Architects And School

Architects and School



Lately there has been a rise in interest in becoming an architect. Buildings being viewed as art and rapid urbanization have increased interest for architectural studies. Universities and colleges around the United States now offer fields endorsed by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). This requirement is vital to becoming a licensed architect.



While the best route to becoming a licensed architect is a five year Bachelor or Master of Architecture program, if you are unsure just where your future aspirations lie, then you should opt for four year bachelor's degree and then go to graduate school to get a two or three year Masters Degree in Architecture. After your schooling is complete, you have intern with an accredited architectural firm for a period of time and then pass the examination process.



Every state has its own procedures when it come to educational requirements for architects. Some states require that your bachelor's degree be in architecture; others will let you have a bachelor's degree in just about anything, prior to graduate school. However, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) has its own requirements for admission into licensing examinations. You should always check the accreditation status of any architecture school you are considering attending. Brand new architecture schools do not have accredited status until the very first professional class graduates. Some schools offer the entire package for the architecture student, a five year program for undergraduates and a three year program for those at the masters level.



If you remain undecided as to what you want to do with an Architectural degree, then you should go with the Bachelor of Architecture program, which has built-in flexibility to its components. This policy allows entry and exit points throughout the five year for those who change their minds and want to pursue another, related career. In this five year program, a student's work in the previous years is carefully reviewed before allowing the student into the next phase, or another related field, such as landscape architecture, graphic design, or industrial design.

f, after you complete the five year or 3 year program, you are interested in specializing in one of a variety of field including design theory, preservation, interior design, health care facilities, solar design, or a myriad of other specialties, you should consider getting a post-professional architecture degree. One problem with these fields of study, however, is that they are not accredited by NAAB.



If you are interested in becoming an architect and cannot afford the cost of schooling, the majority of accredited architecture schools nowadays offer financial aid, so money should not be a factor in your decision to study architecture. Another way to save money on your education is to start at a community college for two year, at a cheaper tuition, and then move to an accredited architecture school when the time is right. If you follow this course of action, you should pick a field of study that would be a complement or added bonus to your architectural studies later on, such as economics, CAD or computer aided design, history, landscape design, communications or other related fields.