By: Fabiola Grosshan
Submitted: 2010-06-23 06:10:08 | Word Count: 367
After walking next to the Vietnam Memorial, a stirring piece that evokes memories of so many soldiers lost in the Vietnam War, you may notice the inscription near the monument that says the work was designed by an architecture student. Similar thoughts may pass through your mind when you cross the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and you may ask yourself what kind of skills would be required to design and even build such inspiring structures.
An architect is responsible for the design of these and many other structures, calling upon his or her great creative abilities to beautify and improve the lives of everyone that has the chance to enjoy these works of design. For most, overcoming the fear of the unknown is the first step toward becoming an architect.
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Architecture students must enter into a series of courses like any other students studying for a profession. On average, architecture degrees take four to five years to complete, similar to the training required for physicists, literary majors and accountants. Besides the normal English, history, math and science courses, the first years are spent introducing the theory, design and practice of architecture. But for an architecture student, something extra is added into the program: studio. In studio courses, architecture students get the opportunity to see their ideas come into shape. Like an art or engineering, architecture does not have a closed classroom environment of lecture and homework, but is a hands-on opportunity where students nurture their creative talents and are guided through the design process by the experienced hands of a professional instructor.
Architecture student work products are often used in evaluating current students. Evaluations are ongoing throughout the program and will often be included in a portfolio that can be used for admissions into a graduate program. Architecture students must complete an internship following graduation before they can sit for their architectural license.
For hopeful architecture students, opportunities exist at high-quality schools to turn the dream of building the monuments of tomorrow into reality.
