I Want to Be an Architect

Will I like it?

OK

Yes

What do Architects Do?

Architects make Architecture

They design buildings, sites and interiors

They sketch, draw with a pencil and a computer, build models, do calculations for structural design,

do cost estimates, write specifications, write letters,

inspect buildings, and administer the construction of buildings,

sites and interiors

What is Architecture?

Will I know it when I see it?

Architecture is the art and science of building

Architecture is a functional art form used by people: buildings, cities, plazas, parks,

sites, rooms, furniture

How Can I be an Architect?

Will I like it?

To become an architect, you will need to study architecture in college

After graduation work for three years as an intern

architect, and then pass a national examination

Once you are “licensed” you can start your own

firm and design buildings on your own

What kind of skills do I need to be an architect?

When in high school, you should study English,

mathematics, history, social studies, physics, a foreign language, computers, and

freehand drawing

The best skills to acquire and practice are to be able to listen, speak and write

and to be able to organize your thoughts and

activities

You should visit a local architecture firm

Visit a school of architecture

Read books and magazines on architecture

to understand the architect's work and the spirit of the profession

Some schools of architecture offer summer programs for high-school

students

College Education?

5 simple possibilities

2-year undergraduate Associate of Applied Science degree in

architecture

With this degree you could get a job in an architectural firm, or transfer to 4-

year school to complete a B.A. or B.S. in architectural studies

4-year undergraduate degreeBachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree in “Architectural

Studies”

Many states allow graduates of these programs to become licensed to practice architecture

This degree is called a“pre-professional degree”

5-year undergraduate Bachelor of Architecture degree

This degree is called a "professional degree."

4-year undergraduate Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in

Architectural Studies plus 2-year graduate Master of Architecture

degree 

This degree is called a

"professional degree"

4-year undergraduate Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree in any

subject plus

3 1/2-year graduate Master of Architecture degree 

This degree is called a

"professional degree"

What will I learn in College?

DrawingArchitectural Design

Model Building Architectural History

Computer Aided Design and DraftingStructural Engineering

Heating, Ventilating and Air ConditioningElectrical Engineering

Plumbing & Fire Protection EngineeringAcousticsContracts

Cost EstimatingConstruction

Is it difficult to get into an architectural school?

No

There is a college for everyone

2-year architectural programs in Illinois:(cost about $2,700 per year)

College of DuPage (Glen Ellen)Triton College (River Grove)Harper College (Palatine)

Oakton College (DesPlaines)Illinois Central College (Peoria)

4-year architectural schools in Illinois:(cost about $10,000 to $29,000 per year)

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (tuition & fees: $12,320/yr)

University of Illinois at Chicago(tuition & fees: $11,188/yr)

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale(tuition & fees: $10,309/yr)

Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago(tuition & fees: $29,362/yr)

Judson College in Elgin(tuition & fees: $23,500/yr)

Other 4-year architectural schools:

University of Wisconsin at MilwaukeeUniversity of Notre Dame

Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana Iowa State University

University of IowaWashington University in St. Louis

Will it be fun?

Yes!

(Especially the model building)

How much money will I make?

• Entry-level jobs for holders of a Bachelor or Master degree pay from $24,000 to $40,000 per year

• Six to ten years out of college, you may earn $45,000 per year

• You can earn more by owning your own firm or become a partner in a large firm. Partner's average income range is $70,000 to100,000 per year

Other Benefits?

• Satisfaction that you have contributed to the betterment of our world

• Enjoyment of the work itself• Ability to exercise your creativity and see

your ideas actually built in permanent form• Every day (nearly every hour) is unique

and different• Work in a career that is well-respected by

the public

Show me some architecture

Court of Honor

Court of Honor facing west

Louis Barragan Architect, Mexico City

Bouyges Headquarters, France by Kevin Roche

Church of the Pilgrimage, Germany, Gottfried Boehm

Centro Direzionale Perugia, Italy by Aldo Rossi

Pompidou Center, Paris by Renzo Piano

Rehak House, Malibu, California by Coop Himmelblau Architects

Zaha Hadid

"I think my best skill as an architect is the achievement of hand-to-eye coordination; I am able to transfer a sketch into a model into the building".

Frank Ghery