hi there. what they say is generally true: interview is a tricky business, and no matter how desperate you are in getting a place and wanting the best chance to get one, the schools are playing the same game too. they want the best students to join their programme and would do anything they can about it.

this includes calling only those who've chosen them as 1st choice. let me explain the logic:

lets say a school calls 2 candidates.
candidate A: 3.70cgpa, puts them as 1st choice.
candidate B: 4.00cgpa, puts them as 2nd choice.

logic would dictate that candidate B will get the offer, yes? well, usually that's true. however, let's look at candidates B's 1st choice. huge chance that they'll get that offer too. and of course, they've put that as 1st choice, most likely they'll go there too.

so the top spot reserved for candidate B is now vacant. the school will try to reach candidate A. and usually by this time, candidate A would have taken the offer from his 2nd or 3rd choice. now the school needs to dig really deep into the candidate pool, and eventually settles with a 3.00 candidate who didnt get any other offers.

you can see the predicament here. if the school tries to gamble to get a 4.00 2nd choice candidate, there's a big chance they will lose all other potential candidates in the process, including the top one just now. so it is safer for them to just secure candidate A for certain, as there will not be any other offer higher than theirs.

so now it boils down to which one do you prefer the most? UTM or UM? yes, these are among the top 100 architecture schools in the world. u cant go wrong with any of them. so now the question would be: do u like city life in KL? choose UM. or do u prefer laid back sub-urban living in Johor? choose UTM. and so on and so forth. good luck!

eRayuan only works if u've fulfilled all requirements but didnt get the offer u want. it cannot boost ur application if u do not meet the requirements.

if you're still interested to study architecture straight from SPM, then i suggest diploma. UiTM is the only programme that circumvents the SPM->degree requirements. the rest have to go through matrics, STPM, a-levels or other pre-unis.

at the end of the day, it's the destination that matters. you need M.Arch to practice as an architect in malaysia. before that, a B.Sc.Arch (or equivalent) to qualify for M.Arch. And to take B.Sc.Arch, you can either go through pre-uni path, or diploma path. up to you.

http://www.lam.gov.my/accreditation/list-o...ised-programmes

Referring to this list above on accredited Architecture program, I'm surprised to find out only 4 universities in Australia is recognized by LAM - Monash University, Deakin University, University of Tasmania and University of Newcastle.

My question is top universities like RMIT and UniMelbourne are both not accredited? I remember last time reading somewhere these universities are accredited in Malaysia.

Ahhhh did not realise last year all overseas qualification was revamped. Now its like starting all over again.

I got few question to fellow members here.

1. What if I decided to study lets say UniMelbourne program? If it get accredited in the future, will the accreditation process include me (having join in an 'unaccredited period')??

2. Is there a way to be accredited after studying in a non-accredited program such as RMIT? If I get accredited by AACA will I be recognized by LAM too since there's this clause in place.

Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) between Malaysia and the foreign countries or between the Board and its foreign counterpart;

1. Accreditation is only valid if you graduate within the specified period. If you graduated 1 day before or after that period, you will not be accredited. Even if you joined during the accredited period, and for some reason the school's accreditation was withdrawn or expired, or if you extended your studies into a period that it was not accredited, you will not be accredited as well.

2. Yes. You can sit for LAM Parts 1 and 2 exams when you return here, regardless whether you hold an AACA accreditation or not.

MRA is between the board and its foreign counterpart. As the boards are the official regulatory body from the respective countries, it's effect is the same as MRA between countries.

"Students who enrolled in any programme stated in the previous List within its effective recognition period will not be affected by the new rulings."

Quoting from LAM website, I think they refer to the date you enrol in the program eh? Not graduation date?

That is referring to the implementation date of the new Accreditation List effective 1 Jan 2017 (last year). Meaning those who were currently enrolled in the programme at the time are not affected by the new rulings, regardless when they graduate.

Since that date has come and passed, that statement no longer applies to new enrollments.

Ok understand.

Do you recommend student to do a Degree which is not accredited by the LAM and then in turn do Part1 and Part2 examination? How's the general consensus of the examination? Is it damn hard to pass or its actually simple?

Nowadays, there are plenty of good reference for the schools to choose from. Even the accreditation standards have been outlined clearly by LAM. It should be no problem for the school to abide by the standards and achieve accreditation. Most schools that do not have accreditation at the moment are running a new programme and have to wait for their 1st batch to graduate. After that, it should be no problem. So you can enroll into these new programmes with little issues. The biggest issue I would imagine is sponsorship, if any.

Having said that, there are programmes that are struggling to achieve accreditation despite several attempts. These are the ones you should be careful of. It signifies that there are shortcomings in the programme that couldnt be addressed in time.

It means that if you come from these schools, you might not be well prepared to sit for the LAM Parts 1 or 2 exams. Usually students fail the exam because they are not well prepared. This can be addressed if the school, despite the lack of accreditation, prepares them well before hand.

So bottom line is, there are two types of unaccredited schools, and I dont have any problem recommending the new programmes. It's the old, struggling programmes that you should stay away from.

As for the exam itself, it's no different that a graduating viva voce.

Updated the Paths to Becoming an Architect and its abbreviations on the 1st page. Information valid and verified by LAM and representatives of each IPT involved.

I'm an art stream student. I am really interested in architecture course. I haven't decide where to continue my study in architecture field. Do you recommend utmspace's diploma for architecture course?? Or stpm..

