Bachelor of Architecture, B. Arch is a five year graduate program in Architecture, design and structure of building covering the sociological, systematic and environmental aspects. The course seeks the students having skills like drawing, writing, exploration of the given topic, practical and managerial ability in identifying and solving problems and architectural presentation etc. The subjects for the Bachelor of Architecture include Mathematics, CADD, Urban Economics and Sociology History of Architecture and Interior Design etc.

Advantages or Benefits of B. Arch

• Architecture is a profession for the people who have talents in artistic and aesthetic.
• There is always a demand for good architects so as to utilize the entire construction space in building projects.
• In the present scenario, architects are essential to plan and carry out building projects and to find solution for the problems related to this field.
• Building projects and real estate is one of the largest sectors of investment in our economy; hence the profession is also getting recognitions and further career opportunities.

Eligibility Criteria for B. Arch

The minimum qualification required for applying in a B. Arch course is plus two with 55% in the board examination. The students should study Mathematic with Physics and Chemistry in their 10+2. To get admission for the B. Arch program, the aspirants are required to take the Entrance examination conducted by the respective institutes. The students are allotted to different colleges based on their entrance exam scores.

Admission Procedure for B. Arch

The B. Arch aspirants can apply for various entrance tests conducted by respective institutes and various universities in the nation. Mainly the national level exams are common for the Engineering as well as the B. Arch aspirants. The students will be given an option to choose their priorities. The private institution also carries out their own entrance tests and one of the most important things for the B. Arch aspirates is that most of the institution considers NATA exam score along with the aptitude test conducted by the individual institutes.

B. Arch Entrance exams in India

Some of the prominent entrance tests for the B. Arch course are,

• AIEEE
• AMU Entrance Exam
• BEEE
• IIT-JEE
• KEAM
• NATA
• UPTU SEE Exam

Coaching Centers for B. Arch Entrance Exam

• Aakash Institute
• ALLEN Career Institute
• Amity Institute of Competitive Examinations
• Bansal Classes Pvt. Ltd.
• Bansal Tutorials
• Career Launcher India Ltd
• Career Point
• Creative career
• Daswani Classess Ltd
• Excellence
• Kreative Tutorials
• Narayana IIT Academy
• NATA study centre
• Oasis Education Services
• PIE Education
• Resonance
• Studio NICS

How to fill in B. Arch Entrance Application form

The universities/institutions offer both the online and offline facility for the applicant, to register for exam. Students need to check the respective website for the online application. After typing the required information they need to take the print out and sent the form alone with the DD and other documents. For all those going for offline method, will get the application form from the specified centers/institutions. They will also get the brochure which helps the student in filling the application form. Carefully follow the instruction and avoid any type of mistake while filling. Because any error in the form will cost you banned from the exam.

B. Arch Entrance Exam Pattern

AIEEE and JEE conduct the common exam for both the engineering and architecture graduates. So the entrance exam is of objective type covers the subject Mathematics along with Physics and chemistry. But for the Architecture Graduate there is an addition test, aptitude test along with the drawing test. For the students, preparing for NATA exam, the exam is of three hours and divided into two parts

• Drawing test: 2 hour test evaluates the potentiality and capability in drawing
• Aesthetic Sensitivity test: one hour online based test identifies the applicant visualizing and analytical capability at the given objects.

Reference Books for B. Arch Entrance Exam

You can refer the text books of NCRT for physics, chemistry and mathematics or other recommended books in these areas. Here are some books which help the students looking for the B. Arch exam,

• A Complete Self Study Guide For B. Arch Entrance Examinations Of Arihant Book
• Architecture Entrance Book By P.K.Mishra
• B Arch Exam Guide By Pk Mishra
• NATA/AIEE B.Arch. Question Bank-2011
• Verbal & Non Verbal Reasoning Book By R.S. Agarwal.

