College of Engineering Technology students have been conversing about rumors of an accredited bachelor’s of architecture being brought to the school.
These rumors were quickly addressed by professor Christopher Cosper in an email to students in the Architecture and Facility Management Department. According to the email, the first piece of paperwork, titled the “PCAF,” has been submitted, but this in no way guarantees an eminent bachelor’s of architecture for Ferris.
“It’s years, multiple years to go through this process, and that’s just starting it,” Cosper said. “You’re a candidate school for a while, and then you and your first students are going to a candidate school, so they don’t know at the end of however long they’re there, whether they’re going to have an accredited degree or not.”
Cosper explained how adding a degree program is very complex and involves multiple steps, including approval from the College Curriculum Committee, the college dean, the University Curriculum Committee, President Pink and the Board of Trustees. After going through most of the university, it can finally be brought to the National Architectural Accreditation Board.
If the accredited program gets added, it would benefit students by offering an accredited degree that would take five years. Having an accredited degree is currently crucial for licensure in Michigan. The department hopes that it will create a more streamlined path to licensure that is cost-effective.
According to Cosper, there is another, quicker option for creating a streamlined path to licensure that would still be cost-effective.
“Kendall has a master of architecture degree. If we were to rethink that, I suspect that process would be quicker, because it’s an existing accredited degree. Modifying a degree program is quicker than creating one,” Cosper said. “There is a potential to rethink the four plus two and rethink the master of architecture and how it could be an even smoother path.”
The current architecture bachelor’s non-accredited program was built in the older and classic “4+2” model, a four-year pre-professional degree, which would be the bachelor’s in architecture and sustainability provided at Ferris. The bachelor’s at Ferris would lead to an accredited master of architecture program for students who wish to further their degree and hope to gain licensure. There are advantages and disadvantages to both the 5-year bachelor’s of architecture and the 4+2 master’s of architecture.
“I think there’s some things pointing toward it being a master’s degree. One of the premier ones being the fact that the master’s degree exists and it’s accredited, as opposed to having to be created,” Cosper said. “Now, however, we do it, a master’s degree would be more expensive than a B.S., but the cost is not huge.”
Discussing the rumors with a current student in architecture and facility management freshman Nathan Biggs believes that accreditation would enhance the program’s accessibility and economic benefits, aligning with Ferris’ mission.
“I think that the bachelor’s of architecture would allow you to become a certified architect in a way that was not possible before, without moving down to Grand Rapids and taking another two years at Kendall or going somewhere else for your master’s,” Biggs said. “It’s very economic, and I think that it would be greatly in line with what Ferris’ general mission statement is, and I think that it’s a great thing for everybody involved.”
Another student, architecture freshman Kayla Compton, believes that a bachelor’s of architecture would be a good option to provide for students.
“I hope it’s not just a rumor, or it doesn’t stay a rumor, I think it would be a good option for students to have. To be able to choose to stay at Ferris for a five-year bachelor’s of architecture, or be able to choose to go to Kendall for a master’s of architecture.”
As of right now, it is currently unknown if the five-year bachelor’s of architecture degree will be created and accredited, as it is only the beginning of the process. As for the changes to the master’s of architecture, nothing official has been decided and the future of that is currently unknown as well.