You can't practice architecture in Malaysia unless you have both Part 1 degree and Part 2 masters. I assume the architect you spoke to has a degree and masters in architecture too. If not, she's practicing illegally and can be sued under architects act.

In your situation, you will still need to obtain the Bachelor of Science in Architecture on top of your Urban Planning degree, or alternatively switch to architecture now before you graduate (this can save some time, and easier to apply for placement). Then continue for your masters for Part 2.

This will take about 5 years, including credit transfers.

At the moment, we have yet to offer B.Sc.Architecture under UTM SPACE. So that's not an option, I'm afraid.

Why closest?

Interior design, industrial design, building construction.

Heck, mechanical engineers do work with architects a lot. That would be as close as you can get to architecture without marrying one...

The Singaporean architectural practice is slightly different from ours, their recognition system included. I'm not exactly sure why and how.

But as far as I know, my former students didn't have any problem securing a job in Singapore both after part 1 and part 2, despite not listed in the recognized schools.

Can you give me the link? As far as I know, we haven't offered B.Sc.Arch (part-time). We're currently finishing off the leftover students from the old B.Arch programme. At the moment we only offer M.Arch PESISIR (part-time).

That looks like an old brochure. UTM no longer offer Bachelor of Architecture (part time) a while back. If I'm not mistaken, the last intake was in 2013. Either the brochure is old, or they accidentally included a defunct programme in the list.

To answer your earlier questions:

1. The old B.Arch (part time) was recognized with LAM part 2. But since it's no longer offered, you cannot apply here. And the B.Sc.Architecture programme (the one to replace the B.Arch) is yet to be offered. So it's not yet recognized (obviously). If it's offered, it would be equivalent to LAM part 1.

2. I cannot comment on course content, syllabus or fee structure yet.

3. For a part time degree, it would usually take around 5 years to complete.

This is what I could gather so far:

PPS is N41 post which for Part I.
Pem Teknik is J27 -- for Dip Sbina
Pen Arkitek is J41 -- is for Part II

I'm still inquiring about your question. But as far as I understood it, you should be able to apply for PPS. Perhaps the difference is the Gred Gaji. My colleagues are not sure whether PPS is N41 or N27.

What position/gred did you apply to?

I'm afraid my circle of friends are quite in the dark to your situation. I think it's best to inquire directly to SPA for faster, more reliable reply.

Do inform me of their reply. I'm doing my own follow up. Sorry couldn't be of more help.

Hi there. I'm pretty sure there are, particularly the larger firms as they do developments and townships as well. Firms like GDP, Hijjas Kasturi, Veritas or Ken Yeang would be a good start.

As to what you can offer exactly, I'm not quite sure as I don't have a lot of experience in such matters. Hopefully readers here can assist.

Hi there. Most architecture programmes in Malaysia nowadays will focus the 1st year on design fundamentals. Remember your 1st year of Dip. IA? You don't really design anything significant, right? It's more about playing, exploring and self-discovery. It's the same here, just different context and scale. And LAM do not allow 1st years to go beyond the scale of a bungalow at the end of 1st year, something I'm pretty sure you've covered in your IA diploma.

So don't worry about jumping straight to Design 3. You should be fine.

Regarding the uni, City Uni is as good as any other. I have some friends teaching there; people whom I respect and believe in producing quality students above all else. So go for it!

Yes, as long as the credit exemption process in done according to standard practice and is not more than 30%, you can get recognition for Part 1.

I'm not sure what specific advice I should give you. At this point, you know more about architecture than most diploma intakes I've dealt with, like from electrical, mechatronic, aeronatic and computer science. Heck, you know more about architecture than a landscape diploma. Don't worry, you'll be fine.

I think when it comes to heritage, you need to get into the right circle. Not all of the heritage scholars are attached to universities. Many of them are on the ground because they realized that they can't do much at university. They can make more difference on the field.

I can get you in touch with some of them, if you want.

Hi there. By switching, you mean applying architecture degree using your dip in computing? If so, yes. In UTM, we've had at least 3 other students doing this successfully. So you won't be the first, if you're worried about that .

The requirements are pretty standard, although you should look at each individual university's intake requirements, because each programme has its own requirements.

Chances of getting in? Well to tell you the truth, it's hard enough for those who're applying with a dip.arch, let alone diplomas in other majors. So you should be realistic before getting your hopes up. But like I said earlier, there have been those who're successful, so do try.

