Every year numerous young architects reach out to me seeking advise on selecting their higher education degree in the field of sustainable design. I feel this is my privilege and a responsibility to advise them on the implications of their choice. Going abroad is not only an expensive proposition but more importantly it means committing a large chunk of your lifetime to this adventure. So, its quite a high pressure decision for students as well as their family.
I faced this decision in 2006 when I decided to go abroad to London to study Sustainable Environmental Design. It turned out to be a fantastic life changing journey with many practical leanings. Some of those leanings, I fully understood only much later in my career, while working for some leading architectural firms. It turned out well for me, so perhaps some of my learnings may be of help to some of you looking to go abroad for your higher degree course.
My advice below is in no way intended to convey that going abroad is the only way to learning sustainable design. That is a topic which I hope to take up in another post. As a policy i encourage all students to check official university rankings. Try to use the well-known ranking systems. For example, The Times University Rankings evaluates universities and also individual courses on various parameters. They are useful to understand, especially when comparing options. My tips are more intended to help with qualitative decision-making, which in my experience can be equally important. So below are my key tips to help you select the most suitable programme /course.
1) Practice at least 2 years before going for Higher Education abroad
Most young architects come to me asking which sustainable design degree they should select ? Should they go for an MSc. or an MArch. Degree ? Digging deeper i usually find that they have not as yet fully understood how buildings are put together. It’s a highly collaborative process involving clients and different experts. This lack of practical experience puts these students at a disadvantage in selecting the right education.
Further since higher sustainability education tends to give emphasis to applicability. Such students may find it difficult to score well during the course. Hence, I recommend that you practice architecture for at least two full years. Try to join a design firm and preferably working on a project involving sustainable design of buildings.
2) Understand what aspect of Sustainable Design excites you
Sustainability work today is permeating all parts and scales of our built environment. So there are trained sustainable design professionals designing various things. From new products and technologies, to writing software, building green buildings, practising sustainable urbanism, doing regional plans, to framing policy and more. All of them are relevant. Architecture students may chose education in any of these areas. Thus you all should identify your preference of which type of work and scale.
One dilemma, I hear of often from students , is the worry that doing an building science focussed sustainable design course might make it difficult being hired as an regular architect. To this I must argue that the whole idea of going for higher education is to gain deep knowledge in a specific subject. Yes, it is possible that you will find some employers may not view you as pure architects. However deep sustainability knowledge is likely to be very useful for your own independent architectural practice or working as a sustainability consultant. Further present limited view of architecture held by employers is fast changing. This is due to increasing demand for architects trained to work on green projects, driven by climate change concerns.
3) Talk to at least one student who has completed the course and got a job
Nothing succeeds like success. Best recommendation for selecting a specific course may be provided by its alumni. Especially ones who are now employed in the market. I suggest you talk to at least one or preferably two such alumni. Ask them about their experience during and post the university course. If an Alumni does not recommend his course full heartedly then there is much to be vary about. Then I would advise you to do much more research on this course before investing in it.
4) Write to the Course Director before applying
The next best person who can advise you is the Programme/Course Director of the specific degree you are applying to. Most students don’t make the extra effort and only submit their application via the admission office and wait for the results. However, you will be surprised that Course Directors are very approachable, and they usually want to answer your questions. Infact, they also want to make sure the right students apply and get selected to their course. Your success eventually helps them succeed. So do write to them before you writeup your application. Clarify all your doubts about the course contents, its market value and if any scholarships could be availed.
5) Evaluate Tutors & course Infrastructure and not just overall University
Tutors are most important for the success of the education process on a day to day basis. Most universities try to keep their successful tutors and course directors to make sure there is consistency in the pedagogy. So don’t fall blindly in love with the larger scale infrastructure of the university but study the individual course tutors for the coming year, their profiles, their published work, are they new or regular tutors. Look for additional resources like dedicated labs and equipment which are important facilities of the specific programme you are applying for. Often other general university facilities may not be easily available for everyday use with your course.
6) Evaluate the individual course ranking as well as university ranking
A common mistake students ( and parents) make. They select the university based on its ranking and then the course. I would suggest otherwise. I see so many fantastic courses running in lower ranked universities due to amazing faculty, a local preference in research agenda or even Industry funding available at that location. So do look to compare individual Programme/Course rankings and only then the overall University rankings.
7) Don’t decide only on the basis of the Programme name !
I am seeing a confusing trend you need to be wary of. As studies in sustainability become popular , many universities are enhancing their existing degree programmes/courses by adding the term sustainability in the name. Some of these courses only offer optional learning credits, optional part time courses to support general sustainability knowledge within their specific individual focus areas. For example, there may be a regular masters of architecture degree which may offer some optional learning on sustainability issues. Incase, you want to deeply specialise into sustainable design such courses may not offer enough learning or expert skills. I advise that since it’s an era of specialisation, if you are serious about undertaking meaningful sustainability work then select a course which is fully focussed on to your topic. That way you will emerge with specialist skills which are also more marketable.
8) Choose an exciting city!
One gem of an advice which I got from a senior colleague and really proved right for me. If you have a choice between a similar course in a bigger or a smaller city then try to go for the bigger or more exciting city. One of the most amazing and rewarding experience for me personally was to live, study and work in London. This allowed me to witness so many real-life experiments at the intersection of design and sustainability which a smaller city would not have offered. Being a larger, very vibrant city, London was always on the main circuit of leading lecturers, exhibitions and events which enriched my student days immensely. It’s also a no brainer that larger cities offer more opportunities of finding work after completion your sustainable design education.
9) Does the location allow you to work after finishing degree?
In my experience, learning any specialist knowledge requires education as well as real world practice. It can be very powerful if after completing your university degree, you can work in the same area with an experienced professional or design firm. I suggest for at least 2 years. This will consolidate your knowledge in the area and will allow you to learn the in and out of applying it to real world problems. Some countries make it easier than others for post study Student Visa’s which helps stay in the country longer and find jobs. So do consider this aspect when considering your course location abroad. This also means that you may have to plan for 3-4 years abroad instead of 1-2 years you may be thinking of initially.
About the Author:
Harsh Thapar is an architect and sustainable design expert with more than 18 years of experience designing green buildings. After working in India post his Architecture degree at School of Planning and Architecture , New Delhi , Harsh studied Sustainable Environmental Design of Buildings at the Architectural Association School in London and then joined Foster and Partners London studio where he worked till 2019 end.
Other related posts by the author:
Performance Driven Design – envirolyser
Environmental Analysis in Design: Architects Revolution – envirolyser