Is a Masters in Structural engineering the best path to great architecture?

[archeng]

Hello everyone, I would greatly appreciate your input, suggestions and advice. I am at a very important juncture in my life and would like to hear varying opinions before making such an important impending decision. I am trying to decide what graduate program to enroll in. My Life's goal is to design buildings like John Lautner's and Frank Lloyd Wrights- Architecture that springs from the Earth! I believe that there is incredible beauty in forests, deserts, mountains,.. and so on. My goal is to bring this beauty to buildings some day.

I have recently attained my bachelors degree in civil engineering. Before that, I studied basic architecture for two years: drafting, rendering, basic art classes and some computer software. I believe that I am on track to my goal but do not want to take a route that makes me expend additional time and energy. I think that if I got a Masters education in structural engineering then I would really be prepared to design buildings that are buildable, and practical. I have heard some engineers and contractors complain that some architects design impractical designs that are hard to build, or impractical for economic reasons. I am inclined to believe that structural engineering knowledge would have a grounding effect on a designer since he would design with functional aspects in mind first and foremost, ie location of loads and more extensive knowledge of building methods.

I greatly appreciate your input... Thank you!

 

[Trigger]

I would say the first thing you need to do is look at what the requirements are for being an architect where you plan on working. Having a structural engineering degree doesn't mean you will be designing buildings. Remember that architecture and structural engineering are linked, but are definitely separate. That's not to say that you shouldn't get a structural degree. I believe that a master's in structural is incredibly valuable. But realize that many architects actually have an architecture degree or arch-eng degree. Then there is the licensing process for an architect, and I'm not sure if you have to have an accredited architecture degree for that (look into this process for whichever state you want to work in). On the other hand, I now a lot of people who have an arch-eng degree who are now doing a master's in structural engineering. Like I said, it is an incredibly valuable degree, and if you want to engineer any complicated structures, you will definitely want one.

I'm not sure how easy it would be to get a job actually designing the buildings (what an architect does) with a civil and structural degree. I don't have any experience in that market. I definitely think architects should have a strong background in structural engineering, but I'm not sure if firms would rather see a strong architectural design background with a strong portfolio. Definitely check around, see what kind of degree requirements architecture jobs have. Remember, you will need to be working for other architects for a long time to get licensed (here in California, it's at least 5 years, while many don't get licensed until 8 or 10 of work experience). So you have to look employable to architecture firms.

But remember this: right now, the new graduates least likely to get a job out of college are architects. Don't mean to be a downer, but a structural master's might give you a few more options.

 

[archeng]

Thank you Trigger! I appreciate your thoughtful response.