Hello,

Just wondering who here is in the process of going back to school in spite of already possessing a professional architecture degree (B.Arch '09 here) for Fall 2010. What are your grand plans of study (M.Arch II, Dual MBA, Planning, Sustainability, etc..)? Which programs out there fit the bill for you?

I'm in the process of formulating the final "list" of schools, but am not sure if M. Arch program reputation always carries over to the post-professional offerings... any thoughts?

My schools of interest follow closely to the more popular and highly-ranked grad schools you see posted everyday. Is this a recipe for ridiculous competition and several rejection letters given the small size of most of these post-prof. programs?

So many questions, so little time. Help me help you help me.

Thanks!

you're not alone. a lot of people holding a professional degree are racking up more debt going back to school (myself included). i was hit by the layoff bug last year, and am currently back in school. i'm convinced it was for the best.

i did the "apply to the big shots" method. i figured that even if i got rejected to all of them, i would still have the credentials needed to pursue my career goals. but i wouldn't exactly recommend limiting your search to the brand name. look at the connections you'll make and the position you can put yourself in. is the program going to be design/researched base? will you get to set your own curriculum? are you interested in digital fabrication? urban planning? sustainability issues? social issues? or do you just want a degree with berkeley or harvard on the diploma? take advantage of these opportunities.

i also took the opportunity to uproot myself. i figured that it was the best opportunity to move to a city that i would consider living in after graduation (especially considering how short a post professional degree program can be). now i can develop new networking relationships with professionals in my new town.

also, a post professional degree gives you the freedom to really take control of your studies. i am just getting into my thesis work, but i am excited about the control that i will have (and i'm fully aware that i may never get this kind of opportunity to design as freely as possible for quite some time).

some advice for your portfolio. each school seems to have a particularly "type" of designer that they gravitate toward. people who got in to the columbia's of the world had large portfolios, filled with process and theory (i'm generalizing here, but that was the impression i got). i feel like i hurt my chances for some of the highly esteemed schools because my portfolio was geared more for landing a job (i was simultaneously interviewing for school and work...and you can see which one won out). my portfolio was short and to the point (geared more toward interviewers and not academia, with only a glance into my process). although, i may just be saying all this to avoid admitting that my work was not top notch.

remember this though. someone, somewhere out there, thought that you were a good candidate for a professional B.Arch. what you do with yourself now is completely up to you, and there really is no pressure on you. sure, the competition will be tight, and classes for post professional degrees are quite small (<15 in my class) but you don't need another degree to become licensed. so play it loose, and see what comes of it.


hope that helps. best of luck.