Postgraduate Coursework Student Profile
Rowan Brown
What are you studying in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning?
I am a Master of Architecture (Coursework) candidate.
What did you study before commencing your studies at the University of Melbourne, and at which institution?
I have been at the University of Melbourne since high school. The major change has been from the BArch programme to the MArch.
What interested you in coming to the University of Melbourne? What attracted you to the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning?
I came to the Faculty because it had one of the most hands on courses in one of the best universities in the country while still offering a professional degree at the end. Architecture and design were also by far the best fit for my interests in life generally. It was always going to be architecture or industrial design.
How are you finding your experience at the University so far? What are the highlights?
The Master of Architecture programme has thus far led me to Beijing to study urban growth in one of the most booming economies on the planet as well as to a sub-tropical island to look at designing a flexible framework for an expanding tourist community. It has brought me into contact with a huge number of leading names in Australian architectural practice as well as giving me the chance to meet a number of important protagonists in architectural criticism and academic debate.
The close working relationships that many of the candidates develop with senior members of staff and professional fellows of the university not only gives one the chance to learn at an, at times, extraordinary rate but also helps to develop connections and an understanding of practice they may have taken years to develop otherwise.
So overall the Masters of Architecture experience has been tough but has led to immense development in a broad cross section of architectural practice.
What are you planning to do when you have completed your studies at Melbourne?
I am hoping that the Master of architecture programme will give me a better base to go on to further study and perhaps a PhD in the future. I am also hoping that the extensive professional network that has been involved with the programme will help me to get placed in the Australian industry more effectively and more quickly.
What advice do you have for other students thinking of studying in the Faculty?
Architecture can be one of the most rewarding fields around but people need to understand that it is a vocation rather than a job and the decision to do the course should not be taken lightly.