School of Architecture Career Services

Wil Strickland, our dedicated School of Architecture Career and Outreach Director, is available to help current students and alumni prepare a professional cover letter, resume and portfolio.

Make an appointment by contacting [email protected]. Ask for feedback on your application materials before sending them to a firm or employer.

Email Career Services

IPAL, the Integrated Path to Architecture Licensure initiative, allows for the integration of the three components of licensure: the Architectural Experience Program (AXP), professional education (BArch or MArch) and the Architect Registration Examination (ARE).

Students interested in joining IPAL may contact us at [email protected]. While applications are due in January of each year, students may start working toward licensure at any time. Over 40 firms have hired our IPAL students since the program began in 2016. Please visit our IPAL page for additional information.

Explore IPAL at Woodbury

We have collected all of the fundamental resources needed to study for the Architect Registration Examination (ARE), beginning with links to basic information about the exam, through study guides and access to all of the source materials recommended by NCARB covering exam topics. Our goal is to make as much as possible available in a digital format with e-books that you can “check out” from our library.

Library Study Materials

We have also planned a series of study seminars with the American Institute of Architects San Fernando Valley chapter. Currently, we recommend remote seminars offered by the AIA San Francisco, which are open to all.

Take the time to research scholarships and competitions. We maintain a list of scholarships and can help you with your scholarship application(s).

Student Scholarships

Also consider entering a competition – there are lots of design competitions, so be selective and work with a faculty advisor who can advise you throughout the design and submission process. Some firms, such as ZGF Architects, offer internships tied to their scholarship programs. Not only do you receive scholarship funds to pay for your education, but you gain valuable experience working in the firm.

Pandemic-related architecture and design competitions:

Competitions

Woodbury University recently moved to Handshake, a career resource with internship and job listings and many other features. Log in to create your account using your woodbury.edu e-mail.

Job Board

Here are some other job boards that feature architecture and interior design jobs:

https://archinect.com/jobs

https://iida-socal.org/category/job-opportunities/

https://aiasandiego.org/job-board

https://careercenter.aia.org/jobseekers/

https://jobs.nextcity.org/

Some of the best internships or work opportunities may not be posted on a job board, but become available because you simply ask. So, researching firms to find a good fit for you – and contacting them about a possible internship– is an important strategy. Learn about firms through a variety of forums, including: the Architect 50, through design awards programs, such as, the Committee on the Environment Top Ten Awards, and through news stories about projects on the boards. Also see a list of firms that have hired Woodbury students and alumni and that participate in our career fairs in Burbank and San Diego.

Prior to graduation, candidates in the School of Architecture must complete paid work experience in the office of an approved architecture, interior design firm, or allied professional as follows:

· 160 hours for the Bachelor of Architecture degree

· 128 hours for BFA in Interior Design

Up to 40 hours (of the required hours) may be unpaid, volunteer, professional service with approved non-profit organizations related to architecture.

Allied professionals may include architectural designers, interior designers, engineers, urban planners, city planning offices, and associated designers, builders, and engineers. Check with the chair or the career and outreach office to discuss whether the place you hope to work is considered an allied profession.

Please read our Weekly News Round Up sent weekly to all current School of Architecture students for continuously updated professional and volunteer opportunities.

Employers, the below form is to verify fulfillment of the work experience requirement for Woodbury School of Architecture students. Please use this form to assess the student’s preparation for work and to verify the hours that the WSOA student worked for your firm, company, or organization. Read more:

EMPLOYER WORK EXPERIENCE verification form

Students, the below form is to verify fulfillment of the work experience requirement for WSOA students. Please use this form to assess your own preparation for the work experience you completed. Read more:

STUDENT WORK EXPERIENCE REFLECTION FORM

Through our engagement with the professional world, we come across articles of interest every day. Here are a few that may be helpful to our students and alumni.