1. Computers science is needed in virtually every field, nowadays. So the only way one couldn't get ahead in life using CS qualifications is if they themselves don't know what to do with it . The only issue here is the chances (probability) of you getting a place using CS diploma. It's about competition, not qualification. If you wanna apply IPTS, I'm sure the path is wide open for you. IPTA is tougher.

2. Civil engineering is the science of buildings. They do the calculations and simulations to ensure the building designed by the architect is buildable. That's the simplest explanation. But civil engineers are not limited to working for architects. There are many other specializations that civil engineers could go into, like bridge designs, coastal engineering, soil/earth engineering and so on.

1. If you didn't take physics during diploma, they will look into your SPM. Although I'm not sure how much it will weigh during the selection process. You should ask the civil engineering people .

2. Most architectural programmes require interviews (even overseas), but I don't think civil engineering intakes require interviews.

Please refer to the diagrams below. For architecture, any Bachelor's degree from IPTS in the green box is suitable. For IPTAs, you'd have to check if they take in UEC students.

IPTS (Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Swasta), also known as US, refers to private universities.
IPTA (Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Awam), also known as UA, refers to public universities (government funded).

As you might know, government funded universities are considerably cheaper as the fees are mainly subsidized by the government. The fees are usually about RM7k for the whole programme, while for private, it can reach up to RM100k for a degree. And by that, the public universities are highly sought after and the competition is very tough.

With UEC, it severely limits your daughter's option as the current national policies do not favor UEC graduates. But do inquire to individual schools. They might have alternate paths available.

Hope this helps.

I can't comment much on Interior Architecture, as I'm only involved in architectural programmes.

UTAR and UCSI is quite established, so you can't go wrong there. I've taken their part 1 into our part 2 M.Arch in UTM. They performed quite admirably.

You're asking about the Masters (part 2) programme, yes?

Yes, it is preferred that you work in Klang Valley area. This is because teaching and learning will be centered in KL, and every few weeks or so, supervisors will have to visit your office for discussions.

Hi. Congrats to your nephew!

Unfortunately, he picked the worst time to graduate in the last 20 years. The scenario right now reminds me of the recession in 98. A lot of firms had to lay off people during MCO because there simply weren't enough jobs to sustain them.

Even LAM had to make a drastic move to momentarily suspend the 6months working experience between part 1 and part 2 so that part 1 graduates can continue studying without flooding the market.

On an ideal situation, he'd have no problem landing a job, not just interviews. But currently, although there may still be jobs out there, my recommendation is to diversify while waiting for the economy to recover. My fear is, even if there's a job, the starting pay would be very low.

But do try the big firms first. In the grand scheme of things, it's a bit slower to fill the logbook to qualify for part 3 in big firms. Usually because they already got a lot of people with specializations in the firms who can do the job. They tend not to give it to the newbie. But in smaller firms, everybody gotta pull their own weight, so it's usually much quicker to qualify because of the amount of experience they'd gather in shorter amount of time.

I wish him luck. I don't like to sound grim, but there's no point in cushioning the situation.

Hi. First of all, there is no part-time programme per se, but we do have a full-time industry-attached Masters programme (which most people still call it as part-time).

1. Next intake is Oct 2020. I think you might still be able to apply. If not, the next intake is Feb 2021.

2. Studios are face to face. Lecture-based classes are mostly online. Workshops and labs are face to face. All classes are weekends, organized in UTM KL. No night classes.

3. 2.5 years (5 semesters).

4. Since it is a full-time programme, you can apply for loans and JPA. However, most scholarships do not allow recipients to work while studying. And the issue with our programme is it requires you to be attached to the industry. So you still have to work.

Hope this helps.

It depends on your job spec and responsibilities. First, the best way to ensure you've acquired experience as a part 1 holder, is to work under an architect. Preferably part 3, but part 2 is acceptable too.

This does not mean you have to work in an architecture firm. It could be a developer, interior designer, landscape architect, contractor or anything under the built environment. In fact, you could work in Tesco or Ikea, if they have a design/architecture/building department.

It all boils down to the experience you acquired throughout. Even if you worked in a big firm, but you became the driver for the boss or tukang bancuh kopi, you wouldnt be able to acquire proper working experience to qualify for the masters programme!