hi there.

1. recent policy dictates MUET is the only language test to be used for intake qualifications. previously applicants can use IELTS, but nowadays IELTS is only reserved for international students. i supposed u could apply for exemption from UPU, but as far as we're concerned, we cant circumvent the system anymore.

2. not without taking architectural degree, no.

Added latest Architectural Paths diagram to the first page:



Added list of abbreviations to accompany the diagram above:

nobody is good at designing from the start. designers need tools and method to produce, and u only know one of it: drawing. who's to say u cant develop ur design skills using other means?

creativity is broad and diverse. drawing and creativity goes hand in hand with each other, but drawing does not determine the level of creativity that u have. heck, even cooking a new recipe is a creative process!

u're young. so i say u just havent found ur creative niche yet.

well, that's quite a broad question. let's assume u own ur own business. the fee for a complete project (design and build) is set between 3.75% (RM500mil and above) to 10% (below RM500k). meaning a RM1mil bungalow can earn u RM100k from start to finish. the project could take around 3-6months, which means RM16k to RM33k per month depending on duration.

as a practice, u usually will have 2-3 other projects overlapping each other. so u keep taking in projects to sustain ur business. at this point, each architect in malaysia serves around 16,000 citizens. if we're talking about bungalows alone, there could be at least 50 bungalows in there, not including renovations. and then there's government projects and all that stuff.

is it stable? well, if u're good, u will be.

The job i mentioned if u have ur own practice (normally with part 3). U will have a few part 2s working for u which u employ on a permanent basis (say RM4k per month). As a part 3, u will have to look for projects to ensure ur business can continue and pay ur workers.

If u wanna practice with part 2, then u will most likely work for somebody else. In your perspective, u get paid monthly salary on a permanent basis, no need to worry about getting projects etc. Just do what u do. If there are plenty of projects, u'll busy and in turn u might get bonus. If there are no projects, the firm will enforce cost cutting measures and all that.

currently the average is around RM2.8k for a fresh part 2 grad. it's a bit higher than before despite the poor economic performance because of the 1 year working requirement after part 1 (before part 2). meaning by the time u grad part 2, u already have 1 year working experience. not exactly "fresh", i would say .

if it were up to me, i'd avoid going into developer firms (SP setia, mah sing, IJM, glenmarie to name a few) if u're looking for experience. developers are very profit oriented. architects on the other hand are very client oriented. we fulfill the needs of the clients just like a fashion designer does. developers are like big retail companies that produces articles of clothing in massive scale. there's no place for individual one-on-one custom tailored designs to suite what each individual clients need. u dont experiment, u dont do anything out of the ordinary. there's a tried and tested formula, and u do exactly that.

not my cup of tea.

ah... i interviewed her. i think i remember her because she asked to be shifted earlier. nobody does that .

too bad she didnt get to do architecture. she couldve called UTM and we would be able to squeeze her in. there was a drop out in that batch, but nobody we called wanted to fill in the gap (most already settled in other universities).

yes, USM offers BSc HBP (part 1) followed by BArch (part 2)

no, UTM now offers BSc Arch (part 1) followed by MArch (part 2). UTM's 5 year BArch programme have been dissolved in 2014. all that remains is the part time BArch, which will become obsolete in about 2 years.

we refer to it as broad-based. general degree refers to 3rd class degree (just above fail) .

actually u can branch out into those masters even with a normal B.Sc.Arch from other schools, because landscape, QS, planning etc do not need an M.Arch or B.Arch in order to practice professionally. i think what u mean is "can i become a QS or planning or architect with just BSc HBP?". this one im not particularly sure. all this while i only deal with BSc HBP going into M.Arch part 2.

safer route? USM and UTM offer the same part 1 degree, and both are equally acceptable everywhere. i just dont know whether USM's degree can be used for QS, planning or others due to its broad-based content, but i'm sure UTM's BScArch couldnt.

perhaps this link will help you:

http://www.boa.gov.sg/education.html

generally they inherited the 3+2 format that ARB (UK) uses, which makes theirs similar to ours. in the link, SUTD is not listed as a recognized programme, but NUS is. so i guess u should focus on NUS to be on the safe side. and yes, u can use A-levels to apply there. in fact, they also accept STPM which is way cheaper than A-levels. but i see that u've completed ur A-levels, so no point looking back on that.

