School of Architecture Career Services
We Help You Start Your Career
Our dedicated School of Architecture Career and Outreach Director assists students with gaining work experience and beginning their professional careers. See below for more information about our career resources, and career possibilities.
Career Resources for Current Students and Alumni
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.
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.
We have gathered the essential resources you’ll need to prepare for the Architectural Registration Examinations (ARE 5.0) – from NCARB exam guides and study materials to digital copies of recommended source texts available for “check-out” through our library. Our goal is to make preparing for licensure as accessible and seamless as possible.
In addition, we’ve partnered with Black Spectacles to provide all students, alumni, and faculty access to one of the most widely used third-party ARE 5.0 study platforms. To request access, please contact Wil Strickland at [email protected] or connect with us through the WSOA Career Services Discord.
Take the time to research scholarships and competitions. We maintain a list of scholarships and can help you with your scholarship application(s).
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.
Architecture and design 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.
Here are some other job boards that feature architecture and interior design jobs:
https://iida-socal.org/category/job-opportunities/
https://aiasandiego.org/job-board
https://careercenter.aia.org/jobseekers/
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
· 120 for all other WSOA majors
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.
Instructions for WSOA Work Experience
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:
ARCH Work Experience Verification Form
CSDC Work Experience Verification Form
CSMA Work Experience Verification Form
DCMG Work Experience Verification Form
IDES Work Experience Verification Form
mARCH Work Experience Verification Form
SUPR 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:
ARCH Work Experience Reflection Form
CSDC Work Experience Reflection Form
CSMA Work Experience Reflection Form
DCMG Work Experience Reflection Form
IDES Work Experience Reflection Form
The School of Architecture’s Career Services Discord Server is now live! Stay up-to-date on job postings, portfolio and resume feedback, licensure resources, and alumni connections. This platform is designed to support your professional growth throughout the year and connect you with peers and mentors in real time.
Services
Career Fairs
We organize annual career fairs for students to meet with professionals and where firms meet new talent. Interested architecture firms can contact the Career and Outreach Office for further information and to register for our next career fair on campus.
IPAL
The School of Architecture at Woodbury University is among the first 14 accredited architectural programs to be accepted for participation in the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL) initiative.
The IPAL initiative is offered for both our undergraduate (BArch) and graduate (MArch) programs and on both campuses. The program allows for the integration of the three components of licensure: Architectural Experience Program (AXP), professional education (BArch or MArch) and Architect Registration Examination (ARE).
Woodbury University Job Board
Woodbury University recently moved to Handshake, a career resource with internship and job listings and many other features. Students and alumni: Log in to create your account using your woodbury.edu e-mail.
We invite employers who are seeking interns as well as more experienced graduates to post job openings on Handshake.
Licensure and Certification
Architecture students may begin the Architectural Experience Program (AXP) as soon as they start working in an office. Completion of AXP, administered by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), is a requirement for becoming a licensed architect in the State of California. Interior graduates may become certified interior designers through the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ). Students may begin fulfilling hours toward their certification after 96 semester hours of their education.
Firms that have hired our students and alumni
- 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
Career Possibilities
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
Contact Our Career And Outreach Office
Wil Strickland
Director of Outreach
Architect Licensing Advisor
[email protected]
(818) 252-5263