Online Architecture Programs

Due to the overwhelming number of comments received, we decided to briefly explain one more time for those who are looking for Online
Architecture Programs.

Read the full report about what might be the only fully accredited architecture degree available online: Athabasca University-RAIC Partnership

Online degrees in and of themselves are still relatively new with online courses far more common and students having to splice that with
the traditional classroom setting. Many distance education courses still rely on a combination of internet and mailing out coursework, with
internet gradually taking over snail mail.

When it comes to courses that have traditionally had a lot of hands-on course work such as architecture, it will take a while to iron out all
the issues and problems with implementing a workable virtual system. The experimental virtual village proved both the viability of online
architecture and the problems that still need to be ironed out before it is entirely possible to do.

Now, many architectural schools offer online studios as an alternative to the traditional studios, at least so far as being able to do small
projects is concerned, as well as the theories behind doing such work online as opposed to offline.

The enthusiasm by which students, faculty, and other professionals have embraced this new technology proves that it must be continued and
expanded upon in the near future in order for architects to continue enjoying their successes.

While the technology is being ironed out and expanded upon, institutions and schools such as the RAIC and Athabasca University offers hope
to distance students that there will be an online architect degree in the future and as some schools start to do it, others will follow until it
becomes a normal part of the curriculum. As with all things, it will require patience.

America is only slowly changing their system, though some of the most noted universities have taken part in online collaborations, while New
Zealand and the UK have yet to offer much of anything resembling an entire degree online and there is little progress being made towards
changing that. On the other hand, if students do not mind traveling, Hong Kong, Australia, and Canada seem ready to embrace much of the
work needed to build online architectural degrees.

The groundwork is being laid and if there is enough demand for the program, then the faculty of these universities and colleges will have
to start looking into it. With the RAIC and the Athabasca University paving the way, it will be that much easier for these schools to look at
online work as being viable for their architectural degrees.

Students should keep in mind that some branches of architecture are easier to get online than others. Landscape architecture for example
tends to have more online courses than engineering and theory courses are easier to put online than the courses where things are actually
being built.

A student of architecture should know what kind of architecture he or she wants to get into before deciding how much can be done through
distance education and how much cannot, for some aspects are much easier to find online than others.

This too will only change slowly. For now, the dedicated architecture student will have to be content with splicing distance education and
traditional education and with lobbying for more distance education courses at his or her individual school.

This will ascertain that the faculty and the professionals in the field know that online work is what the students want and believe is the best
form of education for them. In the end, it will be up to the students, faculty, and public to make certain that this new technology reaches the
architecture program. Here is an interesting article about architecture education and why architecture shouldn't be offered at schools but
rather through practical princely. Why Architecture Should
Leave the University