Community College to Architecture

I am going into my third year of community college. After changing my major twice, I just found out that I want to become an architect. However I'm not really sure how to start out? I realize I'm a little bit behind as far as obtaining a degree is concerned so I'm really looking forward to progressing quickly through my classes and catching up. Are there any suggestions such as classes or programs I should be taking to sort of jump start my career? I hope to hear back from you soon and thanks for the help.

Gateway Community College / SmithGroup JJR

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Congratulations on your decision to study architecture.  You may think you are behind, but you have plenty of time to complete the degree.

The best place to start is to first learn how to become an architect with its 1) education, 2) experience, and 3) exam.  The best sources to learn this is -- http://www.archcareers.org -- or the book, Becoming an Architect, 2nd ed.

From there, determine potential architecture programs (schools) that you wish to attend and contact them to determine what courses would be needed for transfer.  In many cases, you may need calculus and physics prior to admission.

For a list of programs, review both http://www.naab.org and http://archschools.org --

Aside from academic preparation, consider shadowing an architect in an office to learn more about the profession.  Keep a sketchbook - draw for 30 minutes everyday of the world around you.  Eventually, you will connect your brain (creativity) with your eye (seeing) and your hand.

Send me more questions as you have them.

Best.

GED to Community College to Architecture

I am eighteen years old and I truly admire you. I have been following your blog for two days and I am reading as much as I can from it and I believe you are the best person to ask my questions about architecture. You are formal and to take the time  to write your responses which I love. I have been looking for a person like you for weeks! I would ask a university admissions counselor, but you are experienced in the field and can help me with the questions I have for the life after university. 

I have a few. I hope it doesn’t bother you.

1)    Because of unfortunate events, I have to get my GED, but I intend to score as high as possible, does this look bad for an architect? 

2)    What classes should I take in community college to catch up on what I missed in high school? I believe you mentioned physics.

3)    I have made my decision to transfer to a four year university after community college. Do you recommend I take my community college’s architecture program or wait until I attend the four year university to start?

4)    Does going to one of the top schools of architecture really help for an architecture career, and how so?

5)    In general, is the life of an architect hard? I mean economically, personally, and work.

This is the big question I have .

Should I study interior architecture first and then get a Master’s in architecture? Both interest me a lot, but interior architecture interests me a bit more. I am really confused in what I should and shouldn’t do. I hope you can answer my questions. I would really appreciate it. 

________

Replies to your questions/comments are listed below:

1) The important aspect of your educational background is that you have what is necessary to move to the next level.  Having a GED allows you to move to the next level of education.

2) To best answer that question, contact the architecture programs to which you plan to apply and ask them.  Most architecture programs will require you to take calculus and physics.  Take mathematics courses until you are able to complete calculus.  Other courses to consider include general education - humanities, social sciences, composition, etc.

3) Again, be in touch with the architecture program to see if what architecture courses will transfer to their program.  In some cases, courses at a community college will not transfer.  Personally, I prefer students to transfer as soon as they are able given their circumstances.

4) I would not worry about attending a "top" architecture program and work to apply to the best school for YOU.  You must determine what is important to you in selecting a program.

5) I am not an architect so I cannot say from personal experience, but I would not say it is hard; it is challenging, but it is also rewarding.  If possible, try to meet with some architects and ask them the question.  Another source is to read the profiles in Becoming an Architect, 2nd Ed.

Interior Architecture - I would still suggest you obtain a Master of Architecture which will allow you to do interior design, but perhaps pursue your degree at an institution that also has interior design.  Visit CIDA for a list of accredited Interior Design Programs -- http://www.accredit-id.org/

Best in your path!

Transfer to an Architecture School

I'm  currently working on a double major in Environmental Studies and Art at a university. Although I enjoy these classes, I feel that career-wise I am more interested in environmental architecture. I am a sophomore entering my the winter quarter.  I have yet to take any architectural classes but have taken three years worth of Digital Arts in the Artquest program where I used Photoshop and the 3d Modeling software Lightwave.  I have taken History of Modern Architecture, Intro to Drawing and Intro to Photography. This quarter I plan on taking Calculus for Science, Engineering and Mathematics, Into to Oil Painting, and 2D Art Foundation. It seems like most schools prefer their applicants to have a  strong background in Math and  Physics.  In high school I received a 4 on the AP Physics test. So far I have not taken any Physics classes since neither major required it and my AP score satisfied my general education requirement.  Would you suggest that I take more math and  physics courses?

The other question I have is if I  have much of a chance transferring in the 2012- 2013 school year. There is only one more Art History Architecture class at my school but no Architecture classes at the or the community college. I plan to attend a summer course to get a feel for the various different architecture careers (landscape, urban planning, and regular)  but  I have also  been considering taking a leave of absence during the next year  in order to take architecture classes at the junior college in my hometown. Would this route make me a stronger candidate for the 2013-2014 year?

During my Modern Architecture class I wrote about Frank Lloyd for one of my papers. His ideas on organic architecture, horizontality and the utilization of light and shadow really  appealed to me. In my research it seemed like Taliesin has a pretty odd history. I feel like Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture would provide an extremely peaceful and focused environment for developing myself and my skills. However I was wondering how the school is viewed professionally. Are students seen as prolonging and mimicking Wright's style? What regard is this university held in? Do you feel like this style is still marketable?

Any help is extremely appreciated,

_________

Given you are almost half-way through a degree at UC Santa Cruz, you have two paths to pursue to become an architect - 1) transfer to an architecture program for fall; or 2) continue with your degree at UC Santa Cruz and afterwards, pursue a Master of Architecture.

