Career Change: HR to ARCH

I was reading a post on your blog site regarding the topic, "Career change. Too old?" Here's my situation. I'm 38, holds a bachelors degree in HR. I want to pursue a career in architecture. Nothing else makes more sense to me. Can I pursue an internship at a firm then return to school for a masters degree in architecture? My biggest regret is not pursuing a career in architecture, 15 years ago. I realize, now, that had I done a little research regarding architecture, I would be an architect by now. Please advise.

Thanks again,
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C - You may certainly pursue an internship in a firm but it is probably unlikely that you would be hired because you have no experience yet in the field of architecture. A perhaps better route is to pursue your Master of Architecture. After your first year in the graduate program, you may count any experience towards IDP - Intern Development Program (www.ncarb.org).

I appreciate that you wish you have pursued architecture sooner, but you are still not too old to pursue it. Research programs via the following:

www.naab.org

www.archschools.org

Also, consider obtaining Becoming an Architect, available from Amazon.com.

Dr. Architecture

Becoming an Architect - 2nd Edition

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Pursuing a Career in Architecture - Age Limit?

I am an undergraduate student who will be graduating in May 2010 with a Bachelor's of Business Administration Degree. I have always wanted to pursue a career in Architecture and am considering earning a MARCH degree. Is there an age limit on who old you must be to start a career in Architecture? I am 27 years old and would be in my early 30's by the time that I would earn my Masters in Architecture. I would like to start working in this industry sooner than later and also wanted to know if there was anything I could do to get my foot in the door with my current business experience.

Lastly, I live in Texas and have noticed that there are not a lot of schools that offer the MARCH degree. Would it be better for me to relocate in order to earn this degree and get by career started as well? Thank you for your time and assistance.

An Inquiring Student
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There is certainly no age limit when you must start in architecture. While there are certainly a number of individuals that pursue an architectural education from high school, there are also a number that do not pursue architecture until later in there life. Philip Johnson, one of the most well-known architects in the 20th century, became an architect at age 39 and practiced until he passed away at age 93.

With your business degree, I would suggest you focus your efforts on pursuing the Master of Architecture for those that have an undergraduate degree in another discipline. You may certainly approach architecture firms about possibly employment, but your skill set may be limiting.

You must decide on which program is best for you be it in Texas or elsewhere. Consider -- www.naab.org -- and -- www.archschools.org --.

AA to BArch?

I'm a sophomore finishing my A.A. in a community college. I'm going to start my last A.A. semester after the holidays. I was going to major in International Business, but I really have a passion for architecture, urban planning and development. I'm doing research about universities and how to become an architect. I really thank you for your informative blog.

My question is, Could I transfer with an A.A. to a university's architecture program for BArch? do I need any special requirements? I just need one more course (3 credits) next semester to get an A.A. Would it be a good idea to take other classes relating to architecture?

I live in Florida, and I heard that University of Miami has a really good program, have you heard about it? Also, when it comes to graduate school, I've seen different fields such as urban planning, urban design, etc. University of Miami has a program called Masters in Real Estate Development and Urbanism, is that the same as Master in Urban Planning? Which one would you recommend to be the better: getting a bachelors in urban planning and a MArch
or a BArch and a Masters in Urban Planning/development?
________

First, congratulations on your interest in pursuing architecture.

You could certainly transfer to an institution with a BArch, but you would most likely to take the full five years to graduate because you will need to take the full design curriculum. You may wish to consider transferring to a 4+2 program as you may be able to transfer as a sophomore or junior with your AA. To determine if you need any special requirements, you would need to be in touch with each program to which you plan to apply. For spring, I would certainly take courses that are required or consider taking a freehand drawing course to develop your artistic skills.

UMiami is certainly a good program. Research programs via -- www.archschools.org -- or -- www.naab.org --.

Once you complete an accredited architecture degree (BArch or MArch), you should pursue the graduate degree of your choice that will provide you the credentials that you desire. You should contact Miami to learn more about their graduate program. My guess is that RED and Urbanism is different than urban planning.

As to your last question, the answer lies in what you are trying to accomplish

Undergraduate Degrees

I am currently a high school senior in California. My question is what type of undergraduate architecture program should I look for in a college if I have not had much of exposure to architecture programs?

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To become an architect, you need to accomplish three tasks - 1) obtain a professional NAAB accredited degree, 2) complete IDP, and 3) pass the ARE. The website - www.archcareers.org - outlines these tasks in more detail, but I will outline the degrees below:

There are three accredited degrees - Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Architecture, and Doctor of Architecture. As you are coming from high school, you may consider either a five Bachelor of Architecture or pursue a four year pre-professional undergraduate degree (BS in Architecture or equivalent) and afterwards pursue the Master of Architecture.

Either of the two paths are viable but you must determine which is a better fit for you. I suggest you research and contact schools by visiting the following:

www.naab.org

www.archschools.org

Dr. Architecture

Internship

Hi Dr. Architecture!

How do I get an internship at a firm? I did email one local firm after mustering up some courage but unfortunately I got turned down. They said they only accept university students. So what do I do?

Many thanks.
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Based on your email, I am guessing that you are in high school. Given that you may not have the skills many firms are requiring, obtaining an internship may be difficult. Thus, what is it that you truly want? Money, experience, or exposure to the profession to decide if it is for you.

I will argue that the latter is what you truly want. A firm may not hire your for an internship, but they may be willing to let you shadow for a day or two to better understand a firm and what they do. Be persistent and realize that you are still costing them money even if they do not pay you.

Also, there are other ways to learn about the profession. -- attend a summer program, read architecture books, attend lectures at a nearby program.

