So I dont know of anyone in architecture, but you have said yourself that the people leading your profession dont have MBA's and have a lack of business education. So, they are obviously getting to the higher rungs without it. If you wanted to stay in architecture I see little point in shelling out $150k for your MBA when its not needed. You can learn project management fairly easily through designations such as the PMP.
Architecture has little to do with business, or the planning behind the development project and its profitability. You will have to decide which path you are most interested in, and follow that route. If you want to be in design, stay and get your Architecture license. If you want to be on the business side, get your MBA - but that is going to take you away from pure architecture. If you are working on big projects, I cant see a person having enough bandwith to plan a project its financing etc, and then also design the whole thing. You are going to be on one aspect of the project or the other.
Barium wrote:
Does anyone out here know of anyone with an undergrad degree in Architecture, or even with an Architecture license, who has gone down the MBA path? If so, how has it benefited them?
The Architecture profession in America is broken and a huge reason is because the project architects are asked to manage projects and make important decisions that affect everyone in the firm. They are asked to do this while they themselves posses virtually no business training on how to do this. They receive a wonderful thought provoking conceptual education but desperately lack the business intelligence.
I am attempting to augment my architecture and urban understanding with the MBA but if I find resistance within the industry (probable) I'm not against a career change to make myself more marketable. This constant thing about starving architects, and it being a front line job that is affected by downturns every 5-7 years is not a smart career path for me to follow.
So, if anyone knows of the Architect+ MBA combo I would definitely like to know how they are doing and what door this would open.
All of my questions about how real estate projects are created and who supplies the project program to the architect are answered with- we have people that do that. Yet, when I ask the background of these people I get that they have business backgrounds.
In order to obtain an architecture license you must pass 9 exams as part of the ARE (it was recently condensed to 7) so I'm prepping for the GMAT and comparing them to my prep for the ARE.
Any advice, insight, information, etc. would be greatly appreciated.
25 Feb 2010, 14:49
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