How to Become an Architect

An architect's talents involve more than having a creative imagination and drawing skills. They extend to proficiency in areas such as engineering, computer literacy, and oral and written communications. Self-discipline is also necessary, beginning with a total of approximately eight years of higher education and mandatory post-college internships.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• CADD Manuals
• College Catalogs
• Individual School Requirements And Application
• Architectural Magazine Subscriptions
• Postage Stamps
• Pens
• Stationery

1. Meet with your high school guidance counselor for advice on courses to best prepare you for an architecture program in college. Realize that you will need to take extra courses in math and science. If you hate math, seek another career.
2. Maintain at least a B average.
3. Contact colleges well before your senior year in high school for admission requirements. Make certain the schools are among the 105 schools of architecture accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). Some state licensing boards will give only partial academic credit to students from non-NAAB schools.
4. Decide if you want to enroll in a five-year Bachelor of Architecture program, which is the most popular type today. Other options can include receiving a bachelor's degree in a related field followed by a two-year Master of Architecture degree, or getting an unrelated bachelor's degree followed by a three-to-four-year Master of Architecture degree.
5. Apply to several schools whose admission requirements you have met. Make certain you send in all requested paperwork.
6. Work toward receiving your degree with honors as soon as you have been officially accepted. Since competition among student architects is intense, this will be to your advantage later on.
7. Work part-time and during summers at architectural firms, even if the salary is minimal.
8. Learn computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) as soon as possible. An increasing number of firms are requiring that knowledge.
9. Look for a position as an intern-architect well before you graduate. Get letters of recommendation from professors and supervisors at your part-time and summer jobs, and include pertinent computer skills on your resume. You'll need to spend about three years in that position before you can take your state's Architect Registration Examination (ARE) for your architect's license.
10. Prepare intensively when the time comes to take the ARE.
11. Send in your application for the exam well before the due date.

Tips & Warnings

• Note that individual programs of NAAB-approved architectural schools will differ, so choose carefully.
• Realize that the licensing requirements of individual states may vary.
• For further information about education and careers in architecture, write to: Director, Careers in Architecture Programs, The American Institute of Architects, 1735 New York Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20006.
• Be prepared to work long hours, including nights and weekends, during job deadlines.
• Be prepared to take frequent refresher courses as technology advances in the 21st century.