Start with obtaining Becoming an Architect: A Guide to Careers in Design -- there is full chapter of experience and how to gain it.

I currently hold an honors bachelors of science in economics and statistics and was interested in pursuing a non-professional 3.5 year masters in architecture from an accredited NAAB school. I was wondering if I will still be able to become a licensed architect with a non-professional degree.
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Absolutely! Many architecture programs throughout the country offer a Master of Architecture (typically 3-4 years) for individuals who have an undergraduate degree in another discipline. To become a licensed architect, you must have a professional accredited Master of Architecture, complete IDP, and pass the ARE.

Below are a few resources that may be helpful including the BLOG I maintain to list previously asked questions and my response.

http://archcareers.blogspot.com/

http://www.naab.org

http://www.archschools.org

You may also wish to obtain Becoming an Architect: A Guide to Careers in Design, available from amazon.com.

Dr. Architecture

Graduate School Feedback

Thank you in advance for any advice you can provide. I am a 2005 graduate with a Pre-Professional Degree in Architecture from an accredited program. Before going on to graduate school, I decided to work on my IDP requirements, get hands-on experience and gain perspective on architecture beyond design. After three years of working in an architecture firm and completing my IDP requirements, I’ve decided to return to school to complete my education to become registered. However, my initial application was rejected because of a weak portfolio and lower GPA.

I’ve been searching for a way to build up my portfolio and GPA. I’ve seen in some other posts where people mention summer programs that you can help build up a grad portfolio. Do you have any experience with these programs or any suggestions on how to build up a portfolio to show the growth from an inexperienced student to an emerging professional for graduate level admissions?

______

What is a weak portfolio and a lower GPA? To which program did you graduate? To which program(s) did you apply.

Your best source of feedback is the program that did not admit you. As you are done with your degree, it is hard to raise your GPA but you could consider taking architecture graduate level courses as a non-degree student to demonstrate your abilities. Even if you are not near an architecture program, you could take courses in an unrelated discipline. Also, why is your GPA lower? Did you have a bad semester? In what courses were your lower grades?

As to your portfolio, what did you include - academic or professional or both? Most graduate programs would rather see academic work even if you have worked for a few years. Did you go back and polish up your school projects? Consider reviewing portfolios at -- www.portfoliodesign.com -- and purchase the book Portfolio Design by Harold Linton. Was the portfolio designed?

Also, who wrote your letters of recommendation? What about the GRE?

Again, obtain feedback from the schools to which you applied. Also, contact former professors to gain some insight.

The only summer program that I know of is listed below but it is focused for individuals who do not have a degree in architecture.

William Taylor
Los Angeles Institute Of Architecture And Design
617 W 7th St. Suite 200
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Wk: (213) 251-4500
e1: getinformation@laiad.com

Architect? Degree required?

When I graduate college I want to get a job where I plan out houses and then model them using computer software (CAD). Do I need to be a registered architect to do this? What degree will allow me to do this kind of job?
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It depends! If you strictly focus on residential projects, you may not need to be an architect but you would need to check with the local municipalities to determine the limits you would have if you were not an architect.

Regardless of whether or not you actually become an architect, I would still suggest major in architecture during college. Now, you state you want to do houses, but what if laws change or you decide to do larger projects, you may want the flexibility of becoming an architect. Having the degree will allow you flexibility in your future.

Dr. Architecture

MArch Questions

Answers to your questions are listed below and highlighted in another color.

I recently graduated from a bachelors program in Business Economics but I would like to pursue architecture. Upon researching the requirements to become one, I have gotten a few mixed responses from various individuals . Here are some of my questions.

1) To take the license exam, does one require both an accredited bachelors AND masters degree in Architecture. Or do I only require one or the other?

To become licensed, most states require individuals to obtain a NAAB accredited professional degree in architecture; this would be either the five year Bachelor of Architecture or the Master of Architecture. You would NOT need to do both.

2) Since I already have a bachelors, would you recommend that I apply for a masters program rather than starting from scratch and getting another bachelors in Arch?

As you already have an undergraduate degree, you should apply for a Master of Architecture degree for those with a degree in another discipline. These degrees typically take between 3-4 years.

3) I looked into a few programs in Canada and it appears that the amount of years to get an accredited degree of either a bachelors/masters is slightly smaller than in the US. Is this true or am I misreading the information? And given my situation, do you recommend receiving an architectural degree from Canada and hopefully take a reciprocal licensure exam to practice in the U.S.?

As for the length of degree programs in Canada, I cannot say for certain without doing the research. My guess is that the degree would be approximately the same length as in the U.S. Regardless, you should consider programs in Canada because you may still pursue licensure in the U.S. with a Canadian degree.

4) Since I do not have any background in Arch, I am taking community college core classes in Architecture as well as design classes in the local Art college in the hopes of making a portfolio. Do you have any advice with regards to turning in an application for accredited programs ? How much weight do admission panels focus on portfolios? And lastly, is there anything else I can do that would improve my chances of getting in?

Clearly, taking creative art courses will assist in preparing materials for your portfolio. I would suggest you purchase Harold Linton's book, Portfolio Design (www.portfoliodesign.com) for further guidance. Also, the most important guidance I can provide is to contact each of the programs you are considering to better understand their process and the criteria by which they select candidates. Most will have Open Houses to meet with students and faculty.

Typically, portfolios and academics are most important but the other application materials (statement, letters, test scores) also play a role. Do your best and feel free to contact programs if you have questions.

I must apologize for asking so many questions. I thank you for giving your time to reading through this email and I look forward to your response.

Dr. Architecture