Top 10 B. Arch Colleges in India

• Bengal Engineering College
• Centre For Environmental Planning & Technology
• Chandigarh College Of Architecture
• Indian Institute Of Technology, Kharagpur
• Indian Institute Of Technology, Roorkee
• Jadavpur University
• Rai University Raipura
• School Of Planning & Architecture
• Sir J.J.College Of Architecture
• TVB School Of Habitat Studies

Other Reputed Colleges/ Universities offering B. Arch program

• Acharya School of Architecture
• Adhiyamaan College of Engineering
• Allahabad University
• Amity School of Architecture and Design
• Anna University
• Ansal Institute of Technology
• Apeejay Institute of Technology
• Arulmigu Meenakshi Amman College of Engineering
• AXIS Institute of Architecture
• B.M.S. College of Engineering
• B.P.S. Mahila Vishwavidyalaya
• Baba Bariyar Shah Mahavidyalaya
• Bharat University of Sicience & Technology
• Budha College of Architecture
• Chitkara School of Planning and Architecture
• College of Architecture Vastu Kala Academy
• College of Architecture(COA)
• College of Engineering and Technology
• College of Engineering Trivandrum
• Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering
• Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology
• Dr Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture
• Dr. Baliram Hiray College of Architecture
• Dr. M G R Engineering College
• Dr. P.G. Halakatti College of Engineering and Technology
• G.S.Mandals Marathwada Institute of Technology
• Gateway College of Architecture and Design
• Giani Zail Singh College of Engineering and Technology
• Hindustan Institute of Engineering Technology
• I.E.S. College of Architecture
• I.P.S. Academy - School of Architecture
• Indian Education Society
• Indo Global College of Architecture
• Institute of Environmental Planning and Technology
• Jamia Millia Islamia
• Jawaharlal Nehru Engineering College (JNEC)
• K.R. Mangalam School of Architecture and Planning
• Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture and Environmental Studies
• Karnataka Law Societys Gogte Institute of Technology (K.L.S.)
• Kavikulguru Institute of Technology and Science
• L.B.H.S.S. Trusts College of Architecture
• L.S.Raheja School of Architecture
• L.T.J.S. Sanstha’s Priyadarshini College Of Engineering and Architect
• Late Bhausaheb Hiray S.S. Trust’s College of Architecture
• Late Shri Bapuraoji Deshmukh Degree College of Architecture
• Loknete Mohanrao Kadam College of Agriculture(L.M.K)
• M.E.S. College of Engineering
• M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology
• Maharshi Dayanand University
• Mahatma Gandhi College of Architecture
• Malik Sandal Institute of Arts and Architecture
• Marathwada Mitra Mandals College of Architecture
• Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology
• MCE Societys Allana College of Architecture
• Mohamed Sathak Engineering College
• NDMVP Samajs College of Architecture
• NMIMS University
• North Maharashtra University
• NTVS’s College of Architecture
• OM Institute of Technology and Management
• Padmashree Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Architecture
• Pillai’s College of Architecture
• Pravara Rural College of Architecture
• Punjab Technical University
• R.I.M.T. College of Architecture
• R.V. College of Engineering
• Rajaram Shinde Degree College of Architecture
• Rama Institute of Architecture Anna University
• Regional Engineering College
• Rizvi College of Architecture
• S R M Engineering College
• S.D.P.S. Women’s College
• Sathyabama Engineering College
• Sathyabma University
• Savera College of Architecture and Planning
• School of Planning and Architecture
• Shree Bankey Bihari Institutions of Architecture (SBBIA)
• Shri Prince Shivaji Maratha Boarding House’s College of Architecture
• Shri Siddeshwar Shikshan Mandals College of Architecture
• Shri VB Patil Trusts Appasaheb Birnale College of Architecture
• Shrikrishna Educational and Cultural Mandals College of Architecture
• Sinhgad College of Architecture
• Sir J.J. College of Architecture
• Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology
• Sunder Deep College of Architecture
• Surya School of Architecture
• Sushant School of Art and Architecture
• Tamilnadu School of Architecture
• Thiagarajar College Of Engineering
• Vidya Pratishthan’s School of Architecture
• Viva School of Architecture

B. Arch course curriculum

The B. Arch program is of 5 years and is alienated into two phases. The first phase covers the three year full time course and 20 weeks internship at any professional organization or building sites. The second phase is characterized with the preparation research paper, design thesis and also conduct seminars. The second phases is for a duration of 2 years and it can be consider as the more practical based approach of the theory part. The student is evaluated in each ten semesters and the degree is awarded at the end of the tenth semester. The academic covers the areas of arts which deals with the designing parts, drawing, fine arts etc. The other subjects for a B. Arch student are from engineering, humanities, and technology and expertise practice of architecture.

B. Arch Specializations

The specialization areas of the Bachelor of Architecture includes the following,

• Green Architecture.
• Landscape Architecture.
• Museum Architecture.
• Naval Architecture.
• Theatre Architecture.

