Building is one of the most necessary, respected and interesting activities on earth. An architect is a person who in many respects depends on how the building will look, whether it will be reliable, safe and convenient for people.
The competition among those entering universities that train such specialists is always great, and a large number of future applicants wants to know what subjects they need to take for an architect.
Engineer and artist
This profession is one of the most difficult. The results of the architect's work have a great influence on the living conditions of a person, on the appearance of small settlements and huge megacities. An example of the great architects of the past says that success in this profession cannot be achieved without a harmonious combination of artistic taste, a huge culture and a large amount of theoretical knowledge and practical skills in construction.
What subjects need to be handed over to the architect is largely determined by the location of this specialty at the junction of the humanities and the exact sciences. To a good preparation in mathematics and geometry, in other natural sciences, the need to possess fine skills is added. A true architect only thinks with a pencil in his hand. He can’t do without the ability to make his ideas visible and understandable to others, so those who enter the “clean” architecture will have to complete a creative task at the entrance exams to the university. The content of this test is approximately the same for leading educational institutions of this profile.
House, interior, city, landscape
Creating a comfortable environment for the life of people is the main goal of a person whose profession is an architect. What subjects you need to take in order to start training in this specialty are determined by the regulatory documents of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. State standards indicate the main directions of training specialists of this profile, which are assigned the appropriate codes in the documents:
- 03/07/01 - Architecture. Profiles: architectural design, urban planning, restoration design.
- 03/07/02 - Reconstruction and restoration of architectural heritage.
- 03/07/03 - Design of the architectural environment.
- 03/07/04 - Urban planning.
- 03/35/10 - Landscape architecture.
Graduates of universities who have completed training in these areas are commonly called architects and designers.
There are two levels of qualification - a bachelor and a master. They have their own training programs, designed for different periods of study. Some specializations (restoration and urban planning) usually have only a two-year magistrate, and you can start their in-depth study only by becoming a bachelor. After successfully studying for 4 years, finding out what subjects to take for an architect with a master's degree, and having passed a creative competition, you can achieve after training a course of the highest level of professional training.
On the example of the metropolitan university
There are more than 20 Russian institutes and construction academies where architects are trained. The rating of such educational institutions changes annually and is largely determined by the results of admission of applicants and graduation of graduates.
They differ in the level of teaching, the conditions for ensuring the educational process, have their own history and traditions. But there is also a general thing - what subjects need to be handed over to an architect, designer, what creative tests entrants pass.
Typical conditions can be shown by the example of one of the most famous universities in Russia - MARCHI. The Metropolitan Architectural Institute, now called the State Academy, has a quarter-century tradition of training architects of the highest professional level. Studying here is prestigious not only because of the location of the university in the center of Moscow. Among his graduates are many outstanding personalities who have clearly shown themselves, and not only in the field of architecture.
Entrance Examination Program at MARCHI
The combination of creative and engineering in the future profession determines for applicants who have submitted an application to the MARCHI selection committee what items are needed for admission to the architect. In the main area of preparation - "Architecture" - entrance examinations in the Russian language and mathematics are provided, which are conducted according to the results of the exam, and additional tests of a creative and professional orientation - drawing and drawing. Applicants to the "Design of the architectural environment" must pass the same exams, but the creative test program (figure) is different.
All exams have a 100-point grading system. The minimum for the Russian language is 36 points, for mathematics - 27 points, for additional tests - 20 points. If the number of points scored by applicants is equal, the advantage in the competition for enrollment is for those who have proven themselves better in creative disciplines, and the best result in drawing is a more weighty argument.
Creative Test - Drawing
For a “clean” architecture, the drawing exam is two tasks. On the first day, applicants draw a “head” - a plaster cast from the head of an ancient sculpture. Antinous, Caesar, Aphrodite, Socrates - these names are familiar to those who at least once engaged in academic drawing and know in advance what subjects are needed for admission to the architect.
The type of model, the angle is a matter of chance: applicants work ten people in a room, behind a strictly defined easel. On thick paper sheets measuring 30x40 cm in 6 hours you need to show the ability to properly compose the picture, without distortion to build and express the volume of the model, to convey the ratio of light and shadow.
In the second drawing exam for the specialty "Architecture" models of geometric bodies are proposed - a cube, a prism, a cone, a ball, etc. Of the given objects, two of which are mandatory, you need to complete an imaginary volumetric composition in 4 hours. All lines of the construction of bodies are preserved - visible and hidden, sections of their intersection and perspective reductions. The sheet should have several outline versions of the composition. Hatching is just an aid to give expressiveness to a drawing.
In the direction “Design of the architectural environment”, the first part of the creative exam is drawing a still life, a composition of several objects of a geometric and natural form. A graphite or charcoal pencil is used, 6 hours are allotted for work. The second 4-hour test is a planar color composition, performed on the basis of a particular color scheme proposed by the examiners. Technique - water-based coating paints (gouache or tempera) on paper.
Drawing Skill Test
Anyone who is attracted to the profession of "architect" should have spatial imagination. What subjects need to be handed over - this can be learned and prepared in advance, but if there are no practical skills in performing orthogonal projections according to the proposed axonometry, there are few chances to do so.
Modern drawings are carried out in special computer programs, and the ability to draw lines using a T-square or compass seems archaic. But in addition to these professional skills, in a drawing examination in 4 hours you need to show the ability to represent in axonometric image how the plan and side views of the object look, with a cross section in one of the views. Theoretical knowledge on the competent design of the drawing, the implementation of inscriptions, etc. are also evaluated. Speed is important - pencil lines must be circled with ink. It is no coincidence that for many people who passed entrance exams and knew for a long time which subjects they should take for an architect, drawing turned out to be the most difficult stage.
Different universities, similar requirements
The requirements for future students who want to engage in “clean” architecture are high: the passing score for budget places at the Moscow Architectural Institute in 2015 is 328. Despite this, the number of applications submitted to the selection committee of specialized universities is impressive. Many are interested in areas of creativity related to architecture. There are features in the rules for admission to full-time studies in such specialties. For example, what subjects should be handed over to a landscape architect? It is logical that biology or geography is added to the Russian language and mathematics at the discretion of the academic council of the university.
There is an opinion that they become real architects by the age of 50. Too much baggage of knowledge and skills must be acquired in order to reach the heights in this most important profession. At the current pace of life, you should not waste time. If you ask in advance what subjects are needed to enter an architect and begin to prepare 2-3 years before graduating from high school, you can get a tangible impulse at the very beginning of the path to success.