Thus, whether you take more mathematics and physics will depend on your desired path.  You will find that most programs do require calculus and physics, but you will need to contact each program to find out.  Let the programs to which you plan to transfer be your guide.

To determine what is best for you for this coming fall, I suggest you be in touch with the schools to which you wish to apply.  I would suggest that you consider transferring sooner not later.

Lastly, with regards to your question about FLW, I would suggest you talk directly to both faculty and students at the school.  The most critical aspect of a program is its accreditation and that it is a good fit for you.

Be in touch with additional questions as you proceed.

Community College

I'm a student just graduated from high school and I just found my passion on Architecture recently. I plan for a community college and transfer after 2 years, to a university.
I sent an e-mail to Carnegie Mellon University for inquire. I was told that students there start as a freshman to accomplish the NAAB-accredited 5-year program, so as transfer students. But as you know, there's no NAAB B.A. program in community college. If so, does it mean I have to spend seven years to earn my NAAB bachelor degree???
The only one i heard is Cuesta Community College which has "perfect articulation" with NAAB progrm of CalPoly university. But I don't want to go there. Is it really matter to get NAAB degree during undergraduated years? On the other hand, the architecture  class in UCLA only requires two years to finish, without NAAB however. 

Transferring from a community college to university like UCLA, and earn the NAAB master degree aferwards, compared with spending five or seven years on NAAB Bachelor Degree, which is better?

__________

Rather than directly addressing your question, allow me to outline the education of an architect.  It is necessary to pursue the NAAB accredited degree.

Paths to an Accredited Degree

Before selecting a particular architecture program, you need to understand the different paths to obtaining a National Architectural Accredited Board (NAAB – www.naab.org) accredited degree.  Because there is more than one path, this can be confusing.  Each path is designed to offer a particular level of expertise and enable you to make a variety of career and educational choices.  To become an architect, your educational goal will be to obtain a professional degree accredited by the National Architectural Accredited Board.

NAAB accredits three different professional degrees: the five-year bachelor of architecture (B.Arch.); the master of architecture (M.Arch) which can accomplished by first pursuing the four-year pre-professional undergraduate architecture degree or the four-year undergraduate degree in a field other than architecture; and the doctor of architecture (D.Arch.) available solely at the University of Hawaii.

While your eventual goal will be to obtain a NAAB accredited professional degree, you may wish to consider starting the path at a community college or an institution offering only a four-degree in architecture.  Further still, you can pursue an undergraduate degree in any discipline related or not to architecture.

With that as background, consider the following given your desire to begin your studies at a community college.  The best approach is to pursue coursework at a community college that allows you to transfer to a four year pre-professional degree.  Contact possible architecture programs (www.archschools.org) that you wish to attend to determine what courses you should take.  As you have discovered, most Bachelor of Architecture programs require a transfer student to still complete the program in five years; this is because of the studio sequence which begins year one.

At many four year programs, studio may not begin until sophomore or junior years.  Thus, you can satisfy most of the general education courses at the community college.

Again, start with the institution (degree) that you wish to pursue and work backwards to the community college (courses) that you might attend.

If you have more questions, just contact me.  Best

Dr. Architecture

Community College Courses

What classes should a student take from a community college to prepare them for a BA in Architecture?

 _______

First, a student should be in consultation with their target architecture program to determine what courses to take as it may differ from institution to institution.  In most cases, you will want to determine what general education courses are required at the target architecture program -- i.e., calculus, physics, English composition, humanities, social sciences, etc. 

Also determine if the community college has any architecture courses that are transferrable to the target architecture program; while the community college may encourage students to take architecture courses, the target architecture program may not do so or even accept the courses as transfer credit.

If the student's schedule allows, a course in freehand drawing or art may be helpful but again, consult with the target architecture program for guidance and advice.

Dr. Architecture

Career Question

I just have a couple questions and this seemed like a good website to stumble upon.

About 5 years ago I graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with a Certificate in Residentail design adn planning -- I realized that this wasn't what I wanted to do with my life, however, I liked the general feild.

I've had jobs in kitchen design and currently I am working for a granite fabricator processsing drawings and problem solving. I enjoy CAD alot and would love to also venture into REVIT as well.

I am currently attending a local community college and continue a career in Architecture Drafting and Design. I love it so far but am still unsure where this will get me and what the next step will be.

I really think that I would love a career in Commercial Development creating and modeifing drawings if not working as a project manager. I, however, do not know what steps need to be made in order to get where I would like to be.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

______

My expertise is in the process of becoming an architect; I am not sure what you mean when you refer to a career in Commercial Development. You speak of "creating and modeling drawings." If you desire is to use these skills, you do not need to become an architect, but rather continue to develop those skills and market them to prospective employers. The fact that you know CAD and desire to learn REVIT will help as well.

As for the next step from your community college, you have to decide what you want. You may certainly enter the work force, but you could also choose to pursue additional education to either become an architect or other related disciplines.

I would suggest you be in touch with faculty and the career center of your community college to explore your options. I can only suggest you look long term.

Best. Feel free to contact me with further questions if desired.

Dr. Architecture

Associates of Arts

I am a college student majoring in architecture and I wanted to know if you recommend getting an AA and if you can recommend any universities that have undergraduate.
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First, congrats on your choice to pursue architecture.

Next, to become an architect, you must eventually obtain a professional accredited degree in architecture - Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Architecture, or Doctor of Architecture. How you pursue the degree is completely up to you.

Some architecture programs do have articulated agreements with community colleges with associate's degree. It allows you to begin your studies at the community college first and transfer to an architecture program.

For a list of architecture programs, visit -- www.naab.org -- or -- www.archschools.org --

Dr. Architecture