if the master's is accredited so long as the bachelor's is? I am confused about this.

2 - After finishing school I doubt that I will have any money, so if I found a job where I could begin my internship, would there be any possibilities for relocation assistance?

_____

First, you need to understand that you need to pursue a NAAB accredited degree - Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Archtiecture or Doctor of Architecture (www.naab.org). For California Poly State Univ. - SLO, they offer the accredited Bachelor of Architecture and not the Master of Architecture (see below from their website).

If you receive the Bachelor of Architecture, you would be able to eventually apply for licensure. From there, you could pursue the post-professional Master of Science in Architecture.

However, please note that many programs offer a pre-professional Bachelor of Science (not accredited); afterwards, you would pursue the Master of Architecture (accredited). Given that you are at a junior college, you need to contact Cal Poly or other programs to determine where you would start their program.

http://www.arch.calpoly.edu/programs/index.html

Bachelor of Architecture - The Architecture Department offers a Bachelor of Architecture degree. This degree program, accredited by the National Architecture Accrediting Board (NAAB), is a five year "first professional degree" program, a pre-requisite for licensing as a registered architect in most states.

Masters of Science in Architecture - The MS-Arch. is not an accredited professional degree program. This is a second degree for those who already have a BArch or related Bachelor degree.

Visit the following for more details.
http://archcareers.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.html

As for your second question about relocation assistance, it would depend on the employer. It is unlikely but some firms may reimburse you for moving expenses. If you think that you will not have any money at the time of graduation, consider securing summer positions.