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Freshers Week, University of Bath
University of Bath
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architecture school choice

How should one take a clear and satisfactory decision regarding which university to attend for undergraduate studies?
Reply 1
Original post by aashnabajaj
How should one take a clear and satisfactory decision regarding which university to attend for undergraduate studies?

If your department is good (you like it, has a good reputation etc) and you'll be happy studying there then you've made the right choice.
What are your options?
Freshers Week, University of Bath
University of Bath
Bath
Reply 2
Original post by yag123
If your department is good (you like it, has a good reputation etc) and you'll be happy studying there then you've made the right choice.
What are your options?


1. The University of Bath
2. Pratt Institute
3. Virginia Tech
Original post by aashnabajaj
1. The University of Bath
2. Pratt Institute
3. Virginia Tech


Well immediately you need to consider where you plan to practice as an architect - the UK course is accredited by the UK architecture professional bodies, and not the US ones, and vice versa. Proving equivalences is often time consuming and expensive if you choose to move between the different "jurisdictions".

If you don't want to work in either of those counties of course, just choose the one which primarily makes it most convenient for you to meet the relevant countries professional accreditation requirements (as applicable) and subsequently the one which you can most easily afford and then has the course options/structure/style that most appeals to you. On the latter point, I believe Bath is considered a fairly "technical" oriented course within the UK, and I imagine Virginia Tech will be similar. The Pratt Institute on the other hand is probably more on the "arty" side (similar to say, UCL here).

For the US courses you also should check if they are preprofessional degrees or professional degrees - the former are typically "architectural design/studies" type majors, which don't convey any specific accreditation requirements but are the normal preparation for an MArch which will. The latter are integrated professional programmes, normally including periods of internship/coop learning which fulfill some or all accreditation requirements. Typically MArch programmes in the US have different "tracks" for students depending if they did a preprof or prof degree as their first degree (and are usually quicker to complete for someone with a prof degree, although the prof programmes are normally longer to begin with - usually 5-6 years, compared to the standard 4 for a US bachelors).

Again, if you aren't planning to work in that country it's less of an issue but compare it to the requirements of where you do want to work. Also consider whether, if the course includes required internship/coop/ type periods of work, if you need a specific visa (if you aren't a US citizen) to be able to do that, and also any differences in course cost.
(edited 5 years ago)
Reply 4
Original post by aashnabajaj
1. The University of Bath
2. Pratt Institute
3. Virginia Tech

Bath has a very good reputation for archiecture and it will be much cheaper (in terms of tuition fees and cost of living) than in the us.
I haven't heard about the other 2 for architecture but I'm sure they're also good. It's your decision, where would you like to live for the next few years?
Reply 5
Thank you for answering in such detail.

I am an Indian and am planning to come back and practice in India itself.

I would also like to know about the internship and job opportunities UK gives international students both during and after the course.

It would also help if you could brief me about how it works in the USA as well, keeping in mind the current political situation.

Thank you.


Original post by artful_lounger
Well immediately you need to consider where you plan to practice as an architect - the UK course is accredited by the UK architecture professional bodies, and not the US ones, and vice versa. Proving equivalences is often time consuming and expensive if you choose to move between the different "jurisdictions".

If you don't want to work in either of those counties of course, just choose the one which primarily makes it most convenient for you to meet the relevant countries professional accreditation requirements (as applicable) and subsequently the one which you can most easily afford and then has the course options/structure/style that most appeals to you. On the latter point, I believe Bath is considered a fairly "technical" oriented course within the UK, and I imagine Virginia Tech will be similar. The Pratt Institute on the other hand is probably more on the "arty" side (similar to say, UCL here).

For the US courses you also should check if they are preprofessional degrees or professional degrees - the former are typically "architectural design/studies" type majors, which don't convey any specific accreditation requirements but are the normal preparation for an MArch which will. The latter are integrated professional programmes, normally including periods of internship/coop learning which fulfill some or all accreditation requirements. Typically MArch programmes in the US have different "tracks" for students depending if they did a preprof or prof degree as their first degree (and are usually quicker to complete for someone with a prof degree, although the prof programmes are normally longer to begin with - usually 5-6 years, compared to the standard 4 for a US bachelors).