B. Arch Projects

Project is a part of B. Arch evaluation criteria that the students has to compulsory submit the project related to any prescribed area like architecture doctrines, design of building, examination of temperature variation etc.  The student are allowed to choose the industry for the projects, it can either be a public or private organization.  Some areas of project in B. Arch include,

• Conservation of a Heritage Building
• Construction Management
• Eco Friendly Construction Methods and Materials
• Energy conservation (green buildings)
• Energy Management
• Engineering technology
• Industrial design
• Interiors and Landscaping
• Mud Architecture
• Promoting Village Energy Security
• Renewable Energy Technology Management
• Smart building
• Solar Architecture
• Thermal Performance of Buildings
• Urban planning

B. Arch Course Evaluation

The course evaluation is mainly done by the classroom as well as the field work activities. An Architecture graduate is evaluated mainly by the following.

• Exams
• Class Tests
• Home Assignments
• Field work
• Internship
• Projects
• Practical experiments etc.

B.Arch Text Books

• A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa and Murray Silverstein.
• Architectural Study Drawings by Daniel M. Herbert
• Architecture: Form, Space, and Order by Francis D. K. Ching
• Construction for Landscape Architecture (Portfolio Skills) by Robert Holden and Jamie Liversedge
• Environmental Control Systems: Heating, Cooling, Lighting by Fuller Moore Architect’s
• Precedents in Architecture: Analytic Diagrams, Formative Ideas, and Partis by Roger H. Clark and Michael Pause
• Professional Practice Manual (Professional Architecture) by James Franklin
• Statics and Strength of Materials for Architecture and Building Construction by Barry Onouye and Kevin Kane
• The Architecture of the Italian Renaissance by Peter Murray
• The Art of Building in the Classical World: Vision, Craftsmanship, and Linear Perspective in Greek and Roman Architecture by John R. Senseney

What to do after B. Arch?

For an Architecture graduate there are mainly two opportunities, to work with any firm or to select further studies.  An architecture graduate can work with both public and private entities. They can work with Railways, Postal and telegraph department, private firms like Sahara group, Gammon India, Aeons Constructions etc.

The students who want to do further studies in the field is to chose M. Arch after B.Arch. The higher studies option after B. Arch is

• Master of Technology in Construction of Project Management (M.Tech – CPM)
• Master of Technology in Environmental Planning (M.Tech – EP)
• Master of Technology in Housing (M.Tech. - HSG)
• Master of Technology in Infrastructure Planning (M.Tech – IP)
• Master of Technology in Urban and Regional Planning (M.Tech. - URP)
• Postgraduate Diploma Programme in Design (PGDPD)

Other Certification Courses after B.Arch

• Advance training in Application of Computer Techniques in Architectural design Simulation
• Advance training in Building Science
• Advance training in Presentation Graphics and Construction Technology
• Computer Applications in Architecture and Planning
• GIS and Multimedia Applications
• Heritage Studies and Conservation
• Short-Term Course on Green Architecture and Carbon-Free Living
• Visual and Graphic Design

Job and Career options for B.Arch

Since our county is in the developing phase more and more residential and non-residential constructions are needed every year. Some of the job opportunities available for the architecture graduates are,

Employment Areas

• Architecture and Building Development Firms.
• Department of Post and Telegraph.
• Department of Railways.
• Housing and Urban Development Corporations.
• National Building Organization.
• National Institutes of Urban Affairs.
• Private Construction Organizations.
• Public Works Department (PWD).
• Town and Country Planning Organization.

Job Types

• Architectural Technician.
• Architectural Theoretician.
• Architectural Conservator.
• Architectural Engineer.
• Architectural Technologist.
• Architecture Critic.
• Architecture Photographer.
• Building Control Officer.
• Building Inspector.

Remuneration after B. Arch

Due to the higher demand and lower supply of the professional architects, the remuneration part is highly attractive in this industry. The salary package of an Architect depends on the size of the firm, the project he/she handling, Clint and also the experience in the field. Salary of experienced architects in India ranges from Rs.3-5laks/annum. For an entry level one can expect a handsome salary ranging from Rs 1-3laks/annum. There are private firms like DLF, L&T, Eros Group the salary package of an architect’s varies from Rs 1-15lakhs/Annum.