The Daily Vanguard

How to Choose an Architecture College?

The recent boom in commercialization and global economy has led to a need for designing a variety of structures like homes, apartments, colonies, industrial complexes, etc., leading to an increase in popularity for the field of architecture. The need for architects in turn has led to a number of architecture colleges in India as well.

Architecture basically deals with the planning and the designing of various structures, including building, renovations, as well as additions. Students who are aiming to pursue a course in architecture need to choose from the multitude of architecture colleges in India, a decision that carries a lot of weightage, owing to the affect it tends to have on a student’s career.

Here are the steps one must follow to choose from the architecture colleges in India, the one that will offer them the best opportunities:

The Course

Architecture offers a number of specializations, like transport planning, environmental planning, town planning, landscape architecture, urban design, industrial design, etc. The first step to choosing architecture colleges in India is deciding the course you want to pursue. Some courses that are offered in the field include B.S. or B.A. in Architecture, Bachelor of Architectural Studies,and Bachelor in Environmental Design. Once you know the course you want to get admission to, start making a list of the colleges that offer the course.

Accreditations

The next step in short listing the architecture colleges in India is to see which colleges have the proper accreditations. You should note that by law, an aspiring candidate must have a professional degree that has been earned via a program that is approved by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB).

About the College

Take your list of architecture colleges in India and start researching about it. The first step would be to check the facilities and the infrastructure that are provided by the college. Next, check their placement records to find out more about the opportunities offered after the completion of the course; see the companies that generally visit for campus placement drives, and whether the companies meet your expectations. Read the reviews of the college online, get in touch with alumni from the college, and whenever possible, arrange to visit the campus as well to get a first-hand experience. Another important consideration is the faculty of the college. After all, they would be the ones teaching you, so they should also meet your expectations.

Eligibility and Possibility

Once you have a list of the preferred architecture colleges in India, check their eligibility requirements. Despite liking a college, you also need to qualify to be selected for the college. The eligibility criteria might vary from college to college. Some colleges hold their own entrance exams, and some accept scores from national level entrance exams; you will need to find out all about the admission requirements and prepare accordingly. Even after checking the eligibility, you need to consider the possibility of attending the college. This basically means looking at the fee structure, whether there is any financing facility, whether there are scholarships, etc. Then arises the question of accessibility; how accessible is the college from where you live, whether you would need to relocate, the accommodations offered by the college, and if not, where would you live while pursuing the course. These are all the little things that should carry weightage in your selection from the architecture colleges in India.

The course you choose to pursue and the college you join to pursue it from are just as important as how well you perform in your studies. The college name can have a major influence in the jobs that you are offered and the path your career takes. It is therefore, very important to choose from the architecture colleges in India, the college that would be best for your specialization.