TOWARDS A NEW ADMISSION POLICY INTO SCHOOLS OF ARCHITECTURE: A RETHINK FOR ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATORS

Abstract

As the pace of change and challenges in the 21st century continue to increase, likewise, there is increase in complexity of the role of the architectural educators in training of architects that are competent both professionally and intellectually. These challenges should oblige architectural educators to take into account the need to consider certain criteria for admission into schools of architecture as part of the process of striving for continuous improvement in architectural education in Nigeria. The focus of this paper is to bring to the attention of architectural educators some admission procedures and criteria along with existing ones in order to check the uncontrolled admission into architectural schools. This paper traces the historical background of admission into schools of architecture since the institutionalizing of architectural education. Competencies required by prospective students of architecture and factors to be considered in various schools when making selection for qualified candidates in architecture is suggested. It concludes that to successfully control admission to school of architecture in Nigeria, architectural educators will need to establish and conduct entrance examination with questions relating to architecture and insist on conducting interviews for the prospective students in order to reveal their spatial intelligence, visual aptitude/reasoning and their suitability for the a career in architecture.