if ur intention is to be an architect in singapore, u should know that u dont need to study there to be one. about 30% of UTM graduates have ended up working in singapore at one point or another, and many of those actually stayed and settled down there.

if u still want to study there but want to cut down the cost a bit, u should consider studying locally in malaysia for part 1, then continue ur masters there (or vice versa).

meaning u wanna do part 1 in malaysia and continue part 2 in singaporean school?

any accredited school should be fine.

have you seen this? it basically outlines possible paths u could take to study overseas. now that u already done with SPM, u need to decide quickly as to whether to go for STPM or A-levels. alternatively, u can take SAM or AUSMAT if u wanna go to australia. however do not take KPM matriculation if u wanna go overseas as it will severely restrict ur choices of university as well as scholarship.

with STPM/A-levels, ur choices of schools will be open to all commonwealth countries as well as the americas and the far easts.

It doesnt matter so long as u score them!

nobody can guarantee that. but we can make the possibilities higher by:

i. getting top grades in STPM or A-levels. NOT FOUNDATIONs.
ii. getting a place in an overseas university. this one is the easiest part.
iii. getting a scholarship to pay for the fees and possibly living expenses there.

points ii and iii highly depends on point i. usually people are stuck at point iii, and would have to resort to study loans between RM400k and 700k. young malaysians in general cant even buy a house at RM200k let alone service a RM700k loan. it'll take u ur whole life, especially with basic fresh grad pay at RM3k.

Each school has its own aptitude test, looking for things that are relevant to the school. It could range from general local knowledge to IQ tests to quick design tasks.

This post has been edited by azarimy: Feb 17 2016, 06:48 PM

Hello again. In Malaysia, UTM is the only school offering part time in architecture. Very likely LAM would keep it this way. Not because of monopoly, but because of lack of expertise to do. I mean, u wouldnt want to be treated by somebody who took his medical degree, part time, over 12 years, would u? Haha.

Anyways, UTM's part time will reopen again later this year. Just standby around june/july for notification.

About 1.5 to 2x as long. So about 4.5 to 6 years for part 1, then another 3-4 years for part 2.

hi.

1st of all, i'm sure u are aware that the US runs a different architectural education programme than us, and it's not entirely transferable. normally if u want an architectural degree in the US, u take the programme from pre-university, complete the entire programme there and then go into practice. u can comeback to malaysia and sit for ur parts 1 and 2 with that.

but when it comes to 3+2 degree/masters combo practiced in malaysia and other commonwealth countries, the tricky part comes in. our masters is a professional cert. meaning u need that in order to practice and become an architect. american masters are not. to practice, it's sufficient with the degree. in some states, a part 1 holder from commonwealth countries can take a diploma (yeah, diploma!) for 2 years to gain professional status and become an architect. so it might be counter productive, especially if particularly care about the title of the degree u hold.

in fact, if u come back to malaysia, under the public service guide, u will be paid degree salary, not masters!

there are literally hundreds of architecture schools in the US. and because each state has their own law and system, each can run their architecture programme as they like it. there might be 1-2 schools that adopts the commonwealth 3+2 format, which is compatible to ours. but i havent found that offered in top tier US schools yet.

1. there's not enough data to give solid answer for this. UiTM was the 1st university to offer M.Arch back in 2012. i estimate they've put out about 100 grads perhaps. UTM was the 2nd to offer in 2013. we've put out about 40. taylor's have produced their 1st batch of M.Arch last year, i'm not really sure how many, but my guess is around 20. other universities have yet to produce an M.Arch graduate.

that would be like introducing some kampung game that nobody else plays in the olympics and claim u're the reigning champion of the world .

2. again, not enough data for this one. and it would also be unfair because i would most likely be biased towards UTM.

with that said, i would say a few things UTM have over UiTM's M.Arch:

a. we designed the programme from scratch. UiTM converted their B.Arch into M.Arch.
b. despite the smaller number, UTM students have won more competitions (local and international) that UiTM
c. our graduates have no problem getting placement in singapore and china.
d. UTM takes in top students from all LAM accredited programmes - bumi, non-bumi and internationals. u'll be competing with the best throughout.