Again, if you aren't planning to work in that country it's less of an issue but compare it to the requirements of where you do want to work. Also consider whether, if the course includes required internship/coop/ type periods of work, if you need a specific visa (if you aren't a US citizen) to be able to do that, and also any differences in course cost.
Original post by aashnabajaj
Thank you for answering in such detail.

I am an Indian and am planning to come back and practice in India itself.

I would also like to know about the internship and job opportunities UK gives international students both during and after the course.

It would also help if you could brief me about how it works in the USA as well, keeping in mind the current political situation.

Thank you.


I honestly don't know a lot about that. I am vaguely aware there are very specific restrictions on how much, if at all, people can work on student visas in both countries.

As far as opportunities, in the UK at least my understanding is that it's quite difficult to get appropriate architecture internships and similar due to how few there are relative to architecture graduates/students, and because they're necessary to complete the RIBA accreditation. Finding related roles as e.g. Architectural Technologists, CAD Technicians, and in Planning etc may be more available. Again though, visa restrictions apply.

In the US I'm probably even less familiar other than being aware professional programmes integrate internships and "coop" experiences (i.e. spending time working for credit towards the degree in an approved role) into the degree programme usually. I'm not sure the extent to which these are integrated though. I imagine there are still application processes involved, and there may not even be specific linked opportunities and it may be more that you just need to find something to fulfill the requirements.

These programmes as such may not even be open to international students holding student visas if they don't permit the relevant working amounts. However a preprofessional programme should be possible as that doesn't have the working requirements to earn the degree.

Providing there are no visa issues, my impression is there is in general more work available in the sector in the US, since in general there is a lot of development going on in most areas (there is a lot more land that can be developed on there of course, and they have more people and need more houses than the UK correspondingly). You may find some areas like New England (which includes New York and hence the Pratt Institute) have slightly less as it's quite well developed already, but I imagine you could still find opportunities elsewhere in the US if there aren't visa restrictions.

Regarding sociopolitical mores in the US currently, I don't think it would affect you as much in the two universities you hold offers too. My understanding is Virginia Tech has a large international student population (although in general I would not consider Virginia as a state that multicultural or welcoming outside of the university), and while I don't know about Pratt specifically, NYC is of course a melting pot similar to London or other large international cities.

On the subject of NYC I would note that it is extremely expensive to live in NYC - so even beyond the question of tuition fees etc, you may find you incur more expenses than you would otherwise expect there...

Unfortunately I have no idea what the Indian architecture professional accreditation requirements are, if any - I imagine you should be able to research this yourself much better, and it's worth looking into to select the most relevant programme.
Original post by aashnabajaj
Thank you for answering in such detail.

I am an Indian and am planning to come back and practice in India itself.

I would also like to know about the internship and job opportunities UK gives international students both during and after the course.

It would also help if you could brief me about how it works in the USA as well, keeping in mind the current political situation.

Thank you.


Hi, I cannot really say much about the US or architecture in the UK in general, but I am a student at the University of Bath and have quite a few friends that do Architecture, Civil Engineering or a mixture of the two.

You are likely aware of this since you've applied here, but the course at Bath is quite practical, and as mentioned above, probably a bit more technical than artsy. From the beginning students on the Architecture and Civil Engineering courses are given projects to work on as team, as you would in real life. Of course, there are individual projects as well, but the course is quite hands-on in terms of making it as realistic as possible. Or at least that's how it seems to me.

Also, two 6-months placements (one in your Second Year and one in your Third Year) are an integral part of the degree at Bath where you would have the opportunity to work within industry. Typically, visa holders are allowed to work 20 hours a week, but since this is a student placement, I think that rule does not apply. While you are not necessarily guaranteed a placement, the University has many industry connections and offers opportunities to its students, it is up to you, however, to apply and get the placement (as it would be with any other job). Your chances in that regard should not be diminished based on your international status as I mentioned before. I think having done a degree in the UK and having gained some practical experience here, it would be much easier to seek out other internships in the country, or outside the country as well.

I hope that helps a little. Let me know if you have other questions and good luck!

Danny,
MRes Psychology
Reply 8
Original post by aashnabajaj
Thank you for answering in such detail.

I am an Indian and am planning to come back and practice in India itself.

I would also like to know about the internship and job opportunities UK gives international students both during and after the course.

It would also help if you could brief me about how it works in the USA as well, keeping in mind the current political situation.

Thank

If you are looking for job opportunities in construction I can help

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