Architecture courses will usually expect you to have studied art to school leaving, or have an art portfolio. Structural engineering, also known as architectural engineering or sometimes structural engineering with architecture, will be a cross-over between civil engineering and architecture with the emphasis on the engineering, and you'll need your applied mathematics for that. With your subject mix, I suggest an structural engineering with architecture course. There will be a lot of commonality with civil engineering in the first year or two, so you would have an option to swap to the broader course if you change your mind. Bearing in mind that most structural engineering degrees in the UK will be four year MEng courses (integrated masters).
Employment prospects for architecture graduates are pretty poor at the moment. Those for civil engineers and structural engineers are reasonable but not great. Five years from now, the prospects for both should be better, but who can really tell. In the end, people will always need places to live, places to work, places to relax, and means to get from one to the other. That's what civil engineering, architecture, and related disciplines are all about. Sometimes there is a lot of activity, sometimes, like now, there is less.Advise for someone wanting to study architecture/ strutural engineering?
You'd be better off in structural engineering. There are more jobs for engineers. Here's the question - which is more important? If a building were to be built, which is more important to you - that it be pretty or that it be built so that it is structurally sound and people aren't killed by a faulty design?
Also - the pay is MUCH better for engineers than for architects. They (architects) hate us for that. And a woman structural engineer is rare - so there'd be a ton of job opportunites.
The guy above is from the UK. You can't get a masters in structural engineering until you finish the undergraduate in structural engineering here in the US.
I work with 8 structural engineers - I asked them about jobs out there - they say it is slow but that the college grads are still being hired.
It all depends in what you like to do...
You wont really use much numbers in architecture, many people think that because they are really good with numbers they will succeed in architecture, which is not true. It will only help you pass structures class and that's about it, that's why we hire engineers for. If you are on it for the money, and a moderately easy degree, then yeah go to Engineering, where you can actually proof that what you are doing is right with numbers.
Architecture school gets to be VERY abstract at some points, it is more about selling your ideas than proving that you are right.
As far as money goes... it all depends on who you are... It is true that on average Architects don't make much money, but if you are really good and you know how to sell your stuff you can make a pretty descent AND FUN living.
If you really want to be an Architect ask yourself how patient and creative you are. forget the numbers, are you willing to sacrifice other activities to graduate? It is not like you can sit down and resolve a problem with a proven formula... that's easy. You have to spend days thinking about how you are going to solve a problem by creating spaces and then spend a few more weeks building what you just thought off. Then of course you have to be pretty good at taking criticism, because that is how you are graded.
It can be fun if you are dedicated.
Hope it helps!
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