Become an Architect
If you have the desire to impact the lives of those around you by designing the homes, office buildings, highways, parks, malls, and hotels in which they live, work, and enjoy free time, becoming an architect may prove to be the best career path for you. When you study to become an architect, you will learn everything you need to know to create functional, aesthetically pleasing, and exciting environments for others to enjoy.
By earning an online degree in architecture, you will call on both your technical and creative skills in order to learn how to design areas that are beautiful to look at, functionally well laid out, and structurally safe and sound all at once.
Prior to becoming practicing architects, those who are studying this field must learn many skills, including those in engineering. To do so, individuals need to earn one of the following degrees:
- Five-year bachelor’s degree
- Two-year master’s degree (for those who hold bachelor’s degrees in architecture or a related field)
- Four-year’s master’s degree (for those who hold bachelor’s degrees in a field unrelated/outside of architecture)
As an architectural student, your coursework will likely include liberal arts, science, and math along with building design, professional practice, history and theory of architecture, drawing in perspective, building codes and procedures, and many, many more that will apply both directly and indirectly to the knowledge you will need when you begin your career as an architect.
Because architects are, on average, twice as likely to set up their own private practice, architecture programs will also usually include applied career training in professional practice and general management.
For working individuals, earning an online degree in architecture is usually more feasible than attending classes on campus; online learning provides the opportunity for those who work to structure their schedule around their current commitments.
Online architecture degrees are more common at the master’s degree level at which students update their skills or transition into a career as an architect. Once a student has completed his or her professional degree, it is necessary to complete an apprenticeship or internship as well as a series of exams before becoming licensed. Essentially, graduates can expect to work for at least three years under the supervision of a licensed architect after which they can sit for the nine-part professional-architect licensing exam.
Careers for architects, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, are expected to grow faster than average through 2016; the forecast is an 18% growth from 2006 to 2016. The median salary for architects is approximately $76,000.
Tue, Jun 22, 2010
Bachelor's Degree, Degrees, Master's Degree, Online Education