Expert: Nazim Nice - 5/1/2009

Question
i am in 11th grade. i am from India. i had physics only till 8th grade. i have high level math. can i take up a career in architecture without physics ?

Answer
Hi Shreya,

In general I would say 'yes' to your question.  But there are a few things you should think about:

1.  Are you going to college?  Will the college accept you without high school physics?

2.  Where I went to university (Carnegie Mellon University), we had to take physics in college as a required course.  You may do better if you have high school physics experience.

3.  To become a licensed architect you either need many many years of experience as an intern or a college degree.  The college degree is usually the preferred route to get an architecture license.

So, if you can get into a good architecture program without high school physics, then I wouldn't worry about not having it.  But if the schools you want to apply to require high school physics, then you may have an issue.

Also, as you look at architecture programs you'll want to understand the different degrees offered.  You will likely find a 5-year BArch program and then other programs that allow you to get a 4-year undergraduate degree, then go to graduate school for usually 2 years to get a MArch (masters of architecture).

Hope this helps.