Thursday, January 26, 2012

BArch vs. MArch

I am an aspiring architecture student and want to make it into a profession after years of studying and working in the wrong field. I would like to ask you for advice, if I may, since I am finding it difficult to chose the right path for myself at this point in my life (now a mature student -since I am now 26). 

I am writing to you in hopes of simply seeking for advice, as I can see you are a professional Architect. Any advice or pointers you can offer would be greatly appreciated. With time being of essence to me, I was wondering if you`d recommend doing an undergraduate in Architecture and then applying to a Masters in Architecture (graduate school) or if you`d find it equally as efficient to apply to graduate school for Masters in Arch. (with an undergraduate degree in another program).
 
Do you find them to be the same or one to have precedence over the other in terms of credibility/experience and preparation?
___________
For the U.S., the most critical aspect of the degree which you pursue is that it is accredited by NAAB - http://www.naab.org -  This could be either the Bachelor of Architecture (5 years) or the Master of Architecture (4+2 years from high school) or (3+ years from a college degree). 

Thus, which degree you pursue depends on your current education.  You state that you are 26 but do not provide whether or not if you have a degree (in any discipline).  As a result, I would suggest you consider the degree which will provide what you need in the shortest amount of time given your comment, "..time being of essence to me" -- the Bachelor of Architecture.  Instead, if you have a degree, you would be eligible to apply to the Master of Architecture (3+ years).

Both degrees are the same with regards to accreditation but do differ in terms of overall curriculum.  Contact programs (http://www.archschools.org) to learn more about what they offer and which is the best fit for you.  Even programs with the same degree can be quite different in the way they teach architecture.

For more details, refer to other questions I have addressed in my blog - http://archcareers.blogspot.com/

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

first determine what you expect from your chosen degree.99% of practitioner could care less if you have a High school degree,B.Arch,M.Arch or PhD.They want to know you skills and abilities and how you will benefit their firms goals.You are on the edge of becoming a victim of the "credential scam" in Architectural schools.You could easily read 3 books over the one year spent in year six of architectural school and save $15000 for what you will learn.
Wanna teach ?...get the M.Arch.