Sorry for the late reply. First of all, I welcome your interest in this field.

If you truly believe that architecture is your true calling and are not interested in pursuing anything else, then jumping into a dip.arch programme is recommended. However, please understand that even if you jumped straight into architecture after SPM, you journey will be about a year longer than those who goes through pre-university. Most people don't mind this extra year because it simply means more maturity and understanding of the subject matter than the others.

Think about it: for STPM holders, they will have 5 years experience of learning architecture. for diploma holders, they will have 7 years.

With that said, any diploma programme is useful as long as it gets you to degree and eventually masters. There's not much difference and LAM do not regulate them directly. It's all about cost, location, personal preference and so on. You can refer to the list of diploma programmes in the 1st page to see what your other choices are.

Personally, the UTM SPACE Diploma is the new reincarnation of the UTM Diploma programme. This programme was the first diploma in architecture and have had a very long history. Many senior local architects came from this programme.

Mr. Azari,

I am a Part 1 graduate from UiTM Seri Iskandar and intend to pursue my Part 2 studies in Malaysia this upcoming September 2018.

I'm aware that the choices for universities offering accredited Part 2 programmes here are limited.

Therefore, do you have any knowledge if there are any universities here regardless IPTA or IPTS that is almost guaranteed accreditation secure enough for me to enrol in so i can graduate with an accredited Part 2 by the year 2020? Or that is not how things work?

You mean you want to enroll into an unaccredited programmes that will most likely secure its accreditation by the time you graduate?

Well, the word GUARANTEE is a very dangerous one. There's so many things that could happen during the accreditation process. If you want to give it a go, then I recommend trying for UKM, UPM, USM and UIAM. These IPTAs are currently running programmes that are due for accreditation in the next 2 years. Alternatively, go for IPTS like IUKL, LUCT and UCSI, although I'm not sure if they're scheduled for the accreditation visit soon. Or go for UTM-Pesisir programme, which is the only part-time architectural programme in Malaysia.

Yes, to your question.

Im not sure how the procedure by LAM is, but probably there are some universities that have 'passed' the the accreditation process but due to formalities or basic procedure that the accreditation has not officially been awarded yet? Hence, those universities are still not listed as accredited programmes in your thread or on LAM's website.

Are you suggesting that UKM, UPM, USM n UIAM are towards accredited status ?

Let me clarify abit about the accreditation process. The base rule for accreditation is, the programme must have produced at least one batch of graduates. When they do, they can apply for accreditation visit by LAM. LAM will examine the recent graduates, the current students, the programme, facilities, teaching staffs etc during a 2-day visit. After the visit they will come up with a verdict and endorse the result within 6 weeks.

If PASS, then the school will be informed immediately and they can start advertising about the status. LAM website will also immediately be updated. If FAIL, they will also be informed so that they could take necessary actions.

So as you can see, there is no room for "having passed but pending formalities". As soon as the verdict is endorsed, LAM will update the list.

In the diagram above (as well as the 1st post), I differentiated schools that are working towards accreditation and those that already obtained it. UKM, UPM, USM and UIAM only recently revamped their part 2 programmes from B.Arch to M.Arch. Their M.Arch have yet to produce their 1st batch of graduates, but will apply for accreditation as soon as they do. This is the standard operating procedure for all IPTAs offering architecture. Hence I use the term "towards accredited status". IPTS on the other hand operate at their own pace.

As far as I know, I haven't missed any architectural programmes in the list. But if you think I might have, please do inform me.

Hi can somebody confirm this?

I am graduating as a Part 2 soon from an accredited UK university as well and has 2 years working experience in the UK as a Part 1. What sort of salary range am I expecting?

Which sort of company i.e small/medium/big firms should I aim to work for to gain the right experience to prepare me for part 3 exam. I know the passing rate is ridiculously low at around 10% but is it realistic to aim to pass the exam within 3 years post part 2 graduation?

This post has been edited by elafyf: Apr 3 2018, 03:05 AM

I wouldn't put it as high as RM4.5k for a fresh grad. Big firms in KL, maybe. But definitely not the smaller firms, and even lesser outside KL. I still put the number at an average of RM3k to RM3.5k. You will find that overseas experience only counts towards design rationalization, dealing with clients etc. But most employers still looking for street smart graduates that can handle themselves with other consultants, on site and with local authorities. And these are considerably different in each country.

So be realistic, and get ready to learn on-the-go as soon as you start. In general, you can break RM5k barrier within 3-4 years if you perform. So don't worry too much about the starting pay. If you feel the increments are too low, switch offices after a year or two and demand higher pay at the new place. Keep doing this until you get your preferred salary. Do this on a yearly basis, because experiences usually count by years, not months.

Regarding the passing rate for part3, you will find that the old 10% passing rate no longer applies. Nowadays there are training programmes such as Be:Ar that coaches you to get your part 3. I've had students passing part 3 within 2 years of graduation, so it is a realistic aim.

Do note that selection of firm can affect your performance in part 3. Large firms may pay well, but it usually means you'll be compartmentalized to work in a specific area or project. Smaller firms may pay less, but you get to do everything from A to Z.

Dilemma, dilemma . All the best!

Looks a bit ridiculous when a MArch from University of Melbourne will have to do LAM1&2.

ada cerita di sebalik tu.

Yeah........Malaysia Bolih thingy