Online Architecture Degree in New Zealand

Like the UK, there are not yet any online degrees and few courses for architecture in New Zealand. However, there is hope for future
students.

The Victoria University in Wellington has been broadening the use of their online ‘blackboard’ system to allow more and more course work in
a myriad of classes to be done online. It is already to the point where students and faculty at this university in particular complain if there is
no blackboard element, setting up good groundwork for entire degrees, including architecture, in the future. The blackboard online system
could be adjusted in the future to accommodate the needs of an architectural program if enough students and faculty lobby for it.

New Zealand has also has the New Zealand Institute of Architecture, much like the RAIC in Canada, which also focuses on the importance of
architecture and works with other businesses in order to promote its importance. The NZIA also offers services for people wishing to learn to
be architects such as links to schools and information on how long it is expected to take to get a degree and the practical education needed.

it also provides continuing education to its members, much like the RAIC does. Much of what the NZIA is a mirror of what the RAIC does for
its members with as much emphasis on the importance of architecture and the beginnings of education for its members.

Unlike the RAIC, it does not offer a full curriculum of coursework yet; instead preferring to refer interested students to universities or
colleges that offer the program, but it would not be a big jump for the institute to start working for online architecture courses for its
members and then eventually expanding outwards, if there was enough demand for it. If the experiment between Athabasca U and RAIC is
successful, it will be easier for New Zealand to follow suit because the beginning infrastructure already exists.

There is still a great deal of work to be done before an online architecture degree would be possible. There are only a small handful of
universities and colleges that offer architecture courses even in the classroom, the most notable being the Victoria University of Wellington
which offers a full Bachelors of Architecture (BArch).

Other colleges and universities offer courses in the program, but rarely the full degree, or the degree is in something like interior design and
spatial design. This means that only about half the infrastructure is in place-the NZIA-and even this half is not committed to education, but
rather to the members who are already educated and certified. However, the fact that there are some things in place which mirror the RAIC
could give hope to those who are looking for an online degree in New Zealand for architecture.

Another feature that will help students of New Zealand have hope for more online work in architecture is the fact that Australia has thrown
itself into many virtual design studio projects, both within the continent and in the world.

The University of Sydney participated in a project in 1995 with several other universities across the globe in order to design a residence
building.

1995 also saw the online partnership between the universities of Sydney, Brisbane, and Tasmania to design an exhibition building for the
2000 Sydney Olympics. With such things happening right in the backyard of New Zealand, it seems inevitable that the students and faculty
of these universities will strive to become a part of the system.