Introduction for Prospective Architecture Students and their Families In the United States there are many more ways to become a licensed architect than in similarly licensed professional fields such as law, engineering, or medicine. While this often proves confusing to prospective architecture students and their families, it does provide a variety of options to accommodate a range of personal needs and educational styles. The National Architecture Accrediting Board {NAAB} establishes minimum conditions that all professional architecture programs must meet, but allows each program to design how best to deliver an architectural education. All accredited professional architecture degrees end in “Arch”— a B. Arch, M. Arch or D. Arch indicates a professional degree program accredited by the NAAB. In 2004, there were 115 accredited architecture programs in the United States. Accredited programs automatically become members of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture {ACSA}. The Association periodically publishes a guide to all accredited programs. The seventh edition of the Guide to Architecture Schools was published in 2004. It may be available in your local high school’s guidance center or can be ordered directly from the ACSA. Many prospective students find this publication useful in comparing architecture programs. Once you have identified a list of programs that interest you, visit their web sites or call to request information. The best way to figure out if an architecture program will be a good fit for you is by visiting when classes are in session and speaking to current students. We hope this document helps you find an architecture program the fits your needs. Please explore our web site, call us or visit us for more information. Maybe architecture at Illinois is right for you! The First Part of the Journey: from High School to Architecture School There are many possible ways to complete an architectural education. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers a 4 + 2 program. This means that a 4-year undergraduate pre-professional program {Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies or BS in AS} is followed by a 2-year professional program {the Master of Architecture or M. Arch} completed at the University of Illinois or another school. The M. Arch is the professional architecture degree available at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A NAAB-accredited professional degree is required for licensure in most states. Students must apply and be admitted to the Master of Architecture program. Some students enter the M. Arch program directly and others take time off to work in an architect’s office before returning for the professional degree. 4 + 2 programs vary considerably in the amount of architectural coursework required at the undergraduate level. In general a B.A. {Bachelor of Arts} in Architectural Studies or Environmental Design will include fewer technical courses at the undergraduate level than a B.S. {Bachelor of Science} program like ours. Some schools offer only pre-professional programs with the expectation that students will complete the professional degree at another institution. Other universities may offer a 5-year Bachelor of Architecture or B. Arch degree. This is also a professional degree. B. Arch programs generally allow less time for liberal arts or general education courses in fields related to but outside of architecture. Many M. Arch programs {like ours at Illinois} allow a greater degree of specialization than is possible in the shorter 5-year programs. Some Ivy League universities only offer 3- or 4-year graduate {M. Arch} programs in architecture, although students with a pre-professional degree from Illinois can often earn advanced placement. Many students in these programs earn an undergraduate degree in a field other than architecture, such as art, philosophy, biology, or mathematics. Illinois also offers a small program for such students to earn a graduate {M.
www.arch.uiuc.edu/admissions/undergrad/archprofession/