Guide to Job Titles – Intern
https://archinect.com/features/article/150173213/archinect-s-guide-to-job-titles-intern

How to Get Hired According to Three Firm Owners
https://joinus.aia.org/how-to-get-hired-according-to-three-firm-owners/

Understanding the Employer by Alumni Sean Joyner
https://archinect.com/features/article/150159032/tools-of-the-job-hunt-understanding-the-employer

How to Get a Job at…
https://archinect.com/features/tag/802122/how-to-get-a-job-at-______

https://archinect.com/features/article/150186647/they-should-have-a-sense-of-agency-and-be-able-to-speak-truth-to-power-barbara-bestor-on-what-she-looks-for-in-new-hires

https://archinect.com/features/article/150048865/neil-m-denari-architects-shares-the-one-question-that-stumps-candidates-in-job-interviews-here-s-how-to-prepare

Tips for Architects Working at Home 
https://www.archdaily.com/936082/tips-for-architects-working-at-home-during-covid-19

Remote Working: Setting Yourself and Your Teams Up for Success:
Free 16 learning courses that provide tips on how to stay productive, build relationships when you’re not face-to-face, use virtual meeting tools and balance family and work dynamics in a healthy way.

Graduating in a Pandemic – Advice for Post-College Job Search

We also want to make you aware that if you have federal student loans, you may be eligible for relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. Find out more here.

Also, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act includes a provision which enables employers to provide a student loan repayment benefit to employees on a tax-free basis. See Employer Payments of Student Loans in this summary of the CARES Act provided by the AIA.

• AC Martin
• AECOM
• Architecture for Education
• Bestor Architecture
• BNIM
• Brooks + Scarpa
• CallisonRTKL
• CannonDesign
• Carrier Johnson + Culture
• Chu + Gooding
• CO Architects
• Le Architects
• CSDA Design Group
• Dean Larkin Design
• DLR Group
• Douglas Pancake Architects
• Estudio Teddy Cruz
• EYRC Architects
• Freeman White
• Gangi Architects
• Gehry Partners, LLP
• Gensler
• Gruen Associates
• HDR
• HED
• HKS Architects
• HMC
• HOK
• Johnson Fain
• Lehrer Architects
• Lahmon Architects
• Morphosis
• NAC Architecture
• NBBJ
• Omgivning
• Perkins Eastman
• Perkins + Will
• RBB Architects
• Relativity Architects
• Rob Wellington Quigley
• RNT Architects
• Safdie Rabines Architects
• SGPA Architecture and Planning
• Shubin Donaldon
• SOM
• Steinberg Hart
• Studio E Architects
• Studio MA
• Suisman Urban Design
• Taalman Architects
• The Walt Disney Company
• ZGF

• Bestor Architecture
• BNIM
• CallisonRTKL
• CannonDesign
• Clive Wilkinson Architects
• Chu + Gooding
• Gensler
• Gruen Associates
• HDR
• HED
• HKS Architects
• HOK
• NBBJ
• Omgivning
• Perkins + Will
• Wolcott Architecture Interiors
• ZGF

• City of Glendale
• City of Los Angeles
• City of San Diego
• County of Los Angeles
• Cusumano Real Estate Group
• Dreamworks
• Foundation for Form
• Partners in Health
• UCLA

Housing
Commercial
Shopping, retail
Mixed-use
Workplace
Education
Healthcare
Hospitality
Sports
Parks and recreation
Airports
Historic preservation
Adaptive Reuse
Museum and exhibit design
Interior design
Cultural
Institutional
Industrial
Visualization
Graphic design
Photography
Film

Public space​
Public art​
Civic engagement​
Community building​
Public housing​
Urban design and planning​
Transit-oriented design​
Infrastructure​
Environmental design​
Climate-responsive design​
Energy design​
Health and wellness​
Environmental graphics​
Building science​
Landscape design​

Project manager​
Program manager​
Firm principal​
Owner representative​
Architectural designer​
Interior designer​
Real estate developer ​
Construction manager​
Production designer
Journalist​
Critic​
Scholar​
Historian​
Curator​
Educator​
City official​
Builder
Policymaker​
Elected official​
Citizen architect​

Virtual: Students can engage the new interior spaces of gaming and both virtual and augmented reality. Take advantage of resources such as our VR lab and the course offerings of our Game Design and Applied Computer Science departments.

Professions
Game Environment Design
Virtual Reality
Augmented Reality
Animation Environment Design

Experiential: Learn how to design commercial, residential and hospitality interiors for rooms and buildings. Design colors, materials, finishes, furniture, environmental graphics and more as you shape the experience of everyday life.

Professions
Set & Exhibition Design
Event Planning
Environmental Graphics
Interior Design – Residential & Commercial

Material: Design technologies and materials are changing rapidly, from 3D printing and CNC fabrication to the invention of new materials. Learn fabrication in wood and metal shops, a materials library, a digital fabrication lab, and a lighting lab.

Professions
Furniture Design
Jewelry Design
Fashion Design
Lighting Design