rhansanuwat

Specwriter/August: That is actually a post I have scheduled for the future, but I don't mind sharing it here. I am completely in agreement that supplemental education beyond traditional architecture is extremely important to be successful. Many Architects today only go through school learning how to design and nothing about how the building really works as a complete system or more importantly, how to run a design business. I am in no way discrediting the education you receive in architecture school, but I think it is important to look beyond that as well. When I received my BArch (professional degree). I didn't need to go out and get my Master's degree in Architecture so I was left with a choice, did I want to expand my knowledge, or be content with what I had learned. Obviously I went further and chose building science and have been thankful for it. A few colleagues decided to get their MArch and I don't know how much more they learned than they already had getting their B.Arch. My choices for me personally were to get an MBS or MBA, but since I came from a business background prior to architecture, I felt the MBS would round me out more, and it really has. I can see the building as much more of a cohesive system and not just a cool form. I would recommend anybody who has the desire to get a Master's degree to do either a B.Arch w/ something else as a Master's, or a Bachelor's with an M.Arch. degree. Just my two cents...

While I can't speak specifically about UH or Rice, I know one thing to keep in mind is finding out whether the school is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). In order to become licensed in Texas we have to have an accredited degree, which currently only UT, UT Arlington, Rice, Texas A&M, Prairie View A&M, Texas Tech, UH and UTSA are accredited. You can find out which schools are accredited nationwide on the NAAB website and I also have a post on my website about how to select the best schools. Hope this helps! Best of luck!